Now that the excitement surrounding his proposal has settled, the only real question is figuring out what to call ourselves. After being in an official domestic partnership for over a year – and considering the fact that John has been referring to me as his wife for a while – being fiancés almost feels like a downgrade. So we have settled on the term “Domestic Fiancé”, despite the syllabic overload.
We have returned to our comfortable routine of traveling and climbing, beginning with a collection of climbing areas in New Hampshire while enjoying the beautiful fall colors:
Cathedral Ledge:
At this area, considered the epicenter for trad climbing in New Hampshire, we tackled a classic three-pitch climb. I found it manageable, which, when it comes to multi-pitch trad, is about the highest compliment I can give.
Rumney:
This well-known sport climbing destination is comprised of over 1,000 spectacular climbs. Our first day there, we almost didn’t climb because we thought it was too cold. When we finally did show up, we were shocked to find that every parking lot was completely full. Apparently our version of ‘too cold’ is just right for northerners.
Climbing at Rumney
Cannon Cliff:
We have a book called “50 Classic Climbs”, which asked the world’s best climbers to pick their all time favorite climbs. Most of these are way too difficult for us, require multiple days of climbing, or involve ice climbing (which we do not have any desire to do). However, one of the potentially doable climbs – VMC Direct Direct – is located at Cannon Cliff in New Hampshire. Unfortunately, it seemed too difficult and too exposed for me to handle. I was feeling guilty of robbing John of an experience he really wanted, so I took advantage of the crowds at Rumney and found him a climbing partner. They were only able to climb two of the four classic pitches before rain forced them to bail, but it was better than nothing.
Cannon Cliff: VMC Direct Direct is on the left hand side of the mountain
On a side note, hitting the Northeast has brought me through a number of states – Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Maryland – that I have never been to. At this point, there are only a few states I have never visited: Delaware, Georgia (the Atlanta airport does not count), South Carolina, North Dakota, and Alaska. Maybe by the end of this trip, I’ll have hit them all.
States I have visited at some point in my life
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