I have had more than one married friend tell me that once they got married their number one climbing partner stopped climbing with them. Apparently, there are a lot of women out there who are captured by adventure, God’s Creation, and taking risks but once they are hitched they seek security and comfort, and want to pursue luxurious romance instead of wild romance. This was one of my fears going into marriage. Not a huge fear, but one of those little ones that stuck in my mind as I was sweating in my tux just a few weeks ago.
By the end of our honeymoon, I am certain that I got exactly what I was looking for in a woman! Ann is a wild woman! We spent four of our eight days in Squamish Provincial Park, Canada rock climbing. It is practically a rainforest destination, so to even get one climbing day in a week would be a blessing. Squamish’s snow capped mountains, carved by glaciers meet the the pristine ocean cost, making it one of the most beautiful places left to climb on the planet. We had a blast working on our skills and enjoying each other as we explored as many routes as we could. Ann loved practicing leading with traditional gear, and I loved seeing her beautiful smile framed by 3,000 foot sheer granite walls.
You can’t imagine how stoked I was when Ann told me that she wanted to climb Squamish Chief. This was not a small deal. Squamish is the second largest big wall in North America and the easiest route up was harder than anything that we have ever done together. Ann wowed me in her enthusiasm for the sport; she was captivating.
Climbing the Chief with Ann will likely be the number one highlight of this year for me. It was extremely difficult and took both of us to our limits. I can’t express how wonderful it was to climb over the top anchors and to look out and see the ocean from the summit with my own wife.
Not only did we climb, we also rented downhill mountain bikes and bought lift tickets for a day at Whistler and thrashed the mountain until we were sore all over. Every minute of our trip was action. Whenever we weren’t outside having fun we were enjoying each other “Song of Solomon” style in our Whistler suite (thanks to my generous parents). We thought we knew about sex before we got married, but we had no clue. Being married and having sex whenever we want was way better than either of us expected!
We had the honeymoon of our dreams. I have no regrets, except maybe not bungee jumping with Ann.
I have only been married now for two weeks, but I must say marriage is all its cracked up to be. It requires a bit of sacrifice and intentionality, along with a constantly forgiving spirit, but is so worth the cost. Ann is one wild lover, and she was the best gift that God has ever given me. I am blessed beyond belief. And we are now planning our next trip to B.C. to climb the Pigeon Spire Buttress in the Bugaboos.
