It was almost a month since my last
trip to Smith. My car had just gotten
fixed from a hit and run, broken
window, and two rear-end collisions.
I was ready for a weekend getaway.
I can't really call it a road trip by my
previous standards from going to
school in Southern California, where
weekend trips to Vegas were the
norm. 300 miles round trip could
easily classify as a day trip, but w
were going for two.

Shannon was in the front seat, and
Kimball was crammed into the back
of my Escort. I was feeling good with
Smith in my sights, when out of the
blue Mr. Squirrel decided to make a
dash for it. I knew he was safe from

my front tire, but the feature presenta-
tion in my rearview mirror was an
explosion of guts and blood. Damnit,
as if my Karma wasn't messed up
already.

The carcass was weighing heavily on
my mind on the way into the park.
Was I to pay for this today? My
punishment would start early, by
having to warm up on the usual Traffic
Light and Overly Bored. Good routes,
but when you start skipping bolts
because you're too bored to clip'em,
it's time to move on. Soon enough it
was time to move on to the Aggro
Gully to chase the shade and the
steep routes. Okay, they're not that
steep, but they're Aggro. Kimball

quickly dispatched Partners in Crime
(13c) on his second go of the day.
Kimball was a good boy and missed
the deer that he had almost hit the
previous month, so his Karma was
still in good shape. Unfortunately,
my punishment would continue. I
managed to do Scene of the Crime
(13b/c) with one hang, for my 5th
and 6th time. It was time to move on
to better things. First off was a quick
run on the classic Chain Reaction
(12c). Fine, you could say I was
doing a bit of posing since it was my
5th redpoint of the route, but it is
nice to hear someone say, “Good
Job.” Instead of my usual, “I SUCK.”

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