In my previous post on John Salathé, I covered the “early years”. That period of his life covered pretty much all that we know up until he arrived in Yosemite. He would have been forty-six when he strolled into the valley. The reason I included so much in that first post is because this is…
Category: Climbing
John Salathé: A Brief History of Yosemite’s First Climbing Legend: The Early Years
For anyone who becomes interested in the history of climbing in America, it won’t be long before they come across the name John Salathé. Certainly, anyone who considers themselves a serious climber or an armchair student of climbing history will have heard the name, even if it’s only from the namesake wall making up the…
Dirtbag Dreams: Fantasy vs Reality
(Cover Image: Fred Beckey) Virtually anyone who climbs, has ever picked up a climbing magazine, seen Reel Rock, or any YouTube video on climbing, knows the term “dirtbag”. The general public uses this term as one of derision to describe someone who might otherwise be a lowlife, good-for-nothing bum; but in the climbing community one…
Who the Fuck is Brad Gobright?
UPDATE: I am saddened to learn of the death of Brad Gobright on Wednesday, 27 June, 2019. Gobright fell to his death climbing in El Potrero Chico, Mexico. The following piece was posted on June 18, 2018. Rock and Ice Magazine has the details of the accident here. The following essay appears as it did…
Why Climbing Matters
As a brief note, this article often uses the term climbing in a broad sense to include everything from rock climbing to mountaineering and hiking. As I rediscover climbing in middle-age, I find that I’m teaching myself something new all over again. Climbing! Whether rocks or mountains, humble boulders and hills in your backyard forests,…
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