A couple months back I enjoyed my first-ever trip to Hueco, and now one week ago I attended my first Rock Rodeo! It was my first outdoor competition I'd participated in and was quite the experience. I'm glad I went down a week beforehand to toughen up my skin and get used to the climbing style; I had some great days with sends of Free Willy, Purple Flowers, This Is Your Brain On Drugs, Better Eat Your Wheaties, and New Religion before the weekend had even started. With these reinforcing my confidence I went into the Rodeo relaxed and...

I'll be the first to admit it: I am a born-and-bred gym rat. For 5 or 6 years I climbed almost exclusively on plastic, and even afterwards only in New England. But once I moved to Colorado a whole new world opened up to me, including the opportunity for a trip to Hueco Tanks in El Paso, Texas!