Mission Project

Fast forward four years to my apartment in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. I looked at Shannon over the stacks of boxes of "Chix Rock" T-shirts that we had designed and ordered to sell and help finance our trip. I couldn't believe we were finally leaving...and on April 19th, 2007 we did. Shannon's grin was the biggest I'd ever seen as we hit the road in her jeep that we'd recently renovated to become our mobile home for the next 6-9 months. I decided not to pinch myself...just in case...

The first stop was, for us, where it all began...Shelf Road. From there we headed South to Hueco Tanks, Texas. We were greeted by the blooming of every imaginable wildflower and cactus and felt welcomed by grin-inducing drawls and occasional tips of a cowboy hat. From Texas we made like birds in the spring, making a northerly migration. In May, June, and July we worked our way up to Maine climbing and soaking up the local cultures (read: sharing beers and laughter).

Our stops included Enchanted Rock State Park, Texas (where I absorbed my first Yahtzee loss to Shannon); Horseshoe Canyon Ranch, Arkansas (where we scooped horse manure in our flip-flops with the ranch hand for free camping); Foster Falls and Tennessee Wall, Tennessee; Red River Gorge, Kentucky (including Miguel's famous pizza, slacklining, hard sport climbs, and fun trad lines); New River Gorge, West Virginia; Summersville Lake, West VIrgina (deep water soloing and a paradise-like setting); Seneca Rocks, West Virginia (where local climbing guide/guru Tom Cecil took us under his wing and instilled invaluable climbing and life knowledge upon us); Shawangunks, New York (where we were chased off by rain and an inexplicable impatient lifestyle); Whitehorse and Cathedral Ledge, New Hampshire (where we each found new love and pushed our mental and physical limits on the phenomenal granite); and finally Acadia National Park, Maine (where the salty Atlantic Ocean crashed below us as we climbed on the dream-like Otter Cliffs.)

With the first half of our journey and the east coast behind us, we made our way back to Nebraska. After attending a wedding (the only set-in-stone part of our itinerary), and catching up with our families we were antsy to get back on the road.

The first stop on our "west coast loop" was the Black Hills, South Dakota. After climbing a few routes around Sylvan Lake, it was time to switch gears. We put away our ropes, harnesses, racks, and stinky cllimbing shoes in the gear box on top of the jeep. We stopped at the Goodwill where $25 bought us a bag of tight jean shorts, tube tops, short skirts, and black T-shirts. We ransacked the jeep for any and all 'girly' items (one tube of lumpy mascara, miscellaneous jewelry, mini bottles of shampoo and conditioner, and a comb.) We were as prepared as we could be for two weeks of working the biggest motorcycle rally in the United States: Sturgis. "What are we doing?" I asked through ridiculous laughter as I admired Shannon's biker get-up on our first day of work.

I didn't even have time to answer myself. Our two weeks in Sturgis went by in an incredibly entertaining and exhausting blur. Cigars were cut and lit, pot after pot of coffee was brewed, the espresso machine hummed, butts were spanked, rock 'n' roll blared, beers disappeared and all of a sudden Shannon and I were cleaning up and breathing sighs of relief, ready to get back to our low key climbing lifestyle.

From South Dakota we pointed the jeep west. We stood on the summit of Devil's Tower, (Wyoming) humbled by it's beauty and relentless gymnastic cracks. We crimbed our fingers on the beautiful limestone of Sinks Canyon, (Lander, Wyoming). Days later we stood on the summit of Pingora Peak 11,884' in the Cirque of the Towers (Wind River Range, Wyoming).

Pingora Peak was our first backcountry alpine climbing experience and proved to be wholly successful. As Shannon and I hugged on the summit and admired the jagged peaks of the cirque surrounding us, I was overwhelmed by the feeling that the moment was the culmination of our trip...our dreams...our hard work. I was floored and completely and utterly consumed by the beauty of the moment.

After Pingora Peak, our trip began to wind down. We took a much needed backpacking trip into Yellowstone in search of relaxation which we found in the hot springs, lack of human habitation, and bit of red wine that we packed in. We made our way to City of Rocks, Idaho (where we made the best of the waning sunshine and daylight of the fall); then Smith Rocks, Oregon (where we laughed with new friends while mother earth dealt us rain/snow) and finally Yosemite, California (where we spent only a day hiking before we realized it was time for a new chapter.)

The "mission" that Shannon and I embarked on in April is hands-down, without a doubt, the greatest accomplsihment of my life to date. (Sounds cheesy...but I don't know how else to put into words such a life changing adventure.) The beauty of it is, that it's not over. (The latest phone messages from Shannon are "Hey do you want to go to Norway?" "Kate, let's bike highway 1 down the west coast" "Let's volunteer in Africa on a wildlife refuge!" "Meet me in Red Rocks in March.") I can only imagine where I'll be next when I look over and see Shannon's contagious grin, which is why I continue to put money into our joint checking/trip account. "Mission Complete"...more like "Mission Just Begun."