Rick Dees' Top 40, All The Way To The Granite. Namibia 4.

Antananarivo, Noola, Luanda...or Windhoek?I've been in Windhoek, Namibia's capital, for 48 hours—just now longer than it took to get here.  Departing Johannesburg, I had the chance to go to Gaborone, Antananarivo, Noola, Luanda. Bulawayo, Lusaka, Doha... I came here—at least here I know there’s granite. I arrived and got my rental car, and immediately got inside, on the wrong side (my right side) and sat down. I looked at the attendant. I had not been horizontal in 46 hours. I gave him a wave, got out of the car, and went to the other side.

Rick Dees' Top 40 blended in with the African wind as I rolled on the B6 to the city. It’s all here. Everything I brought (save the bag that was late), everything I need, everything I’m trying to get to—for the next month. Kate showed up yesterday and I am a day ahead of her jet lag. By the time Gabe, Peter, and Chris arrive, we will have a week on them.

I left Boulder in the mist. Everything was lily pad green. Spring rains and snow came to Colorado just as I headed for the start of winter desert in Namibia. It’s blue here. Everywhere. Chances are we will not see one rain drop. Now it’s time to do errands. Farm stores, food, machetes, candles, 4X4’s, spices. As many vegetables as balance out the metal climbing gear seem to be the right amount. Tomorrow we head west and leave the city. By tomorrow night, I’ll either be getting my first Namibian hand jams, or my 100^th Namibian friction smear. Either way, I’ll take it.

To Do: Go To Namibia. Namibia 3.

Petzl Attaches, Lockers, Spirits, Fin Anneau Slings, and Poodle. 4/5 of which will be going to NamibCourtesty of Petzl: Check out their new Website.

I’m five days out from a five-week expedition. I have eight lists. On a one-to-one completion rate, the odds are not leaning in my favor. Right now I’m supposed to be working on my connections. That right there, to the left, that’s all the draws and anchoring material I’m bringing to Namibia. Five weeks of connection.
It’s a pretty basic question: what do you need for the next step in your life? I have some idea. I have no idea. The lists make me feel better.

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Running for the Butter. Namibia 2

Scarpa APEX GTX Shoes. * Correct sizing recommendedI don’t run. I jog. Barely. I likely still jog the same speed at which I completed the mile run in fourth grade. This is hard for me—I come from a family of marathon runners and live in Boulder.

I don’t really like running. I resent how perfect it is. But I’m getting over it for Namibia. I need to get fit, I need something that was fast to do, and the poodle seems keen.

“What do you do to train to climb?” people ask me.

“Climb," I say. Eat butter, I think.

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Inside the Wheels

I leave in an hour for Cleveland and Vancouver. I am going back into book tour mode. Last year, when that was about my only mode, I would try to climb each time I came home to Boulder. I would text potential partners the moment my plane touched down at DIA. Three, sometimes four leads in, I would get a yes. I would pick up the van in long term parking, drive home and make a list of what all I needed to do in the 12 hours before I went climbing: get dog, unpack, groceries, bills, eat, sleep, pack for climbing. Those first nights at home were never restful as I was caught between catching up with my body and soul after flying and demanding an entirely different level of performance the next day.

I’m doing it again. I’m loading pre- and post-speaking trips with climbing plans. It’s some sort of weird self-rationing behavior....

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Styling Your Life

...We constantly engage in a debate about lifestyle. But what does lifestyle really mean? Do ten hours in front of the computer in front of a sunny window feel different than in front of a paneled cubicle wall? Most would say yes. How does the difference pan out when you factor in how much you make for each of those hours? If the ones in front of the cubicle allow for a one-week vacation heli-skiing, and the ones in front of the window, a break at the end of a the day for a quick ski up the mountain outside? Which is better?...

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