End of An Era: My Top 25 Climbs

Crux pitch of Solar Flare, 7c/12d, The Incredible Hulk, Sierra Nevadas, 2017.

My climbing career began in March of the year 2000 in Bellingham, Washington. I had moved to Bellingham from my hometown of Kalamazoo, MI in November of 1999 with a few good friends. I scored an amazing job in the 'ham as a cook at Boundary Bay Brewery and it was there where a new friend and co-worker Ahmyn Masci took me and my roomates barefoot bouldering out at Larrabee State Park. Hook, line, sinker, I was instantly enthraled in this incredible new sport. 

Early spring ascent of the South Arete, 5.6, South Early Winter Spire, North Cascades, 2001.

I had come to climbing from a background of long distance hiking, skateboarding, judo, and snowboarding. Climbing just clicked for me. The combination of physical and mental challenge, logistics, adventure, scenery, and exploration really resonated with me and I spent the next 20 years pushing myself in this sport as hard as I could.

The fire burns bright in the Gunsight Range, 2005.

18 months ago my life dramatically changed when I was diagnosed with a softball sized neuroendocrine tumor in my right lung. Subsequently, I had about 70% of my right lung removed in October of 2020 with the unfortunate complication of a paralyzed right diaphragm due to my phrenic nerve being involved in the tumor. This complication caused me to get acutely short of breath about 5 months after my lung surgery due to my paralyzed diaphragm atrophying, raising up, and smashing into what was left of my lung. 

10.6cm, Grade IV, Typical Neuroendocrine Tumor in my right lung (arrow), Sept 2020.

I did a bit of climbing over the spring and summer of 2021 but it just wasnt that fun while being so short of breath. A silver lining to this whole episode was picking up an eMTB and raging in the hills over the last year. As far as personal value I put those 7 months on my bike right up there with my 20 year climbing career. It was a true blessing to find this adaptive apparatus and I have some friends that are convinced I put in more miles and elevation gain in the state this past summer than anyone else. I'm not so sure about that but I did complete a significant list of alpine epics on my bike, mostly solo, logging over 300k ft of elevation gain over about 1400 miles. "Run to the hills.....!"

So grateful for my eMTB. Couldnt really walk around the block
but could rage in incredible alpine environs like this!!! October 2021

This past November I flew out to NYC to get a diaphragm plication at Columbia Presbyterian by the most experienced diaphragm surgeon in the world, Dr. Mark Ginsberg. This is basically a bandaid surgery stiffening the diaphragm with a series of stiches and making it as stiff as possible and drawing it as low in the chest as possible. This creates space for the lung to expand which while it doesnt really improve your pulmonary function tests it can dramatically improve your symptoms and quality of life. While the surgery was eventually a success I spent 23 days in the hospital, receiving three surgeries and nearly dieing from a rare complication, a chylothorax. It is a true blessing to still be in this world and to be with my family and friends and 5 months later easing back into life and sport. I am SOOOOOOOOOOO FUCKING grateful that i had the ability to advocate to get this surgery, found the surgeon with the expertise to do it, and am still here to tell the story.

On my deathbed in NYC. Chyle fluid pouring out of my thorax, empyema brewing in my lung, acute kidney injury, acute liver injury, DVT in my right arm, 40+lb fluid weight gain from 3rd spacing due to metabolic dysfunction. Took a selfie to memorialize being so close to the edge. December 2021

I do think I will climb again. I'm not sure how hard and with what interest but I'm not giving up that I cant send my hardest climbs still. Time will tell.  Symptomatic diaphragm paralysis is a special kind of hell, I was short of breath nearly every second of every day with at times my only relief coming while seated on my bike pedaling up easy inclines or on flat terrain, though even that diminished with time. It was the hardest 9 months of my life without a doubt. A true living hell that besides the shortness of breath involved severe GERD, CO2 intoxication every night I laid down to sleep, a great struggle bending down to tie my shoe or pick something off the ground, a complete inability to swim or be submerged im water, and nearly complete inability to tolerate even the easiest walking. 

Right lung post thoracic surgery x4. We call him pulmonito. Dec, 2021.

I'm at a interesting transition point where my breathing is much improved and i'm starting to carry on with normal life activities without much struggle. Strength athletes like myself do not rountinely get diaphragm plication surgeries. The most common patient is folks in their 70's whom have had their diaphragm paralyzed from trauma, viral illness, or heart surgeries. Post plication surgery your diaphragm does raise up some over the next 3-12 months, this can be exacerbated by abdominal weight gain or theorectically by trauma or increased thoracic pressure (deadlift??).  Will I ruin my plication if I take a 30ft whipper, back splat on the bouldering pads from 10ft, case on my bike, do a pullup, life some weights....????? The surgeons can't really guide me much on this besides telling me not to gain abdominal girth. Not quite sure what I'm gonna do but I will let it all play out organically over time. I will wait a full 6 months to get back to climbing and any type of real strength training. I have started biking again but with serious trepidation and a plate of body armor on my chest and back. 

A lucky man to still be here with this amazing family!

Whatever climbing I do in the future this life event does mark the end of an era in my climbing career. I am writing this series of blogs as a way to celebrate all that I did over those 20 years of intense exploration and dedication to this sport. People have asked if it has been hard not to climb and fortunatly the answer is a definite no. I poured my heart and soul into my climbing for 20 years, constantly pursuing the next projects and a stronger mind and body to accomplish them. I could walk away from the sport right now completely satiatied. When my tumor was discovered I was in the process of building the ultimate home gym that was going to propel me to send 5.14 sport and 5.13 trad by age 50. I think climbing is one of the most all-encompassing sports there is and it has been a bit of a relief to leave behind the discipline and complete dedication required to be the best climber you can be. I am wholly satisfied with my current career ticklist and have felt a distinct feeling of personal wealth when I look back at all that I did in climbing over the last 20 years while gaining an education, working a demanding career as a nurse, raising a family, and founding and volunteering in a climbing advocay non-profit, the Leavenworth Mountain Association.

SENDING my greatest nemesus climb, The Independence Route, 7a+/12a, Liberty Bell, North Cascades, August, 2017.

I will do my best to distill the lessons I learned while recounting my top 25 most memorable climbs. Folks have told me over the years how my blog posts and trip reports have inspired them in their climbing and I hope to continue to do that with these posts. Years later when you look back at your trip reports it's pretty dang cool to relive that time of your life. I felt like it was time to revisit and more thuroughly document this era of my life as I let it go. 

If there is any lessons I want to pass along from this whole dang debacle it is this: carpe diem, go fucking hard, now, ya never know what life is gonna throw at ya!! No excuses folks, if you want to send your dream climbs get fucking after it. 

Dream big, train like a beast, take whippers, analyze everything, constantly fine tune your logistics, become a master of athletic discipline, and don't limit what you are capable of, ain't nobody gonna send your dream climbs for ya!!! 

The enduro limestone mecca of Chulilla, Spain

Stay tuned for the first climb: El Rey De la Palanca, 7c+/13a, 50m, Chulilla, Spain.