Mr. and Mrs. Aubuchon go to Smith

Tara and I just made it home from a great two weeks in Oregon, and before I pack up and move to DC for a summer internship, I wanted to write and thank all of our amazing climbing friends in St. Louis. Everyone helped make our wedding night such a special experience. During the honeymoon, Tara told me, repeatedly, that hands down the happiest picture I took (besides with her, of course) was with a big group of climbers.

Climbing on your honeymoon is a good, and bad, idea. I couldn't believe how tired I was after the wedding weekend, and on Tuesday morning, the last thing I wanted to do was wake up at 3 am, fly to Portland, and try to go climbing. By the end of the trip though, Tara and I were climbing more confidently as a team (we did at least one multipitch a day) and enjoying the rhythm that is shade chasing and climbing at Smith. The best part of a climbing honeymoon, we agreed, is the metaphor that multipitching can be for a marriage. Teamwork. Trust. Communication. Struggle. And fun. We definitely lived the metaphor and finished our trip on Zion, a four pitch wonder that climbs up the Morning Glory Wall. It was a route at or near both of our limits, a route that we couldn't stop looking at all week long and wondering if we could climb it. The route follows the heavily chalked crack system to the left of Tara's shoulder, then moves up and right to the intersection of the three cracks and light rock. From there, a wonderful and exposed splitter crack tops out with expansive views of Smith Rock and the Crooked River. We had an amazing time on the route. After a long week, the climbing felt easy and light, and the now-ness inherent in any great climbing moment seemed to in all directions.

Once again, thanks to everyone for a host of great memories. We'll post a few more detailed climbing pictures soon, but it is safe to say, we would both support a Team Saucisson trip to test out the Smith crimps soon!