November

November was on and off. I feel like i've gotten to that point again, where i've done all the boulders that I can do relatively easily, and am left with the ones that feel harder or are less pleasant to climb on. This leaves me feeling like I am not progressing, though I know that it is just another step in the process of improving.

November started out in good fashion. After Pawtuckaway I went back to Great Barrington and took down Fotowa Sit v11, in pretty bad conditions. This one was a surprise to me because of how thin and precise it is. Truth be told, I NEVER though I would ever be able to do it. Yet, like with all problems, I started figuring out all the subtle tricks, and after falling on the Fotowa stand move three times in fifteen minutes, I screamed my way up it.

The next weekend I went back to Pawtuckaway with one goal in mind. Thankfully, within five tries, I managed to take down the incredible Stand and Deliver v11. This one had been on my mind since my first day on it, where I punted off the very last move, so I was relieved to do it in quick fashion. I don't want to talk a lot about it yet, but dang Confident Man is hard and cool! I was psyched I got to try it and actually felt quite close. Before splitting my tips I got agonizingly close to sticking the crux first move, and did the second crux move first go. I think that if I can stick the first move, the climb will go. So I need to go back there PRONTO. 

Brothers Keeper has been on my mind a lot lately, and not in the way that I enjoy. I've now fallen six times after sticking the crux jump from the start, and on Saturday I got two bloody splits from it. Once I start making negative progress on a climb I have a lot less fun on it and get angry at myself, so i'm considering just forgetting about it for a few weeks to focus on plastic climbing, since Regionals is coming up.

Split #1