Plus, senators, dirtbags & more in “Routefinding” no. 6. ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌

THE OBJECTIVE
RAISING KIDS AS CLIMBERS

Much of American parenting today seems preoccupied with helicopter oversight, excessive screen time and kids who’ve forgotten how to get dirty or even go outside. However, there is a counterculture of parents pushing back—some might say pushing it to an extreme. Personally, I’m all for it. My parents, after all, were early practitioners of this mindset. I climbed Devils Tower when I was 4, did the Tyrolean to the Lost Arrow Spire at age 8 and was climbing proper alpine big walls by 12. At the time, people thought my dad was absolutely out of his mind for putting his kids in such “peril.” But these days, it’s more accepted. People are beginning to understand the potential upsides: building grit, a love of the outdoors and a willingness to work hard. Becca and I have done our best to carry on that mentality. Our kids have spent much of their lives living in a van. We carried them in backpacks as infants while backcountry skiing, and these days, we climb with them as often as possible.
In all honesty, the results have been mixed. For our kids, this way of life doesn’t feel that special, at least not right now. Given the choice, they’d often prefer to stay home and chill. Sometimes we wonder if we’re just wearing them out. Becca and I go back and forth between letting them find the joy in “disaster style” on their own or guiding them to acquire a taste for it. Like most things in life, we’re trying to strike a balance. There are some families out there, though, who practice disaster-style parenting at an outrageously bold level. Families who make it work in ways most people can hardly fathom. Here are a few who have inspired us the most.
The Sao-Burwick Family
This story about a family of five sailing to the farthest point from civilization on Earth is well worth reading (or listening to). Somira Sao and James Burwick have been a huge source of inspiration for Becca and me. We still aspire to live as close to their level of commitment as possible—at least some of the time. Although we fall far short, their story shows what is possible.
The Herson Family
Somehow, Jim and Anne Herson make light work of everything—from big-wall climbing with tweens to Ivy League academics and community service. Both of their kids have free-climbed El Cap; Connor climbed it via The Nose for the first time at age 15, while still in school. Now, he’s one of the best in our sport. Jim’s blog is hilarious, insightful and full of so many good stories. Give it a read.
The Houlding Family
Leo Houlding was once a defining character in Yosemite, bringing the British climber vibe of fast cars and death-defying boldness. He came close to onsighting El Cap as a teenager nearly 30 years ago, then went on to spend several years attempting to establish El Cap’s first ground-up free climb, The Prophet. After nearly dying many times during the attempt, he relaxed his style and rapped in. How does someone who defines themselves as a risk-taker evolve into parenting? Here is a story about Leo and his wife Jessica climbing El Cap with their kids, Jackson and Freya (ages 8 and 11).
The Hart-Turgeon Family
Patagonia has released a new series called Parenting: Disaster Style that chronicles a family who manages to continue an adventure-focused lifestyle with kids. The videos feature Zoe Hart, Maxime Turgeon and their two sons, Mathias and Mika. Becca and I used to team up with them for bouldering trips when we were all new parents figuring it out. These films show how far they have come. And if you’re interested in more conversations with families trying to prioritize the outdoors with their kids, the Hand Holds film series features interviews with climber parents, including one with Becca and me.

YOUR LEAD
CONTACTING SENATORS STILL MATTERS

The No Kings rallies were a glimpse into just how unpopular the Trump administration’s policies have become. I’ve been to the Senate offices and seen the staffers taking calls. The senators themselves told me calls make a difference. This is our best lever for encouraging senators to support the issues we care about. Here’s a step-by-step guide to getting in contact with yours—by phone or email—with a spreadsheet of every senator’s contact information.

THE TICK LIST > >
• | The Oak Flat injunction has temporarily halted the land sell-off while two lawsuits proceed in court. Here’s a very brief summary as to why this is important, from Curt Shannon, interim director of the Arizona Mining Reform Coalition: “How is this mine good for the United States? The profits will all go to the two foreign corporations that own it, all of the copper will be shipped to China and the mine will use a huge amount of water that Arizona simply doesn’t have to spare.”
• | These gals are queens! First Female Yosemite Triple (FFYT if you’re into acronyms).
• | Read about this 23-day first ascent in Baffin if you want a real sufferfest.
• | We should probably just stop saying Euros don’t know how to crack climb.
• | Some impressive multisporting.
• | What were you doing when you were 9 years old?
• | A cool history and more women sending things. Two other female teams climbed in the Tsaranoro Valley this spring. It’s inspiring to see so many all-female big-wall free climbing teams out there!
• | These two should partner up! Jokes aside, rope-soloing hard routes is an impressive feat, physically, mentally and cerebrally.

OFF ROUTE
IS DIRTBAGGING DEAD?

There’s a sentiment floating around—at least in the circles I run in these days—that dirtbagging is dead. Parking lots are full of Sprinter vans. State-of-the-art climbing gyms are everywhere. Climbers carry their route topos on $1,000 smartphones. It’s true: There is more money in climbing now than there used to be. A few weeks ago, though, I was reminded that the soul of dirtbagging is still alive and well.
I needed a belay for a project. A friend rallied a random stranger he’d met in a coffee shop to come meet me at the crag. It was an incredibly windy day, with dust whipping around my van as I pulled into the parking lot. A bearded man rolled in a few minutes behind me on a small motorcycle, wearing a scruffy haul bag and a ripped-up puffy jacket. He pulled off his helmet, revealing his face, which was covered from the nose down by a scrap of baggy fabric. Without missing a beat, he launched into a story about how the high winds were throwing gravel from the roadside into his face. “I almost had to bail, man—until I realized I could use my underwear to shield my face.” This was my belayer, apparently. As we climbed together, we talked about his life. He’d once been a hired hand on a sailing trip through the Northwest Passage. Now, he was working as a carpenter building a home out of hempcrete, an all-natural insulation that’s resistant to mold and fire (here’s an example). He showed me pictures of his current residence: an old-fashioned trolley he’d built out and parked on national forest land.
“A few months ago, there were like 20 of us out there,” he said. “The thing I love about this place is the community.” I spent that evening in the trolley. It was one of the coziest, most thoughtfully handmade spaces I’d ever been in. It had a table with twisted driftwood legs, velvet handsewn curtains, an old-fashioned typewriter he used for journaling. Everything was made from scavenged materials that would have otherwise ended up in a landfill.
Other camper-dwellers wandered in. One brought huge bags of food rescued from a dumpster: coffee, fried chicken, loaves of bread, random chip dips. They cheered as they unpacked the bounty. Someone quoted Eric Beck, saying, “At either end of the social spectrum, there lies a leisure class.” They showered in a waterfall and laughed a lot. I couldn’t help but think they had really figured it out. They seemed to have freed themselves from the stressful trappings of our materialistic world. To me, this is dirtbagging at its essence. It reminded me of how I lived in my early 20s, and I felt lucky to revisit it for an evening. When I think about the future for my kids, what I want most is for them to find joy and purpose in the way that’s most genuine to them. But honestly, I think a couple of years living the dirtbag life might be more valuable than most college degrees. Those who learn to be happy with very little can, with the right mindset, be free to pursue other values in life: community, creativity, simplicity and spending time outside. That’s the success I want to see for my kids, the kind that’s deeply real, if not conventional.

THE LATEST FROM PATAGONIA CLIMB

Come hang with us! Patagonia will be showing up at a couple of great events this September. Mark your calendars and we’ll see you there. Flash Foxy Trad Fest, September 12–14. Flash Foxy Trad Fest is coming to Mammoth Lakes, California. Our Worn Wear crew will be there with Patagonia Ambassadors Katie Lamb and Lor Sabourin for DIY repair workshops and a “Fix It & It’s Yours” station (pick a piece of Patagonia gear, repair it yourself, then take it home for free). Yosemite Facelift, September 24–28. Join fellow climbers and public-lands lovers in Yosemite Valley to pick up trash, build community and learn how we can continue to care for this special place. Patagonia has been involved in Facelift from the very start, and every year, we’re blown away by how much the event grows. Worn Wear will be there, too, along with Patagonia Ambassador Sonnie Trotter as he tours his new book, Uplifted. 24 Hours of Horseshoe Hell, September 24–28. This year marks the 20th anniversary of one of the rowdiest climbing celebrations in North America. Think all-night climbing comp meets costume party meets rave held in the backwoods of Arkansas. Patagonia will be supporting a screen-print station, live music and cohosting the Saturday night dinner with Farm to Crag and Patagonia Provisions.

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Photos: JEFF JOHNSON, TOMMY CALDWELL, ERIK HOWES, ERIK HOWES, ERIK HOWES, LUCAS MARSHALL

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