Believing That You Belong

I was a naive prospective college student with big dreams and no clue when I walked toward the TV studios in the basement of a Beacon Hill building and saw a note on the door saying the class I was supposed to sit in on was cancelled. Sitting in on this class was supposed to…

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Building a Bomber Anchor

I’ve been living in Colorado for three years now. And that’s despite being a perpetual nomad most of my life – to the point where several friends have told me they’re shocked that I’m still here and haven’t moved on yet. But I don’t feel a pull to move on – I feel the need to…

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I’ve Got You

“Take!” the fear clearly shaking in my voice. “I’ve got you,” replied my friend. “Go for it.” But he didn’t take. Usually I would be angry if my belayer ignored my commands when I was cruxing, but, in this instance, I knew immediately he was right. I wasn’t falling, and it was at least worth trying…

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Checking My Knot

A year ago, I moved to Colorado. It was an onsight attempt, since I had never even visited before. But I committed to the move and started route-finding. And while I’ve definitely gone off route more than a few times, this has been the best climb of my life. It’s been an intense year, and…

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Be Careful Or You Might Become a Badass

“Which route do you want to get on?” my friend asked, glancing at the guidebook and back at the routes ringing the cave. The choice was mine, since I’d been talking the whole trip about how much I love steep, overhanging climbs – but every route in this cave at Rifle was several grades above what…

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Someone Has to Take the Lead

“Who wants dessert?” I was out to dinner during Outdoor Retailer with a group from ClimbStuff (this post is not sponsored by them, but I am an ambassador because I genuinely think they’re awesome – and this dinner only further reinforced that feeling!). We’d had a great meal and a wonderful time getting to know each…

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Following the Cairns

I am sitting on a ledge up a steep hill and below the routes we are climbing for the day. Getting up here had been an epic struggle for me, and as I waited to climb, all I could think about was why I had even made the decision to head up here in the…

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A Hand to Hold On To

“Everyone needs a hand to hold on to, don’t need to be no strong hand, don’t need to be no rich hand, everyone just needs a hand to hold on to…” – John Mellencamp Since I’ve been here in Colorado, I’ve been getting outside to explore as much as I can, and in doing so,…

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When Fear Transforms Into Confidence

I got lead climbing certified at Brooklyn Boulders Somerville exactly a year ago. I had led outside a little bit before that, and in the year since then, I also only led a little bit – here and there inside, but I tended to gravitate to bouldering, and some more outside, though I still often stuck…

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It Always Sucks at the Beginning

If you’re starting out the new year with a resolution to try something new, I have a reminder for you (and myself, too). It always sucks at the beginning. And it should be a challenge precisely because it’s new. When I try a new climb that’s hard for me, often I can’t do the first…

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