The Crux: Managing Mental Health in Life & Climbing

Mental health is a hot topic within the climbing community—and for good reason. Not only can taking care of our inner worlds improve our daily lives; doing so can also make or break our experiences at the crag or on the wall. I recently contributed another article to the Women's Bouldering Festival website. In this post, I share climbing mental health tips, some anecdotal experiences, and open...
A traditional climbing rack (trad rack) and shoes

What Trad Climbing In The Gunks Taught Me

Back in July, I had the pleasure of trad climbing in the Gunks for the first time. Here's a recap of my experience–now LIVE on the Women's Bouldering Festival Blog! Explore the Gunks! Here's a snippet to get you hooked: It’s not coming out… or is it? I was fiddling with a nut that was wedged into a crack. My brows furrowed as I yanked on its wire, taking care not to damage the surrounding...

Dreaming of Fontainebleau…

Today—May 11th, 2020—the forest of Fontainebleau cautiously reopened Today—May 11th, 2020—my first article about Fontainebleau went live on the Women's Bouldering Festival blog! Hit the button to take a look! Take me to Font! Did somebody say great timing...? Whether you're a non-climber or a total Bleausard, take a look! I learned a lot while diving into the history and ecology of this...

Alone Time

Lately, alone time has been a rarity. I'm thankful, because that's entirely due to good fortune: My friends are wonderful, active, and spontaneous. Many of my creative projects are blossoming. My career is slowly but surely taking off. Each day with my boyfriend is an awesome adventure. My local rock gym is essentially my second home. The many hats I wear are stacked high right now. And,...

Driving and Other Games

Oh, shit. The ramp to Interstate 287 heading southbound flew by in the corner of my peripheral vision. My throat constricted as I gripped the steering wheel, causing my knuckles to whiten. I had missed my exit while trying to decipher a spaghetti-like mess on my phone's GPS. Deciphering isn't easy at forty-five miles an hour. It's an all-around unpleasant experience, getting lost on the road....