To Be, or Not to Be… Prepared

I had prepared for everything: food, snacks, extra clothing (layers), the elements, hydration. Everything but the terrain.

Level II Fun (Part 2): Out of the Pain Cave, Into the Light

If you’re new to this blog and haven’t yet read Level II Fun, Part I, you might want to go back and do so.  This post picks up where the last one left off.  For those returning to the blog, recall that I had had a very bad day on Mt. Tom, was sunburnt, dehydrated,…

A Monster Hike: Arethusa Falls and Frankenstein Cliffs

I had to stop to breathe; this mountain was kicking my ass.  The slopes at the base of the cliffs were talused, debris-filled, and more resembled sand than soil.  Trees and rocks tenuously clung to the side of the mountain and every step was an effort not to tumble down the side of it.   Grasping…

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…

Mountain Buddha: The Origin Story

I never pictured myself as a blogger.  After graduate school, most of the writing I did, when I did it, revolved around literary criticism.  That was the original plan: get an MA, work as an adjunct for one, maybe two years, then apply to a Ph.D. program somewhere to finish up my education and get…