The Dirtbag Diaries

As the days grow longer and warmer, the road beckons us. And while we can pile gear into the car until we can’t cram anything else in, packing some items take a bit more thought. Like, how will I keep...

26 Apr 201310min

"We traveled in an ode to that particular brand of privileged American adventure, the cross-country drive, funded in equal parts by savings from crappy after-school jobs at a camping store and graduat...

12 Apr 201311min

Great stories often have these 5 words, “and then it got dark.” But how can carefully executed alpine starts and planned summits turn into watching stars dot the sky? Well, getting benighted can happe...

29 Mars 201325min

While climbing Castleton Tower, Brendan Leonard watched a climber cruise past him, take on a piece of gear, and then fall onto a ledge right at his feet. The immediate moment had Brendan dealing with ...

6 Mars 201311min

Love- It's life's great surprise. You can try to pin its origins in brain chemistry and hormones. Or the right timing. But those don't explain why tough guys make slow rock mixes or why a timid person...

14 Feb 201331min

Ever managed to talk yourself into an adventure or a job only to realize you have gotten yourself in way over your head? Sometimes these scenarios lead to embarrassment. Sometimes they begin horror st...

30 Jan 201312min

You might remember a story about climbers in the Magic Kingdom. It sounded like a dream job- climbing, secret lairs and cutting to the front of the roller coaster line. Our inbox flooded with emails a...

18 Jan 201323min

Greg May signed up as a rookie for the 24 Hours of Exposure at the heckling of his friends. But as he stood on the start line he felt under prepared, under biked, and overweight. "Probably not the tho...

3 Jan 201311min