NorAz The Confluence Do your kids do stuff like this with you? No, no... my kids will go on hikes with me, but - So this isn't a hike. Uhhh... man, really using my words against
Climbing Winslow Wall Gallery Dave was the first person to ever tell me about Winslow Wall. It's crazy man. It's this beautiful little slot canyon in the middle of the desert that's shady all day except
Climbing Limekiln Three of my favorite people gathered at what might just be the best single limestone crag in the western United States. It was a... whirlwind.... Driving out of Flagstaff, Limekiln-bound ... of a good
Lander Lander in July ICF The International Climber's Festival successfully placed itself upon the hottest week of summer in Lander, Wyoming. I spent every night for a week intermittently sleeping and sweating (and perhaps accomplishing both simultaneously
Climbing The Peaks Peaks Gallery Drive out of Flagstaff north on the 180, take a right turn on Snowbowl as though you were heading to the ski resort, and another right onto a dirt road with
Lander Sneaking to Squaretop The day before the International Climber's Festival kicked off I got three pitches in on the stone that, every time I take someone to it for the first time, I point to as
Flagstaff Windows Route I don't think we even woke up early. A casual rollout to a tourist-jammed parking lot at the Midgley Bridge, a little ways north of Sedona. Megan pretended June was on a leash
Climbing The Creek of the Ages Photo galleries Tapestry There are way, way too many storylines tied up in the mere five days I spent climbing in Indian Creek in early April. I want to tell them all at
Climbing Half Dome at the Creek After the departure of our friends and two days' rest, Jared and I woke up back in the Creek. Early. Breakfast burritos in the van, peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches packed next to heavy bags of
Utah Maple With Meyer From Lander to Salt Lake City, where work was accomplished, friends were imposed upon, and I reunited with Mr. Meyer. After much hemming-and-hawing about weather and which crags would be dry and which
Climbing Flagstaff Life sped up a month ago. I closed up my trip to Indian Creek and immediately moved to Flagstaff, Az., tripled my hours-per-week, and within not much time at all started seeing a
Climbing A Return Galleries Ken and I had the first few days in Lander to just piddle around on the walls and have fun with no responsibilities or obligations. We parked my van and his A-frame
Laramie Have You Ever Listened To Ray Charles There's a sharp bend on the highway between Dubois and Jackson where, in the winter, I like to stop and take a pee. It's to commemorate the first occasion when I did so:
Laramie Jet Stream A new circuit penetrated into the Gyps crew this fall. Ken told me that Jet Stream was "the best five-nine at Vedauwoo." I'd agree that it's a great 5.8, for
Lander Sinks Day Hit "Yeah, we're done for the day. It's too windy." "I'm jealous. We drove up from Laramie and don't have that option. We're getting our money's worth out of this day
Vedauwoo Full Circle Ken carved out time on a Thursday to go have a playdate in Vedauwoo and break up the rhythms of graduate-daddy-boyfriend life. Brian rounded us out to three and took my camera from
Desert Season '16 Desert Season '16 Fun Facts Desert Season 2016 started in a blizzard driving out of Wyoming on October 19th. It ended on December 20th. October 21st was the first day of climbing (in Red Rocks). The
Arizona Season's End An Interlude Back Home When I got back from the blur of long nights out on the town on my business trip in Denver (so close to home, yet still two weeks from
Climbing The Waterfall I hereby award The Waterfall with the coveted "Best Single Pitch Trad Climbing Award" of 2016. The columnar basalt requires not just that you be an excellent crack climber, or that
Climbing Sedona's Towers I called Megan from the side of a gas station by the Walmart in Yuma, Arizona. We made plans to climb something with more than one pitch in Sedona, but nothing more specific
Climbing Californian Deserts Joshua Tree Phil and Amy. I hadn't known them long at all before they'd seen my naked bits. That didn't seem to put them off of me though, as a little over a
Climbing Purblind Pillar Gallery I was excited for my first-ever simulclimb, where both climbers are climbing simultaneously (get it?). It's fast and efficient, but more-or-less requires that you're moving on terrain where you "know"
red rocks Flying Solo (With Friends) Gallery This was the first part of Desert Season I was flying solo on, but it didn't really feel that way, as everywhere I was going I had friends to find. Megan, Matt
Climbing Indian Creek | Part 5 Indian Creek 2016 Photo Gallery Second Meat A Second Time The last morning of the Creek. It would just be Steele, Nate, Reese, Nate, Thomas and I this last time around. The morning
Climbing Indian Creek | Part 4 Indian Creek 2016 Photo Gallery Creeksgiving Feast We all convened around the campfire after our lovely day at The Wall to come together to remember a time when Native Americans gave pilgrims cams