At 5am this morning, my alarm went off and I’m fairly sure I grunted. The next word out of my mouth was likely “fuuuuuuck” and I rolled out of bed and headed to the shower. It was Go Time. T-minus one hour and counting till I left for Ouray for the annual Ouray Ice Fest.

Yup – if you’re new to Erikaville, I climb ice. Willingly. And I dig it. Each year, I make the soujurn from WherethefuckeverI’mliving, USA to Ouray, Colorado to climb, mix and mingle with four years worth of friends. New, old…the friend status doesn’t matter. Two things you can be sure of in Ouray, though: it’ll be balls-ass cold and beer will flow like milk from a cow’s teat.

Ice is nice...Erika gets vertical

Today was filled with meeting a long-term client I’d never met in Ridgway for lunch and catching up with friends on the way into town. Tonight is the annual dinner benefitting the Ouray volunteer fire department followed by an athlete slide show (which are always top-notch and awe-inspiring). Tomorrow? A morning of nordic skiing with my friend Lisa followed by an afternoon technical climbing clinic (Steep Ice Technique). I’ll check in with you tomorrow eve when I return, but until then, wish me warm thoughts. It’s possible I’m nuts for what I love, but I’ve been called worse than “nuts.”