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It was fun to create a new route; like doing an art project: being creative and ambitious enough to find the line in the first place, scoping the holds, deciding where to put the bolts, drilling, hammering, cleaning, and finally climbing it. It’s an arduous process, and I woke up the next morning sore in weird places, with remnants of limestone powder in the corners of my eyes. I really enjoyed it though, north face denali fleece, and will continue to bolt more routes in the future. It’s another aspect of this sport that makes it so unique and special. There are endless ways to personally express and contribute, and attempting to explore everything that climbing has to offer is an exciting lifelong endeavor.

Tomorrow, the last of us will part ways to either return home or move onto the next adventure. Sam and I are continuing our trip. We will spend the weekend in Istanbul, fly to Zurich and then drive to Italy for the Melloblocco bouldering event. I will miss Turkey and all the good friends I have made, but I am certainly looking forward to a change of scenery and more new experiences.

Our group has become quite diverse. We have several nationalities represented: Japan, north face denali, UK, and the USA as well as several different generations of climbers. Renan, Jimmy, and Boone represent the media side, always coming up with innovative and creative ideas to portray each of our characters and tell our stories. Each member of this team has brought something unique and inspiring to the trip and it has been a wonderful experience to be able to share our passion and knowledge with one another. I feel incredibly fortunate to be in the company of such influential and motivated individuals. There is no shortage of inspiration, laughter, and good times. The youngest members of the group: James, Sam, and myself have had the opportunity to spend time with some true legends of the sport. We’ve dubbed them “The Elders”: Eneko Pou, north face jacket, and Yuji Hirayama.