"Follow your heart, Chris!"

As my good friend Jake tilts his head all the way back to watch me struggle up a 5.10-rated free climb at Upper Limits rock gym, he decides to yell out his favorite cheesy motivation:

"Follow your heart, Chris!"

I sneer and reach for my chalk bag and a bead of sweat drips into my eye as I gaze at the elusive final rocks graced by an orangish halo of those old-type industrial lightbulbs that give this particular abandoned grain silo its distinctive glow. I've had these climbs before - the ones where you just. can't. seem. to. make. ANY progress!!

Luckily, the preceding 10 hours of my day did not resemble the angst I was currently facing! This was an awesome day for Climbing for Clean Water! (CCW as I am now calling it).

Here's the scoop:

Today was my dedicated "Call all the numbers you got off the internet last night and see if you can hurtle yourself through the insufferable Red Rover chain of intertwined Customer Service people" ...day.

Surprisingly enough everyone was totally on board and, with the exception of a few very tired and very glum receptionists who wanted nothing more than to transfer me to voicemail, I was able to elucidate all the contacts I could ever want!

Simultaneously (mostly on hold) I sent out a barrage of emails that, had it been the metaphorical arrow cloud of King Leonidas' 300 Spartans, would have blotted out the sun. SO many emails!

But! I contacted
Patagonia
Columbia
Northface
Camelbak
REI
GoPro
Redbull
Clif Bar
and so many others!

And I can happily say that soon I will soon be the proud recipient of 1 box of new and lightly used Patagonia climbing wear! Thanks Kim from the "Giving Back" program! You are the woman of the hour!

More news soon as my emails get processed and I can contact even more corporate people!

(on the ground after a long day of bouldering)

Peace, Water, and Climbing

Chris