This is the view I left behind as I drove into the small town of Hidalgo, Nuevo Leon. Hidalgo is a very small town, with small, crowded streets, and not very many people. Everyone I ran into was incredibly welcoming and nice, despite my poor Spanish speaking skills. Either way, this town had a welcoming, homy feel. I am sad to be leaving this beautiful place but excited knowing that I will be back. I managed to meet some really awesome people while I was there. Initially, I was expecting to meet a lot of Texas and other Southern state climbers. I quickly realized that this was not the case at all. The second person I met was an Australian named Ben. Ben was a former Australian college student with a Psychology and Law degree. He was taking time off between college and having an “adult job”. So instead, he was traveling around the world, working odd jobs in cool places, climbing and exploring. The next group of people I met was a family from Switzerland. The Fleetwoods. I’m so happy to have met these stellar group of people and to be able to call them Freunds. Ray Fleetwood, the father, graduated from the University of Maryland and moved to Switzerland to raise his family and teach English. Ray, his son Karl, his wife Rahan, and their friend Jan, were taking time off of work and school to travel around the U.S., climbing at the most popular destinations, including Yosemite, Red Rocks, and Indian Creek, just to name a few. I haven’t been to half of the places they went to and I live in the U.S.! I was in awe and slightly jealous of their lifestyle and the ease it is for them to take that time to travel. My main climbing partner however, was a German girl from Munich named Mariah. Mariah was quite, shy, and almost timid. But not in her climbing. She was strong. She pushed me when we climbed together and the result was a stellar few days of climbing hard! The first day we did some cragging around at Mota Wall where I was able to onsight my first ever 5.11 route; Fatboy Slim : 5.11b. We then got on a two pitch classic called Two Pump Chump : 5.11a. Mariah led the first pitch and I the second and we both managed to onsight our pitches. The climbing was long, sustained, and incredibly technical. Mariah was a more experienced climber than I and was constantly reminding me to focus on my footwork. The next day we got on a Potrero super classic named Space Boyz : 5.10d. Space Boyz will go down as some of the most fantastic climbing I have ever done. It was also my first ever big multi pitch route which was both exciting and intimidating. Despite the intimidation and the exposure, we both onsighted every pitch and I even got to lead the crux changing corners pitch. To say the least, the climbing was phenomenal, the trip was extraordinary, and the people are some of the best people I’d ever met. I can’t wait to go back. Hasta la huego El Potrero Chico.
