In the years that followed, the mountains were never far from my thoughts. I often day dreamed of climbing. At both the school and public libraries, I must have checked out and read every book about the mountains and mountain climbing a dozen times. When I got into middle school I knew I wanted to move to Colorado.
My grandpa didn't care much for that idea. "Colorado?" he asked. "Ah hell, all there is in Colorado is hippies, faggots, and granolas." That answer, even though I didn't fully comprehend all of his words, ended any possibility of living in Colorado before college.
I knew better than to ask my grandma about all of the words he had used. I once asked her what an "asshole" was, only to have my mouth washed out with soap. I would have to ask my friend Timmy North about "faggots".
