Rock Climbing with Complete Strangers

I'd originally written another essay on how much of a head case I am as a climber... I'll spare you, since that particular theme is getting a bit old. Luckily, inspiration struck when I asked my buddy, Ben Fullerton, if I could use some of his photos to go with this post. While flipping through his photo album of our recent day out at Boulder Canyon with Tyson, Tom, Amy, Bracken, Ryan and Kari, I realized — I've got the best climbing partners in the world. And, many of them are total strangers.

At least, for most of you reading, they'll sound like strangers. Before I met Ben, Tyson, Tom, Amy, Bracken and Ryan at one of the seven hundred Whole Foods in Boulder last month, we'd not met in person. I'd been connected with each of them via our blogs or Twitter, and had chatted online and emailed back and forth about trip logistics, but hadn't actually met in person. Kari, my climbing partner and best friend from here at home came with me for a trip to Denver, so she was the only person I actually knew in real life.

If two single girls meeting a herd of "strangers" for a day of climbing sounds crazy ... well ... I don't really have a way to finish that sentence. I guess my now semi-dormant lawyer brain kicks in to disclaim, climbing is dangerous, meet strangers at your own risk, yadda yadda yadda. That said, I've been taking online climbing friendships offline now for almost a year, and have had only very positive experiences.

It all started with Ben Wills From the Internet, as Ben was affectionately nicknamed by my skeptical "real life" climbing partners, who mostly fall somewhere on the tech spectrum between technophobe and Luddite. Ben and I connected via Twitter back in mid-2008 and struck up a friendship. When he started planning the west coast leg of his extended road trip, we made plans to meet up out at Tieton River, a climbing area near Yakima, WA. I was out with a herd of friends, and when Ben pulled in after driving for days, it was more like meeting a long lost brother than a stranger off the street. We had a quick visit, Ben settled in for the night, and we all climbed together for a long weekend as if he'd been a part of the herd forever.

Last March, I made my second trip this year to Red Rock, NV. On our first morning out, I set out up Johnny Vegas on Oak Creek Wall with my buddy Smitty. A bit of helpful beta boomed from the other side of the wall... as soon as I heard the voice, I knew I was about to meet another Internet friend — John Wilder, better known as VegasTradGuy on Rockclimbing.com. We exchanged pleasantries on the wall as he worked his way up his route, and I mine. John joined me and my "real life" friends for dinner during that trip, along with Jenn and Jeremy Fields — more climber friends from Twitter. I didn't get a chance to climb with Jenn and Jeremy, but we're already talking plans for our next get together (Jenn's thinking Ouray, I'm thinking perhaps somewhere a wee bit warmer).