One of the hardest things about living in San Diego is simply deciding what to do with your free time. The relatively mild temperature year round allows residents to take advantage of nearly everything Southern California has to offer at any time of the year. And as someone who has trouble deciding what to have for lunch each day, deciding how to spend my valuable free time around here is a daunting task at times. Often times I just pack up the Chevy Tahoe with all kinds of gear and head out, letting the traffic lights and freeway congestion determine where I end up.

Last night I decided to do just that, pack the Tahoe up with enough outdoor gear to enjoy a free day in San Diego no matter what direction I ended up going this morning. I packed up surf fishing gear to go after Leopard Sharks, bouldering gear, snorkeling stuff, hiking boots, and a snake hook. I had the whole county covered, from the mountains and desert to the beach (and even beyond). I had the alarm clock set for 5 am, giving myself enough time to wake up and arrive at a destination by sunrise.

I got a good start this morning, and figured I had got an early enough start to beat the traffic all the way up the coast to Torrey Pines or Carlsbad State Beaches. With the majority of the kids back in school the beaches should largely be clear enough to enjoy fishing on them. I ended up bolting all the way up the coast to Carlsbad, a beach typically loaded with Leopard Sharks, a favorite surf fishing target of mine.

Scattered surfers and a lone kayaker were my only company on the beach, still blanketed by a lingering "marine layer." I rigged up my rod, pinned a whole frozen squid onto the hook and winged it out into the surf. I stood in knee deep water, ready for a Leopard Shark to take the bait. The sun arose behind me, warming the beach and burning off the fog. Small fish consistently pecked at my squid, but no Leopard Sharks introduced themselves.

After a couple hours of the same, I walked back to the Tahoe and traded my fishing gear in for the snorkeling gear. The water visibility didn't look great, but I still hopped in the surf and swam out passed the breakers. With only a few feet of visibility I had to consistently dive down along the bottom to try to get a glimpse of any type of sea life.

After only about 15 minutes of being in the water I was swimming along the bottom in about 8 feet of water when I felt a strong and quick surge of water over my back. I quickly spun around and looked up and all around me and there was nothing there. It was impossible to keep the thought of a White Shark out of my mind - just a couple weeks ago a woman was attacked by a White Shark along the same beach. As I was making my way to the surface to get the hell out of the water, a large California Sea Lion curiously approached me and looked me right in the eye a foot from my face. That was the first time in my life that I was happy to see a Sea Lion, mammals that are typically an incredible nuisance to fisherman.

I fought the urge to get out of the water, and forced myself to try to enjoy my time in the water again. The nerves finally eased and I was able to spend another 20 or 30 minutes in the water, following Bat Rays and small fish along the sandy floor.

On the way home I stopped at my local bouldering location, the Santee Boulders which are located less than 3 miles from my home in El Cajon. In the Summer months, and especially on the weekdays, the boulders can be a ghost town and this was the case today. I had the whole place to myself, just the way I prefer it.

The photo to the left shows the view from the east end of the boulders toward the popular top-rope route, Dogpile on the west end of the location. I bounced from route to route, sampling nearly every boulder. I tried routes that were considerably above my skill level, and some that were equally easy and everything in between.

I experimented again with two different pairs of climbing shoes, La Sportiva Nagos and Evolv Defys, a lace-up model with a stiff sole and solid inside edge vs. a velcro strapped pliable sole shoe. This trip reinfoced my opinions on the shoes, that the Nagos were considerably better all-around for my style of climbing, providing me much better edging and all around grip. The Evolvs only seem to benefit me on friction problems, but otherwise fail me.

The difference was so noticeable that some routes were a breeze with the Nagos and seemingly impossible with the Evolvs. Again, I emphasize that this is likely due to my climbing style and foot shape rather than one shoe being superior to the other. But you should definitely not discount the importance of selecting the right climbing shoe for yourself, they are not all equally suited. Having the wrong shoe on can limit what you're able to achieve, and the right one gives you a fair chance to succeed in a sport that is challenging even when all of your gear is perfect.