Well, the boulder open was fun, but I didn't perform at my peak. Whereas I usually complete around 24-25 problems, last night I managed only 18. I came close to doing a few more, but I just wasn't strong enough. I'm still recovering from a cold and I guess not getting enough sleep the night before didn't help either.
I did one really tricky problem though that required leaning way out to the right and doing a toe-hook with the left foot in order to match with both hands on the next grip. I didn't expect to be able to do it, but I somehow managed. At each move I half-expected to loose my grip and fall off the wall. But before I knew it, I was at the top. I love it when that happens! An unexpected moment of joy.
Even though I wasn't firing on all cylinders, I had a good time. I took a break and chatted for a while with Elin, a climber I first met a previous BO. She was also getting well after a cold, and not climbing her best. So we sat near the entrance and drank a bit of coffee.
While climbing the tricky toe-hook problem, I made a new friend. The problem was located on the central pillar at Karbin, a 3-meter tall structure in the center of the room that's hollow and about 20 meters in circumference. It's possible to climb up to the top of the pillar from the inside and that's just what a couple of folks had done to get a better vantage point for taking photos of climbers. One woman has positioned herself right above the problem I was climbing, so I asked if she would take a few photos of me using my camera. It turns out that the 50mm f/1.4 lens I was using was perfect for that environment, so after taking some photos of me, I let her continue taking photos of other climbers using my camera. I still haven't looked at all the photos she took, but she definitely got some good ones. I introduced myself and learned that her name is Helena. She told me that she's very new to climbing.
After the boulder open was over (my name wasn't drawn for any of the prizes this time around), I joined Elin, Sara, David, Udo, Lisa, and a few other folks for a few beers at Tre Vänner in Midsommarkransen. We had a good time and I was so tired when I got home that I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.
This morning I'm taking it nice and easy, having a cup of coffee and enjoying the lovely sunshine streaming in through my living room windows. It seems like Stockholm has been given a temporary reprieve from the cooler autumn weather that seemed to have moved in earlier this week. Well, actually I just looked at the thermometer and realized that it's only 10° C out. Oh well, at least the sun is shining!
Today around 11 I will join Johan and Elias and drive out to Inger's summer place on Ljusterö, where we'll spend the weekend. We might do a bit of swimming if it's not to cold, play some kubb on the lawn, cook dinner on the grill, and of course do some dancing later in the evening. The last time I went to Inger's place was a few years ago when my parents were visiting. That was a lot of fun!
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