Financing climbing can be difficult for the poor among us. I know this because I’m one of them. So how do the poor of our climbing population make it? Even though you’re living out of your car, truck, or van, you have to have money to put fuel in that machine to get from crag to crag. Or worse, if you’re hitchhiking and get stranded somewhere, having to sell off your gear piece by piece for food of some edible variety. Then, there’s the worst – having all of your climbing gear stolen by someone who has no idea what to do with it, and stole it simply because they are thieves by trade.
Fortunately, in the climbing community, you find just that – community. Climbers know how rough it can be, and when they see a fellow climber struggling and honestly trying to make it, they help out. You form close bonds with your climbing buddies and you care about what happens to them and how their lives are going because climbing is central to their well-being, both physical and mental. Climbers are willing to give of themselves and their gear to their buddies in times of need because these are friendships forged by grit and internal trial by fire. It’s a camaraderie not found many places in the civilian world, and one not unlike the camaraderie you find in the military.
If you’re in dire need, turn to your climbing buddies. They’ll respond in ways that you’ll never forget, and often without any expectation of repayment. If you want to repay them for their efforts and generosity, climb with them. That’s the greatest repayment any climber could ever ask for!
CLIMBING 4 THE REST OF US 