Just realized I never did a July 2019 Recap. I finished in 5th place with 4741 MEPs. First place was 7269. I thought my finish was good despite missing several days due to my vacays in WY/SD & California.

I did go through the Balconies Cave in Pinnacles National Park. I was a bit concerned because you have to scramble up or down depending on how you approach the cave. Plus you need a flashlight or a headlamp cuz it’s dark in there.

I followed the trail signs and approached the cave having to go down. As I was coming in, a younger guy was coming out/up and said “It’s easier coming up.” Well, I was already there and decided that if it was too hard going down I’d come out & go around...entering from the other way. The first part was the steepest so I turned on my headlamp & butt slid a short ways. It wasn’t super low in there so it wasn’t bad. A little bit of ducking and I managed to get through pretty easily. There was a tight spot where I had to duck under a boulder at the end (& not catch my backpack). I managed pretty easily. In fact, I was giddy that I made it through not only the cave but a number of really tight squeezes around & under various boulders. Doing more technical hikes like this really makes me appreciate how far I have come.

I have been doing group lessons with the kids all summer. It is way more structured to be doing a level specific class than the more open ended adult class. I have really enjoyed it and have improved a lot this summer. My sit spin is really fast & powerful. It has gotten lower. I am just shy of the 90 degrees I need for it to be passing- the revolutions are there. Loop jump is passing. Half loop is a bit cheated still but improved. Flip jump is a work in progress but small improvements made each week. Footwork is improving. I think I may do a kid class in addition to the adult class in the fall.