Sunshine Daydream | 5.7 | The Pit, Arizona | September 2024

Back in 2024, I started filming my outdoor climbs as a way to document my progress in sport climbing. I was still very new to the sport, with a lot to learn, but I had one big goal in mind: eventually send a 5.13a outdoors. That journey started here in Arizona with Sunshine Daydream, 5.7. Recently, I decided to pick up where I left off and continue down the path toward climbing harder. This video marks the beginning of a series documenting the climbs I filmed over the past couple of years as I gradually built my strength, technique, and knowledge of the sport. As I work through that backlog, I’ll also be climbing and filming here in Taiwan. Once the series catches up to where I am today, the challenge continues. For now, this is where it all started. Sunshine Daydream | 5.7 | The Pit, Flagstaff, Arizona Sunshine Daydream is a very special route to me. Although it wasn’t my first outdoor send, in a lot of ways, it feels like it was. I started climbing in 2021, and it took about a year of climbing in the gym before I finally began making my way outdoors. I led a handful of routes in Kentucky, but at the time, I was still very inexperienced and had a lot to learn. Fast-forward to 2024, when I moved to Arizona. That’s when I really started expanding my knowledge of climbing, both on and off the wall. Around that same time, I decided to set a challenge for myself: eventually lead 5.13a outdoors. I knew I wasn’t going to get there overnight. The best way forward was to start by mastering 5.7s and slowly work my way through the grades. And that’s how I ended up on Sunshine Daydream. This route became the starting point for the entire journey. Right off the deck, Sunshine makes you pull through a stout little V1 boulder problem—which is pretty typical for The Pit anyway. From there, easier 5.6 climbing takes you up to a massive ledge. For most of the routes on The Son Tower, this is where the real climbing begins. Sunshine quickly throws its crux at you: a solid 5.7 sequence followed by sustained 5.6/5.7 climbing for the rest of the route. It’s long, too. I honestly wouldn’t argue with anyone who wanted to call this thing a 5.8, but at this point, I’ve climbed it so many times that I have the beta completely dialed. I could probably write another couple of paragraphs about this route, but I’ll leave it there. The Pit in Flagstaff, Arizona, has some seriously stellar climbing. Even with Sedona just down the road, there were plenty of days when I chose to stay in Flagstaff and spend the day climbing the limestone instead. Sunshine Daydream is where this challenge really began for me, and it’ll always be one of those routes I remember. Stay tuned—I've got a few more awesome climbs from The Pit coming up! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Free use music; Music provided by HearWeGo (https://goo.gl/nDS3zR) Artist: Nomyn Title: Astral Listen on YouTube: • Nomyn - Astral Music provided by HearWeGo (https://goo.gl/nDS3zR) Artist: Victoriya Title: Two Years Listen on YouTube: • Victoriya - Two Years