Summer is officially over and the school year has begun. Monday started with a whirlwind of ordered chaos as 18 five year olds poured into my classroom. I don't know exactly how to describe the first 30 minutes of Kindergarten. Suffice to say that tears are shed by both children and parents, millions of questions are asked and answered, at least one child always tries to run for it as their parents leave the room, 18 names are instantly memorized and put with faces, and countless bags of supplies must be sorted and organized.
I have now survived three days of Kindergarten and feel confident that it is going to be another great year!
Summer ended with the biggest party of the year. . . the Rifle Clean-Up. The Rifle climbing community came together to improve Rifle Mountain Park and enjoy good food and beer. Danny Robertson and I where in charge of the food. Feeding 100+ climbers is no small task but at Costco $470 goes a long way. We barely fit all the food into my car.
Adam Avery donated 3 kegs of beers and lots of climbing companies pitched in to make the raffle a success. Over $700 was raised to further improve the climbing experience in Rifle.
Big thanks to everyone who replaced unsafe bolts, put in perma-draws, and built bridges, trails, and benches (I especially like the benches with beer holders)!
While the men worked with their drills, saws, and other tools, the ladies greeted participants at the entrance to the park, handed out trash bags, and did some sending. Wendy Williams sent her first 5.13c, Bite the Bullet, and Emily Harrington nabbed the first female ascent of Roadside Prophet, 5.14a.
All around a truly motivational weekend and a great way to end the summer!
