Mountain Rules

Son Jeremy and I atop Pywiack in May of 1988 on an ideal day!

In May of 1987 Ed Foley, Linc Hatch and I went to the Sierras in May for some early season rock climbing. We ended up having more of an adventure than we’d planned – as sometimes happens in the mountains – when a violent snowstorm hit us mid-climb. I wrote about our “epic” in my journal and later polished it up a bit for potential publication. It looks like that will happen pretty soon! The reminiscence won a prize in the Ageless Authors competition. I absolutely make no claim to being ageless, but I’m glad they liked the story. I’ll share it with you when it’s available. Meanwhile, here’s a link to the article: https://www.einnews.com/pr_news/487742565/california-senior-writers-awarded-top-ageless-authors-prizes

A view of Tenaya Lake from Pywiack’s summit on a sunny May day in 1988

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Pinnacles Forever!

Mike Russell, Bill Hunt and Bob Walton in the West Side parking lot, 1977

Friend, neighbor and civic leader Karen Jernigan invited me to speak at a meeting of Pinnacles Gateway Partners on March 14th. This group is devoted to sustaining, supporting and promoting Pinnacles National Park. My very pleasant task was to share some climbing stories and photos with members of the group, many of whom have no experience with rock climbing. Longtime leader of the Sierra Club and Friends of the Earth founder David Brower initiated technical climbing at Pinnacles in 1934. Tens of thousands have enjoyed the Park’s crags since then. Aside from enjoying our sport, climbers have also shouldered the burdens of protecting and enhancing Pinnacles. We work with the good people of the NPS to support their mission. Climbing culture is strong at Pinnacles and that culture is one of stewardship. I shared that with the Gateway folks. Here’s a link to an article about my presentation:  https://benitolink.com/features/pinnacles-gateway-partners-welcomes-veteran-rock-climber?fbclid=IwAR3a8ES_MGZmY78LN8b83Zb41rZF7lXYjYuTdh4UyID36Z2nWdjTDxxkYZk

A Bear for Lunch

Editor Richard Loller generously added this Yosemite reminiscence to his Preservation Foundation site. When you take teenagers to mountains where bears reside, they will inevitably meet. Here’s the link:

http://www.storyhouse.org/robertwa2.html

The Ogre’s Secret! Bogerd Climbs!

My very first Bogerd story – The Ogre’s Secret – found a home in Broadswords and Blasters, issue 6. Friend and raconteur Ed McKean gave me an idea for this one long ago. John Miller and I worked together a few years back on teaching materials intended to drop students into a Minecraft world of vikings and castles. That project inspired me to look at this story again and get it up to speed.  It’s a romp and nothing more, but I hope you’ll enjoy it!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FJLFGDQ/

“Avarice” is almost here!

I’m alone again . . .

My climbing story “Fallen Angel” is included in the latest anthology of the Seven Deadly Sins series. Avarice will come out on April 3rd, but its cover is here already. I thought I’d share it with you all.

Avarice!

I thought I’d give you a heads up. I’ve made a modest contribution to what promises to be a great anthology. Avarice is the latest volume in The Seven Deadly Sins, a YA Anthology and will be available early in April. My story “Fallen Angel” is tucked into the mix of compelling stories. I’ll update you as publication approaches.

“Moroni” is published in SciFan

I tussled with this story (from 3,000 words down to 900 and back again!) before I got it right, so that’s probably why it’s one of my favorites. Also, I got to write about the Palisades! I got the idea from a long ago climbing trip during which partner Wayne Thompson took a brief dive into one of the North Pal glacier’s crevices.  Pick it up on Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/SciFanTM-Magazine-May-2017-Editorial-ebook/dp/B071R56XS4/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1493212003&sr=8-6&keywords=scifan+magazine&linkCode=sl1&tag=blooandshad03-20&linkId=c0876a807379eaf2304f033db38540a7