I've climbed for over 20 years, mostly all around the East Coast. I love every aspect of the sport, though my favorite styles are definitely trad and sport. I guided in Western NC for much of the nineties and managed instructional programs for Sportrock Climbing Centers in the DC area and Inner Peaks in Charlotte. I'm a proud, active member of the Carolina Climbers' Coalition and the Access Fund, and I serve on the Board of Directors for the New River Alliance of Climbers. Currently, I work fulltime as a copywriter specializing in corporate ethics (oxymoron?), but I also freelance extensively, writing magazine articles and anything else that comes along. I just started writing a horror novel, hopefully that'll work out, too. :)

New River Gorge! Ahhhh... home sweet home.

One day early last spring, before the Forest Service unlocked the road in for the season, I hiked the long approach into the Amphitheater at Linville Gorge, NC. With the entire place to myself, I soloed the Mummy, the Daddy and the Prow and made it car to car in under six hours. The routes are easy for me and I've dome them all several times, but I hit a state of flow that day the likes of which that I'll spend the rest of my life chasing.

Some places, the biggest hazard is other people. One in particular I know, the hardest part is to keep from getting hit with objects tossed by tourists from the top of the cliff. A buddy of mine even got hit in the head with a full bottle of beer one time. He's okay, though. Thankfully it was a light beer.