CLIMBING IN SEATTLE

JUNE 26, Seattle: Busy week in Seattle. A trip to the Aquarium, BBQ, fun at a Rock Gym, a show, a visit to the Gum Wall, a bar or two. Coffee. Pizza. We stayed with Stefan Janizewski who’s getting his PhD in Physics (?) at Washington U, living in NE Seattle. He gave us a spot on his futon for 7 very very comfy nights. 

BEAUTIFUL WALLS OF THE ROCK GYM

Sometime in the past couple of years Stephen has taken up rock-climbing, and he brought us to the amazing $5 Friday at a local rock gym, the Stone Garden. 

We’ve never really Climbed before, and I guess what we were doing was technically called Bouldering. No harness and ropes to complicate things—you just pick a route and climb up it, following color-coded route-tape until you get to the top. Then you climb down, then pick another, do it again. It’s incredibly challenging. Once or twice I thought I was going to fall to the squishy mats below because my hands cramped up pretty badly; you use muscles you don’t even know you have. The walls themselves look fantastic, like pop-art: little bright-colored shapes, (some just rock-y shapes, some like skulls, telephones, neon baby-heads…) all arranged in a beautiful chaos on slanting, faceted walls. Chalky hand prints everywhere.

THE GUM WALL, DOESN'T THIS LOOK LIKE THE ROCK GYM WALL? SORTA?