i've been back in newfoundland for three days now. saying goodbye to squamish was difficult after the week i spent there climbing with tyler and cody. i met both of them on ton sai during my seven weeks there. cody was there when i arrived. a fit vancouverite who had recently caught the climbing bug and was enjoying the thai climbing between bouts of drinking, smoking and womanizing. tyler arrived a few days before jay and sean left, though it wasn't until after they'd bailed that i was introduced to him and we made plans to climb. my first day out with tyler and cody was a pleasant change to my first two weeks on ton sai. the weather had finally shifted for the better and both partners were very motivated to get have fun and climb. which has always been my priority. over my next five weeks on the beach, we climbed together off and on, but tyler and i chatted early on about the possibility of me paying him a visit during my stopover on my way back to newfoundland. it wasn't hard for him to convince me.
tyler, who runs a heliski operation out of pemberton/whistler, ended up being the most gracious host i've ever had the pleasure of staying with. after picking me up at the airport (over an hour drive from his home in squamish), he drove me back to his beautiful house, stopping only to pick up a few brewskies on the way. we hatched a plan over some microbrewed beer while soaking in his outdoor hottub that he'd just had installed. like soaking in a vat of heated scotch, the hottub sessions were to be a daily routine after some intense climbing sessions. these were usually enjoyed after feasting on huge meals of barbequed meat and vegetables.
for only a weeks stay in squamish, i managed to climb everyday. the weather held up beautifully until the very last day, though i still managed to climb some overhanging sport at cheakamus even then.
despite saying goodbye to such a fun place and such good friends, i was just as excited to get back to newfoundland. it's been just about three years since i last saw my mom and dad. since i last stepped foot on newfie soil. and after my time in squamish, i feel very stoked at the prospect of climbing at flatrock again. the place where i cut my teeth as a climber.
after the airport reunion with my family, we spent a few hours milling about st. john's before making the drive out to the small town of appleton. my parents moved here from hr. breton just over a year ago. i'd only seen pictures of the place. it's a beautiful home on a nice piece of land with the gander river rushing just twenty five meters from the back patio.
yesterday the whole family headed out to a park (with the unfortunate name of dildo run) for a lobster boil up to celebrate my sister's 35th birthday. it was nice to sit with the family, eat great food and drink nice beer right on a very typical newfoundland shore.
i'm sure there's a lot more days to remember yet to come. i'm looking forward to them.
