When I was new to climbing I was asked by a colleague “do you have a 5 year goal?” It struck me as odd because I really hadn’t had any major goals outside of an academic environment. Even those were more of a means to an end rather than something out of a passionate activity. I had lacked direction most of my life due to a short attention span and wandering enthusiasm. Even from a creative standpoint, there are significant peaks and valleys when it comes to motivation and very little can kickstart that process.
It had dawned on my that I really didn’t have any idea of where I wanted to take this amazing new activity. Not that that’s necessarily a bad thing, you can have loads of fun without direction, right?
Out of nowhere, they suggested Devils Tower. I hadn’t heard of that location before so I went right to Google to get some perspective. It looked cool enough, so why not. At this time, I had barely managed 5.9 sport climbing and only a couple of trips to the Red. I had no idea or perspective of what trad climbing was, let alone the comprehension of the nuances of multi-pitch or destination climbing.
So, with those limitations in mind, I said “sure”! I mean, c’mon, it looked hella cool!
Here I am, 7 years later and that “5 year goal” went unfulfilled. Hesitation, financial obligations, and physical health have managed to get in the way on 2 different attempts at planning.
Well, attempt #3 is now in the works and hopefully (fingers crossed) things will line up.
Sketchy Climbing 