Spring 2022
Camping a la Verticál Wall climbing is an acquired taste. Like coffee or beer, at first you may not think it’s for you. While most people succumb to the dopamine release of coffee or beer, most people do not indulge in wall climbing. These people are crazy. Taking this philosophy one step further, sticking to the trade routes is absurd. Racing for bivy spots and all that crowd riff raff. The obscure routes may leave a pit of uncertainty in your stomach in the climbing department, but the guarantee of solitude with you and a good buddy or two is well worth it. Virginia Adam, Seth, and I debated and debated what route we were going to climb. Adam really wanted to climb The Shield to feel that proper big stone exposure, though I reasoned him out of that one. With three people who were not particularly dialed, it was going to take too long. Too much weight, too slow, etc. We thought about Zodiac , but the hell was the point of climbing a route if we had to bite our tongu
