Thanks For Your Writing
- May 2012
- Simple Living Climb Travel
Dear Steph,
I think I owe you a huge thanks. Let me explain. I started grad school two years ago at the University of Vermont and fell head over heals for climbing during the same time. By the end of the first year of school I was completely enthralled with the rock and jokingly considered myself to be getting a Master’s in Climbing, with a Minor in Electrical Engineering. The problem with this is that all of my climbing kind of got in the way of the engineering. I mean, who has time to study and do research when you’re climbing 100 plus days outdoors, 30 days indoors, traveling to tons of great crags, and devouring climbing literature (your book very much included, twice). So…fast forward to my last semester in school, and it’s time to really buckle down and put climbing partially on hold (down to 1 day per week) so I could graduate. It was ridiculously hard to hold myself back from the crags (and I failed miserably on a few sunny days 🙂 ). So, what got me through? Your blog! I’ve loved your articles on truck living, tiny homes, crack climbing, gear, jumping, and all the rest…and without them? I might have gone crazy and just quit school. Your writing made those long office days bearable (though it probably made them longer, because I spent a lot of time on highinfatuation.com), and now I get to leave school with diploma in hand. I’m headed for a great job as an instructor in engineering with a future full of climbing filled spring breaks, winter breaks, and summers. So for that, I can’t thank you enough!
Thanks also for your wonderful book. Because of it I’ve been inspired to take a trip out to Indian Creek. My girlfriend and I had the best Thanksgiving of our lives at Bridger Jack, with undoubtedly the best climbing we’ve experienced yet. In fact, your climbing has inspired my climbing in lots of ways. Your wild stories of time spent on walls has gotten me into learning aid climbing and every time I crank on a crack, I’m using the techniques that I learned from your articles.
So thanks very much for your writing! It’s been phenomenally entertaining, really impactful on my own climbing, and a saving grace during my long office days in grad school!
Oh, and before I end this letter, I have a question. I’m taking the month of July to dirtbag it up. It will just be me, so I’m looking for a place that has great summer climbing with lots of potential to meet partners. I’m kind of thinking that Yosemite Valley and Tuolumne Meadows might be my best bet considering ease of finding partners (even though I know you’ve written and spoken to the point that it’s a total pain with all the regulations). What do you think? Am I overlooking another great area?
Keep living life to the fullest,
Alex
Hi Alex,
Thanks for writing!
Yosemite is H.O.T in July, but Tuolomne is great. Rifle and City of Rocks are also good spots, and easy to meet people. Squamish is another option, and July is definitely the month to go there. If you start in Tuolomne and want to move around, maybe head north to BC and check it out….
Congratulations on your degree!!
🙂 Steph
