I was very fortunate to be asked to fly out to Minneapolis to assist Ames Adventure Outfitters with the Midwest Mountaineering Expo and then travel to climbing gyms and shops across Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and then finally to attend the Erhwon Expo - where I presented two slide shows, in the suburbs of Chicago.
Helping Brian at AAO (www.goaao.com) involved everything from carrying boxes, standing on the floor and helping customers to putting in my two cents as an athlete during clinics to store staff.
Along the way I met some amazing people, had the chance to help a first time climber get kitted out for Rainer and socialize with alot of great people. Thanks to all of the shop staff that made the trip so enjoyable and to Brian for yet another adventure!
*Photo of Steve (a great customer who if you see on Rainer later this summer say "hi"), me and Carolyn (in charge of the climbing department and climbing courses) at the amazingly successful Midwest Mountaineering Expo.