Thanksgiving!

As I sit in the living room with my newly refurbished laptop and abita amber ale watching football with my dad, I'm just so satisfied. The holidays are my personal favorite time of the year because 1. apple cider is the best 2. family time is great 3. the weather gets super cold for bouldering, and 4. Christmas music! But since there aren't any boulders in Mississippi (they don't even have hills), I thought I'd write a little about rock climbing.

As far as climbing goes, I'm thankful for perspective. 

Perspective is a buzz word in the Chattanooga climbing scene on both sides of the spectrum. Some say that climbing provides perspective on how simple life really can be. It's just you and a rock, so climb it. Others say that perspective is something missing in the world of climbing dirtbags who spend their entire lives dedicated to the pursuit of getting on top of inanimate objects (the hardest way possible).

I think I'm most thankful for the simplicity of rock climbing. 

One of my favorite things to do is head out to Little Rock City on a weekday afternoon with only a few crash pads and spend an afternoon alone in the (relative) woods. It's in these times that I feel the most relaxed. I know that climbing solo isn't the safest thing to do, and I should note that I almost always climb either lowballs or problems I'm very comfortable with topping out. There's just something so great about taking my time and climbing rocks on a nice afternoon by myself. When I'm in Chattanooga working at the ARC, or gong to classes I always have things I'm supposed to be doing. Everyone knows what that's like. You should be studying, or working, or running a marathon, but you don't want to. Whether it's the smartest thing or not, we escape that pressure by climbing.


It's just me and the rock and I want to climb it because it's fun. I know it's not helping fight cancer or advancing my writing career, but I love it. Whether I send my project, or barely get up my wam up, there's something so enticing about cold sandstone on my fingertips.

Here's a video to be thankful for




What're you thankful for?