Perseverance

If there is a quality that allows success in bouldering, however you want to define success, it is perseverance. It is the ability to take repeated falls, make the long approaches and wait out the rain, deal with the soreness and fatigue, and want to get back out there as soon as possible. I have been learning a lot about this at Chaos Canyon this summer. Hiking in with 2 pads plus gear and camera, measuring success in micro-quantities, always wondering about the weather; it's not been easy. And so far one V8 for all that effort. Yes other rewards have been trickling in as well. Weathered pines against bright blue sky, clear alpine streams, and always the sense of  majestic space beyond the mass of the mountains. I may not attain my goals this season; that is a risk one has to take. But climbing is more than just grabbing a grade or a number. It is a process like carving jade, requiring patience, commitment and perseverance.