Making Friends in Moab
I followed my google maps directions leading me to a dropped pin in the middle of the Utah desert to a group of 15 people that I’ve never met. Sounds like the start of a horror story. I find myself in interesting situations like this a lot.
I arrived at the campground at 9:30pm, and in the middle of the desert in May this means it’s pitch black apart from the occasional headlamp in the distance.
Excited to have the opportunity to explore Moab with new friends but slightly nervous about how I’ll fit in with this the adventurous crowd at the church I’m attending, I of course introduce myself in the most awkward way I can. I figured seeing everyone’s faces in the morning would help smooth over some of the conversational rough spots of the night.
Day 1
Yes, seeing everyone’s faces definitely helps.
After slowly waking up and preparing for the day of adventure, the group splits up into the mountain bikers and the climbers. Obviously I was there for the climbing so I joined my fellow crag lovers and headed out to Wall Street.
As we drove to our destination, looking around I was blown away by the red rock towered over us everywhere we looked, and every wall around me looked climbable. When I was out in Moab a month ago, I wasn’t thinking about rope climbing all that much, and was more focused on taking in the panoramic view of the Utah desert, but changing your intention can quickly change your perspective on your surroundings.
After a solid day of climbing, we grouped back up with the mountain bikers for dinner. We decided that with the remaining time we had in the day, we would all go up and watch the sunset in Canyonlands National Park, and what a great decision that was.
Stepping into fear, doing something uncomfortable or unlike me has brought me such great reward these last couple of weeks.
Day 2
Most everyone was leaving mid-day to get back to Boulder at a reasonable time, but I wasn’t going to miss my opportunity to be in Moab, so I was planning on leaving much later and just drive through the night. We started off at the Ice Cream Parlor crag out in Kane Springs Canyon.
After much of the group left, Justin Ty and I headed out to Big Bend to do some bouldering.
As the weekend came to a close, I was beyond thankful for the opportunity to make some new friends. Moving to a place and starting over isn’t easy, and being surrounded by kind people who are friendly and welcoming has been a blessing.
Here’s to more desert adventures!
