I usually complain that there is never enough time to do everything. I said such things when I worked in Washington, DC and I am saying this in Lancaster, PA too. However, it took moving to Pennsylvania to truly realize that with all of my interests and ambitions, time is my most valuable commodity. Which brought me to ask myself, What is worth my time?

Keeping up with work is important (I enjoy it too, which helps immensely,) and spending time with Natalie, Wunderkind and Schnicklefritz is even more valuable to me. Reading and keeping this blog up, both of which bring me great joy. And so is getting outside on trails, or just and taking in nature in some way, even like through a snow day, like yesterday.

In reading, I am doubling down on my interest in reading the climbing classics. There are lists out there, and I am developing my own list too. But I haven’t read everything yet, so I can’t say my list if ready for prime time; this journey is a long way off. And some books I feel the need to re-read. One day I’ll have a solid list of English language climbing classics to share. For March 2018, this is what is in my weathered orange Patagonia half mass bag:

The Ascent of Rum Doodle by W.E. Bowman (1956) — I thought starting with a satire for a chuckle now and then was a good idea. Bowman’s classic certainly does the trick. It particularly helps if you have read any official expedition books, like Tillman’s The Ascent of Nanda Devi from the first half or so of the twentieth century; Annapurna, while French, might be the most widely read example. From the characters names to absurdity of the nation of porters required to carry equipment of base camp, it’s like one big inside climbing joke. I took this out through the Henry S. Hall Jr. American Alpine Club Library.

The Mountains of My Life by Walter Bonatti (originally published in 1998) — As I said before, Walter Bonatti is one of the greatest climbers of all time. This book I have looked at and read snippets of, but never from beginning to end. So the experience will start next week after I finish rereading Rum Doodle. Robert Marshall translates Bonatti’s words for us, but it is Bonatti himself that recounts his tales of adventure in the Alps, K2, and (what I am particularly interested in) Patagonia.

Alpinist issue 61 — This issue celebrates “Indomitable” Fred Beckey, who passed away last October. Brad Rassler points out that everyone has a story about Beckey, seemingly because we all want to be a part of him. It’s true, even I have one. Also, Eileen Guo takes us mountaineering in Afghanistan, including with a manless climbing school.

50 Hikes in Central Pennsylvania 4th Ed. by Tom Thwaites (2001) — Natalie gave this to me for Christmas, among some other gifts, to help us navigate the new landscape around us. We discovered that there is much more to offer in Pennsylvania where we now live in Lancaster County than we even thought when we decided to take a new job and move. In fact, within a 30-minute drive we have a great bouldering destination (and I don’t mean Spooky Nook or RecROC gyms) and a world-class destination for bird watching at Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area. I think balancing work, my reading ambitions, and family fun with some outdoors time, will pay loads of dividends.

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