Photo escape: Solo climb swing

The outdoors has long been my place of solace, the place where I go to work through emotions or simply revel in gratitude. Typically, I need to be solo to reap those benefits. The Active Explorer’s new climbing contributor, Brandon Aegerter, has also expressed a need for solo time in his post Climbing: From personal challenge to a way of life.

Today both of us diverged from our solo preference. Brandon wanted to solo a route he’d had his eye on for a while and asked me to photograph the climb because he was reviewing a pair of Five Ten shoes. This required him to let someone into his world…with a camera. Likewise, it required that I manage my concern for the safety of one of my best friends. For those not familiar, solo climbing doesn’t use a rope for safety, so the risk factor is high.

Brandon climbed another route first. Neither was easy, but I’ll let him share the details with you in his upcoming post.

We were both very quiet just before, him contemplating the route, and me not wanting to distract him. I also made a point of only thinking about a positive outcome. The climb was successful, which didn’t surprise me. What did surprise both of us was the impact of sharing those moments of intense focus with a friend. We both understand something about each other now that can’t be put into words.

The climb only took a few minutes but I captured several excellent shots. This one is one of my favorites. Brandon will share many more with you soon in his post. Enjoy ~

Explore Wisely – Solo climbing is a personal choice, albeit a risky one. Many adventure sports are dangerous, but luckily each of us is free to choose what works for our lives. The content of The Active Explorer, and any resources published by The Active Explorer, are meant for entertainment and inspiration only. Every person and every situation is different. Some activities covered in this blog require training and experience to be safe. Reading a blog post will not give you the skills you need. Your safety, satisfaction and fun are your responsibility alone and not that of The Active Explorer, its publisher, editor and/or writers.