• Get organized. Everything that you need to live needs to have a specific place to be put away or stored. And every time you use it, put it back without fail. Make no exceptions to this rule and you’re life will be much happier on the road.
• Store your food in a closable, durable, plastic containers that will resist mice, bugs, raccoons, opossums, rats, bears, and your hungry climbing partner who couldn’t get her own act together.
• Change your air filter, fuel filter, and oil frequently. Climbing road trip miles are hard miles. Dusty roads, camping, and traveling are rough on the car that’s now your home.
• Stay on the lookout for quiet, level, beautiful spots to camp, park, and sleep. Ideally, find ones that are legal too. But be prepared to stretch the concept of “legal” quite a bit.
• Put your gear away, out of sight when you leave the car. Don’t cover the car with climbing stickers that advertise the fact that you’ve got thousands of dollars of gear stored inside.
• Load up on trashy, entertaining paperback books.
• Showers are tricky. Think like a trucker—big truck stops on the Interstate often have inexpensive showers. Or maybe borrow a shower at a campground with your car parked an inconspicuous distance away. Or perhaps try your local climbing gym.
  
• One key = simple life. You just need the key to your car, your car, your gear, some food, and rock. That is a formula for a special time in your life. You will never regret going on an extended climbing road trip.
• Get the beta. Tim Toula published a book years ago called Rock n’ Road. It’s out of print now, but find a used copy. He spent eons traversing the United States to climb in every imaginable location and he’s distilled information on all 50 states into this remarkable guide. You’ll find climbing areas and have climbing adventures that you never anticipated.

Labels: climbing

¶ Tuesday, April 08, 2008