"Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns." - George Eliot (a.k.a. Mary Ann Evans)
Ah, the autumn breeze and warm colors have arrived. To celebrate the wonders and the comforts of the new season we decided to go bouldering this past weekend in the Coopers Rock State Forest near Morgantown, WV. Three other couples joined us on this spontaneous adventure. The park is three hours away from where we live, so we joined up with one of the couples to share the ride, reduce our carbon footprint, and enjoy each other's company (and their dog Milo :)).
During our drive there and back, I couldn't help but stare out the window, mesmerized by the scenery whizzing past us. We were surrounded by endless hills and fields of intermingled red, green, yellow, orange, and light brown canopies. What a beautiful sight accompanied with myriad moments of silent inspiration.
Coopers Rock offers a great concentration of high quality boulder problems within day trip range of Baltimore and the Washington D.C. area. Two of the couples we went with are veteran climbers. SO and I, along with the other couple we drove with, are less experienced climbers, but we could still hold our own and have loads of fun bouldering. That's the beauty of climbing, especially in the outdoors; it's a very chill sport with a gorgeous setting to boot.
The rock and the act of climbing are also good reminders to meditate and the benefits of clearing one's head. As humans, we assign meaning to the world around us and nature reminds us that our conception of meaning is often inadequate and unnecessary, especially if one desires to truly be present in nature. To climb well and "be one with the rock", an almost meditative state of mind is required. The moment you start to think too much, your body tenses up and you're pretty much done climbing. To me, at its best, bouldering is like ballet on rock.
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Me walking on the trail on our way
to the next bouldering project
(that's a crash pad on my back) |
One of my favorite moments of the entire trip was making food over the two fires we had going (in large part thanks to my SO who loves anything and everything to do with fire :)), drinking wine, sharing stories and hanging out together under the starry sky. The next morning was just as sweet. SO and I were the last to wake up, and as I walked from our tent to the picnic tables, everyone else was already eating breakfast and chatting. I realized afterwards just how much I enjoy hanging out at a campsite, making food and spending quality time with others. To me, there is something instantly relaxing and quietly joyous about a campsite.
Shortly after breakfast, everyone packed up and we were off to the rocks for some more bouldering action. By the time 3pm arrived, we were all desperately sore, yet so grateful for having spent the weekend together surrounded by natural beauty and pushing ourselves and one another physically. My new outlook on being young is that we are blessed with strong bodies and should use them to fully experience the natural world as much as we can, while we can!
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SO coming down
after a successful climb! |
SO and I plan to return to the gorgeous autumn woods in two weeks again. This time it will be a 3-day camping trip in the Shenandoah National Park with his parents, who are also avid hikers, campers, and outdoor adventurers!
Happy trails!
~Modern Akhmatova
