Mission Project

By John Vallejo

One of the fun things about going climbing in new areas is that you can't be quite sure of what unexpected circumstances will be waiting there for you, nor whether you'll be able to handle it. Initially, the plan was to go with friends to China for a couple months and check out the climbing on the limestone karsts. But unlike missionaries of the past, we were bringing ropes, drills, bolts and cameras with the mission of establishing new routes. There was a ton of gear to pack, and since it all fit into the Solitude Pack I picked up for the trip, I didn't mind going over weight at the airport.

China was pretty intense. With such a huge population, the "small" cities had a perpetual downtown-rush hour feel to them, but the sticky heat was most stifling. Bringing towels to the crags to sop up the dripping sweat after a climb was not in the plans. Fortunately, everyone stayed motivated and we managed about three weeks of daily climbing and some awesome FA's before the heat became too much. So the mission changed to: Re-Pack, Get Out of China, and Go...to Wyoming.

After days on buses, trains and airplanes I found myself driving with my girlfriend through the Great Western Desert. In a sense, Wyoming would be just like China because it was a place I had never been to before. But that's about as close as they'd get, because in Wyoming, at about 9,000 feet during September, the weather is basically the opposite of what I had just encountered. The warm LoDown jacket, Cohesion shell and Runout pants I needlessly brought to China became essential to the new mission: Stay Warm and Dry to Keep the Climbing Progression Going.

The warm clothing protected us well against the cold weather emerging through the changing seasons and we were able to stay psyched on the quality climbing in the area. During a rest day in Lander I randomly ran into a Hardwear rep. from Colorado who offered to exchange the external frame of my pack for a better fitting size (I had a friend pick it up for me in a rush before I left for China). The helpful exchange made hiking to the crags that much easier, and although I can't prove it to be a direct cause, I soon thereafter sent the hardest climbs of my life. Looking back on the trip, "having a good time" was definitely the ultimate mission, and it was a huge success.