There go your friends

I recently got to congratulate two of my old climber buds. They each did something pretty rad, something beyond anything I’ve tried or, at this point, will try. I got a satisfaction believing that I helped them along their path. I’m likely suppressing a twinge of envy; still satisfied with my resume.

But though I’m not a parent I have paternal instincts. These guys are like my lost sons, taking dad’s old routine and spinning it up. I worry about them some though they are past the crazies of their teens and 20s now. They do risky stuff outside of climbing. But mostly I’m elated to see them become such journeymen in a mountain endeavor.

I try to reserve pride for something which I can claim responsibility for. These guys did it on their own. But I want to bask in a small part of their glory, and it feels a little like pride. Congrats to Kris on a new El Capitan test piece and Kia for topping out on the roof of the world. It’ll be interesting to see where they go from here.

 

Congrats! When I saw the thread title, I thought it was a discussion about Eric Clapton

 

These kids deserve it. They’ve been charging hard for awhile now.

I’m feeling musically ignant so if you could please fill me in on the Clapton reference.