We spent the weekend at the Bluffs and loved every minute of it. Since JF couldn't lead or climb routes because of his broken arm (for non-climbers, leading is going up a route first and clipping the rope as you go, then installing a belay on top), so he taught Karl how to do it, which he did like a pro! Rock climbing routes have the funniest (and sometimes dirtiest) names... We climbed Lick it in your panties and Hair on a G string...! I've seen routes called Your Mom's Crack (so you could say: I climbed your mom's crack... And bike trails called My girlfriend and Your girlfriend (So you can say I rode your girlfriend or I ripped your girlfriend...! Ahem!).

We met lots of climbers that live in their vans or their old cars and travel from one climbing spot to the next. These guys live for climbing! They are the ones that are commonly called "dirtbags". I love their laid back vibe, friendliness and carefree attitude.

On Sunday night, everybody was exhausted and we cracked beers and ciders along the still warm rock walls away from the wind, watching the sunset on Skaha Lake. We came back to our cars as night was falling, feeling our tired bodies, smiling from cheek to cheek, feeling so very alive.

**If you want to learn more about the fascinating history of rock climbing (and dirtbags!), I highly recommend you watch the awesome movie Valley Uprising. We watched it (again!) with our friends on Saturday night and they loved it!