road trip!: rules of texas

hueco tanks. the cover of the guidebook says, "..bouldering mecca of the United States." ha, cant argue with that! we were there for about a month or so - a lot longer than planned, but it was good. the weather was so sunny and dry! why would we go anywhere else?

it can be a little complicated to climb here. rules, rules, rules - the state park is really on lockdown. but after you've done it once, its no big deal at all.

a few quick tips:
1. make climbing reservations, or plan to get up early to get in line at the gate. you can make reservations up to 3 months in advance. if you dont get climbing reservations, try to stay in the state park. the daily, open slots go to the campers IN the park first.
2. if you plan to stay a little while, especially with more than just one person, consider getting the state park pass for $70 (it covers everyone in the vehicle). otherwise, its $5/person every day you want to climb.
3. there are a few mountains in the park: north, west, east, and east spur. only north mountain is self-guided. the other mountains are guided-tours only. you can sign up for volunteer tours through the state park, but the volunteer guides dont always show up. i think you can sign up for these tours when you call for your climbing reservations. or there are commercial tours for $20 a person (ridiculous!) or something like that. i recommend getting on a tours just so that you can see other mountains and other climbs.
4. camping in the state park is $12 per site for water only. the Rock Ranch is $7 per night per person (unless you pay by the week or month). depending on how many people are in your party, staying in the state park could be more cost-efficient. and the bathrooms are pretty nice ;)
5. saved the best for last - vista mercado and el pasito! you have to visit these places! they are the first businesses on Montana Ave when leaving the park and heading into El Paso. the Vista Mercado is a small supermarket. their baked goods are amazzzzzzing! and only $0.50 for most! soooooo good!! El Pasito is next door (down the side road). it looks like a convenience store from the outside, but once you go inside and head left .. its a little food establishment. yummy burritos for $2.60! also soooooo good!

(there is a lot more beta i can offer on the place. if you want to know something, just ask!)

now, usually i go into the climbing, camping, the hike - blah blah blah. this time around, there is one thing that really sticks out in my mind from my stay in Hueco: my attitude. sadly, it was bad.

most times, i try to be optimistic and think positively. i try to see the bright side in all my attempts at anything.
- every attempt i make at any move, it is teaching me something and i am getting stronger.
- my focus should be to have fun and enjoy the movement - and the moment.
- if someone around me is being or saying something negative, i try to point out something positive for them.
i know that positive energy is a powerful thing.

however, after just a few sessions of Hueco climbing, the beat down that i was feeling was really taking its toll. my attitude was absolutely horrible. i kept thinking stuff to myself, like:
- "ive been bouldering for 8 weeks in TN. i shouldnt struggle so much."
- "these climbs are so hard." for some reason, i thought Hueco was easier..?
- "i should at least be able to warm up."
- and the worst, i was even ready to leave. wah wah wahhhhhh. it was pathetic.
and that was the last straw. i was not going to leave. i would not allow myself to feel like this anymore.

fortunately, it didnt take long for me to realize my bad attitude. it was DOING something about it - that was the hard part. it certainly took a lot to change things around - a lot of effort, a lot of time. i focused on forcing myself to think positively. sunshine! warm, dry weather! making new friends! smiling and laughing and overall enjoying myself. i also worked on resetting my expectations. i just accepted the fact that some of the so-called "moderate, warm up" climbs would be hard for me - and they really, really were. and i would be ok with that.

and somehow, things turned around - it worked! slowly, but surely my attitude improved.. and along with it, my climbing improved! fascinating how the two go hand-in-hand! i felt better and i was climbing better :)

a few things played into this improvement:
- i made that conscious effort not to allow my negativity to get the best of me.
- i'm certain that a visit with the good ole bouldering crew from Sportrock had a huge part in lifting my spirits! :) having great company can be such a positive influence!
- and i saw for myself what a bad attitude can do to other people - what it does to the person feeling bad, and also to the friends surrounding that person. i watched as one particular climber was very down on himself. i guess in the past he was climbing stronger than he is now. however, he is STILL climbing really strong! sadly, he does not see this. he would get on something at his limit, and work the moves. but in the end, he would just be frustrated - and it was written all over his face and his mere presence. i could tell that his friends werent really sure how to approach him and handle the situation. what a mess. climbing should be fun! a climber should enjoy what they are doing! (in fact, everyone should always enjoy what they are doing - whatever it is! and if you dont, maybe you should do something else?) now, i dont know what would solve this particular climber's issues. however, i really do think that if he were more aware of his attitude - and how it not only affects himself and hinders his performance, but how it affects his friends around him.. i think he would try lessen the pressure that he puts on himself. he might feel happier in the simple fun of just climbing, and it would also avoid putting his friends in an unnecessarily tough situation. watching this from the outside allowed me to see what can happen if you let a bad attitude continue - and i dont want that to happen to me.

in the end, i did climb pretty well for myself and i am satisfied with my visit. :) however, as i said before, what stands out are the attitude issues that i needed to address - try to be positive, sometimes happiness may take some effort. i learned that in order to feel good, i need to see the good in everything i do :) i just hope that i can remember this when the negativity comes around again.. as it always does. its just the cyclical nature of everything. ;)

see the hueco tank of water to the left of the tree?