http://www.climbing.com/exclusive/readerblogs/daniel_holz/ After spending the first 25 years of his life in rural New Jersey, Dan packed up his truck with a few essentials and a haul bag full of gear and headed West. He has worn many hats since escaping eight years ago: tour guide at Sea World in San Diego, photo production assistant in Denver, gear slinger for an outdoor retailer, then promoted to head gear slinger and sent to Seattle. While bouncing around the country, Dan kept two things on the front seat with him: his haul bag and his camera. These two passions have driven him to take an indefinite sabbatical from the daily grind and embark on an international escapade. en-us http://www.climbing.com/exclusive/readerblogs/daniel_holz/ http://www.climbing.com/exclusive/readerblogs/daniel_holz/leavenworth-barneys-rubble-sq.jpg 10/07/09 - Tonsai Beach, Thailand - Ahh, Tonsai. While I would love to offer you some groundbreaking news on one of the world’s most beloved crags, I’ve got nothin’. Seriously, what more can be said about this place that hasn’t already been put out there and fed to the masses? While it’s true that there are few places in this world where your belayer can pull rope from a beach side bar. And even fewer places where a local known only as the ‘Chicken Mama’ serves up a plate of mango sticky rice that will bring you to your knees. http://www.climbing.com/exclusive/readerblogs/daniel_holz/daniel_holz_-_reader_blog_5 daniel_holz Wed, 07 Oct 2009 08:01:00 EST http://www.climbing.com/exclusive/readerblogs/daniel_holz/Petter-Watn-thai-tufa-sq.jpg Daniel Holz - Reader Blog 5 10/07/09 - Tonsai Beach, Thailand - Ahh, Tonsai. While I would love to offer you some groundbreaking news on one of the world’s most beloved crags, I’ve got nothin’. Seriously, what more can be said about this place that hasn’t already been put out there and fed to the masses? While it’s true that there are few places in this world where your belayer can pull rope from a beach side bar. And even fewer places where a local known only as the ‘Chicken Mama’ serves up a plate of mango sticky rice that will bring you to your knees. 7/24/09 - Harau Valley, West Sumatra, Indonesia - If you've been following this blog, you might expect this next entry to arrive from somewhere in mainland Asia - perhaps China or Tibet. We even considered heading straight to Mongolia to avoid the monsoon season in southern Asia. But one click of the Google search button changed our minds completely. http://www.climbing.com/exclusive/readerblogs/daniel_holz/daniel_holz_-_reader_blog_4 daniel_holz Fri, 24 Jul 2009 08:01:00 EST http://www.climbing.com/exclusive/readerblogs/daniel_holz/Ferry-Siswanto-on-a-ver-sq.jpg Daniel Holz - Reader Blog 4 7/24/09 - Harau Valley, West Sumatra, Indonesia - If you've been following this blog, you might expect this next entry to arrive from somewhere in mainland Asia - perhaps China or Tibet. We even considered heading straight to Mongolia to avoid the monsoon season in southern Asia. But one click of the Google search button changed our minds completely. 7/01/09 - Cragging in the Kathmandu Valley - When one thinks of Nepal, visions of glaciated peaks, alpine quests and elusive yetis often come to mind. Clipping bolts in Kathmandu typically does not. But if the sport climbing bug rears its ugly head on your trekking vacation, there is a beautiful, limestone crag boasting twenty-two very well bolted routes just five kilometers from downtown in the Nagarjun Forest Preserve. http://www.climbing.com/exclusive/readerblogs/daniel_holz/daniel_holz_-_reader_blog_3 daniel_holz Wed, 01 Jul 2009 08:01:00 EST http://www.climbing.com/exclusive/readerblogs/daniel_holz/Lisa-and-I-in-the-western-s.jpg Daniel Holz - Reader Blog 3 7/01/09 - Cragging in the Kathmandu Valley - When one thinks of Nepal, visions of glaciated peaks, alpine quests and elusive yetis often come to mind.  Clipping bolts in Kathmandu typically does not.  But if the sport climbing bug rears its ugly head on your trekking vacation, there is a beautiful, limestone crag boasting twenty-two very well bolted routes just five kilometers from downtown in the Nagarjun Forest Preserve. 6/03/09 - Manali, Climbing’s Next Shangri-La? - It was a difficult decision to make, but we desperately needed to escape the punishing 44 degree C temperatures of Southern India. Though they beckoned for the snap of our quickdraws, we had to forgo Badami’s beautiful bolted lines altogether. The time had come to travel north to the land of snow capped peaks and yak cheese. http://www.climbing.com/exclusive/readerblogs/daniel_holz/daniel_holz_-_reader_blog_2 daniel_holz Wed, 03 Jun 2009 08:01:00 EST http://www.climbing.com/exclusive/readerblogs/daniel_holz/HOLZ-nepal-RB2-sq.jpg Daniel Holz - Reader Blog 2 6/03/09 - Manali, Climbing’s Next Shangri-La? - It was a difficult decision to make, but we desperately needed to escape the punishing 44 degree C temperatures of Southern India. Though they beckoned for the snap of our quickdraws, we had to forgo Badami’s beautiful bolted lines altogether. The time had come to travel north to the land of snow capped peaks and yak cheese. 4/15/09 - Years back, I asked a friend how she was able to commit to bouncing around Europe for months at a time without a care in the world. She plainly replied, “It’s simple Dan, just buy your ticket and the rest will fall into place.” I didn’t realize it at the time, but there was so much brilliance embedded in her simple answer. http://www.climbing.com/exclusive/readerblogs/daniel_holz/daniel_holz_-_reader_blog_1 daniel_holz Wed, 15 Apr 2009 08:01:00 EST http://www.climbing.com/exclusive/readerblogs/daniel_holz/holz-blog1-hampi-4-sq.jpg Daniel Holz - Reader Blog 1 4/15/09 - Years back, I asked a friend how she was able to commit to bouncing around Europe for months at a time without a care in the world. She plainly replied, “It’s simple Dan, just buy your ticket and the rest will fall into place.” I didn’t realize it at the time, but there was so much brilliance embedded in her simple answer.