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Hellos From Wild Friends

• March 2008
• Uncategorized

Hi Steph
You inspire me – as does your book, and people like you.
I am 32 years old and I love the mountains. I dream climbing all the time, even though I think I suck at it. But you guys inspire me far beyond climbing — I take what you do as a metaphor for living, which is, finding your own way and consequently finding inner freedom.

I am a huge fan of Tibetan Buddhism (and Tibet itself) even though I was raised strict Roman Catholic. Unfortunately Catholicism is not exactly an open minded religion — though I was a big fan of Pope John Paul II’s ideals (it helps that he and I are both Polish 🙂 ).
I’ve been in a huge roller coaster relationship — now married — which sounds similar to yours… on the good days.
I am often confused about life, but willing to make drastic plan changes — e.g., I quit IBM after 6 long years in 1 day, because I decided I didn’t like it any more. I then went to live in Africa for 3 months. Everyone thinks I’m an idiot for doing so, and sometimes it’s difficult to remember that it only means I am willing to take a chance and dare to dream. Being different is certainly not a quality much appreciated in our society! So I have to fight hard to find who I am and what I want to do, AND remember that doing so is always a good thing…
After reading your book I wanted to live on the road (again 🙂 ) Gemma didn’t see it the same way so I took another tech job in California. We’re in the Valley every weekend but taking the job was the worst decision yet! In a few short months my soul has drifted somewhere deep into the Half Dome picture I stare at in my window-less office. At least I think that’s what I am staring at…
Anyway, we just went climbing in Thailand and Gemma has finally seen the light as to a climbing life – yey! Just when I thought she was as hopeless as anyone who voted for George W.
Wish me luck to have the courage to pursue whatever crazy dream my soul desires,
peter

Steph,
I’ve been a reader and commenter for awhile, but just wanted to let you know that I featured your blog as a “climbing blog of note” today on Rockclimbergirl.com at:

http://www.rockclimbergirl.com/

Thank you for providing inspiration to all of us, and for your generosity with advice and encouragement through your book and your blog. From one climbergirl to another, I sincerely appreciate all that you do!

Safe travels, and here’s a hello and a happy-wag from Sara and Hana the labrador up here in grey western washington… Hana’s most recent blog post is at:

http://www.rockclimbergirl.com/2008/02/if-charley-gets-her-own-blog- and.html

Sara, a fellow climber girl

Hello,
I wanted to send you an email after reading the story of your solo in Pervertical Sanctuary. So I did…
I read your text in an article of Vertical review, but in French because I live in France! I must to tell you that it’s a great perform and everybody who climbs should congratulate you! You seem to have a mental strenght very developed, and I can just admire that, but in the same time, I’m just disappointed, or sad, to read that in a moment of your life you wanted to die, and the fact that you seemed a little fatalistic in the story, with a touch of a sadness in your life. I don’t know you, I don’t know your life, but you accomplished some very beautiful climbing, as I saw on your website “high infatuation” (very very good! some video where you are amazing), and you are pretty, very good climber and you do what you like: so climb in particulary. Why were you sad whereas all seems to smile you?
So I just want to tell you, even if it’s a little thing: be proud of yourself and go on, and keep in your mind that climbing is here to free your mind and not to drive you in a bad mood. I’m not waiting for an answer, I can understand you receive a lot of mail and a lot of congratulations, but if you want to answer me, it’ll be a pleasure to read you.
Bye
E.J

Hi Steph!
You’ve got great website and blog. Hugs from Poland.
Tom

Dear Peter, Sara, Eric and Tom,
Thank you so much for writing, and for your kind thoughts. You have given me a lot to think about! I love hearing from you here. I must be the luckiest person in the world, to get to feel this connection with all you wild people, all around the world…. Best of adventures to all of you, and thank you!!!
xxx Steph