Hueco Tanks

When I went to Hueco Tanks just before TexMex, the climbing group I was with included these guys. They were from Norway, and had taken three weeks vacation, every day of which was spent bouldering at Hueco. I asked 'em, "Aren't there any good climbing places in Europe?" And one of 'em said, "Plenty, but there's nowhere in the world like this."

The guide we had for the trip was pretty inspiring. He had quit his normal job over two years before, and started living out of his van just so he could climb every day. He was a guide at Hueco during the winter months, and during the summer months (when the heat gets unbearable in El Paso) he drives his house/van to northern California where he's a cook for some kind of outdoor lodge. Sometimes I wish I had the guts to do something like that. He told me he gets $5 for every person he guides in the park, so on this day he made $20 for eight hours of "work." Though the owner of the tour group also gives him food and a place to park.