Return of the blog
and a few things I’ve learned along the way
I started a blog around the beginning of 2011 but didn’t really keep up with it after about a year or so. I shared what I was comfortable with at the time and now looking back to my very first blog post it wasn’t much. Other than a few climbing pictures and some captions about a route I did in Hetch Hetchy. There wasn’t much information on that particular route. I guess I preferred to keep my routes a secret from most people.
Looking back now, I realize it doesn’t make a lot of sense. It was probably the influences I had during my early years of Yosemite climbing, where some preferred to stay anonymous and under the radar. While I still find that way of thinking admirable; I feel a lot of great stories have been lost to time in that way. A lot of these stories are our communities history and I feel I need to do my part so it is properly documented. I’ve always wanted others to enjoy my routes. I want people to repeat them and letting guidebook authors know about them was enough for me for the longest time. I also wanted to take a more humble approach, which was something I admired about a lot of the climbers I looked up to in my early years. The idea of “spray” is something I had to adapt to over the years as a climber. With the rise of smartphones and social media it was an inevitable part of our culture.
I’ve done a lot of climbing since that last blog post and before I go forgetting all the details I feel its necessary to get these stories out. I have so many great memories from my early years in Yosemite I’d love to write down and share with the community. My hope is to preserve a lot of those memories while inspiring others to get out and climb some of my routes or check out some of the incredible routes I’ve been on. A few of these stories can be found in their condensed version on my instagram as captions to a photo but my goal is to go into further detail by telling the full uninhibited story. I’d like to write more about the climbs I’m doing these days, my latest first ascents (along the coast and in Yosemite), where I spend my seasons, and some of my rebolting efforts of some classic routes. I’d also love to share some insight on climbing gear, what I like about it, where to find it and why I choose the gear I do.
Lastly I’d love to use this platform to reflect on my past years as a climber and pass on all that I’ve learned since I last posted a blog. I’ve realized I’ve changed my approach as to how I put up first ascents; what I keep in mind when searching for the best climbable path, anchor and/or bolt placements and what keeps me psyched after all these years. I’ve learned a lot from my elders and peers and I’d be lying if I claimed to have it all “figured out” but I feel like I’m closer to taking a more artistic and thoughtful approach to route creation than I have in the past. My friends and mentors have taught me to make routes safe, fun and accessible to all. I’ve learned theres a lot more to a good first ascent than just rock quality and movement. The way a route is equipped, the amount of time spent cleaning and figuring out the best path can go a long way. Some of these climbs are pretty hard already, there’s no need in modern free climbing to let something be extra dangerous or unpleasant.
