From the time that I started rock climbing, I have had people tell me that I’m crazy. Some have actually been upset with me for partaking in such an “unsafe” activity. My responses have varied over the years, but I have been pretty adamant that climbing really isn’t that unsafe.

Several of our church members have voiced their concern for our safety on this trip. I am blessed to have so many people praying for me regularly. It is humbling to think of individuals taking the time to intercede for me in prayer. I hope that this post offers comfort to those who are concerned.

Most non-climbers get sucked into the pictures or videos of free solo climbers a thousand or so feet off the ground. They think “now that” is rock climbing. They aren’t wrong, but free soloing makes up a minute portion of climbing. The vast majority of people free climb with ropes, not without.

I have given a little information in my posts thus far about different types of climbing, but I think it best to give a little better description of what we will be doing on our trip:

Hiking/Scrambling – This seems self-explanatory, but when you get into higher altitudes and in an exposed setting, Hiking/Scrambling would be considered climbing by some people. The safety of Hiking/Scrambling varies widely. A jaunt on a well-maintained trail to view Raven Cliff Falls near Caesar’s Head State Park is safe. A 15-hour trek to a 14,000-foot peak with exposed 3rd and 4th-class terrain is, well not as safe. Maddie and I will be Hiking/Scrambling throughout the trip. Honestly, some of the most dangerous things that we plan to do fit into this category.

Bouldering – In the picture above, I’m bouldering in a place called Joe’s Canyon, Utah. When you boulder, you climb unroped. Most boulder problems are ten to fifteen feet tall. There are HighBall boulder problems, but this borders on Free Soloing. I will expound upon this later. The black pad on the ground is called a boulder pad. If you fall, the idea is to land on the pad. This discipline of climbing is relatively safe if the landing zone is flat and you have a good spotter. We will be doing very little bouldering on the trip. Lugging the boulder pads out west is the main obstacle for us.

Top Rope Climbing – I have explained what this discipline entails. If your anchor is secure and you have an attentive belayer, this is the safest way to climb. Sophie is Top Rope Climbing in the picture above. The only time that we will be Top Roping on this trip is after one of us has led the climb.

Sport Climbing – I have mentioned this discipline already in earlier posts, but for a refresher, when you Sport Climb, bolts have already been placed in the rock. Chris is Sport Climbing in the picture above. As the leader climbs, they clip QuickDraws (two carabiners with a short sling between them) to the bolt hangers and then clips their rope to the other end of the QuickDraw. When the leader takes a fall, it is normally short (one to two feet up to eight to ten feet). There are exceptions but most fall into that range. If the rock is vertical or overhanging, these falls are mostly painless (you fall into space). This discipline of climbing is pretty safe. Maddie and I will be doing a lot of Sport Climbing on this trip (Ten Sleep Canyon, Wild Iris, Maple Canyon, Estes Park…).

Traditional (or Trad) Climbing – I have given a description of this discipline of climbing in earlier posts. As the leader moves up the rock, they place protection (or gear) into deformities in the rock. Maddie is Trad Climbing in the picture above. When the leader takes a fall, it could be from one to two feet up to twenty to thirty feet or more. The amount of gear being placed depends on the deformities in the rock and the experience of the climber. This discipline of climbing is safe, but not as safe as Sport Climbing. Maddie and I will be doing a lot of Trad Climbing on this trip (Tetons, Moab area, Indian Creek…).

Alpine Climbing (Mountaineering) – Without writing several paragraphs, I will do my best to give a short description. The picture above is from our attempt to climb Mt. Shuksan. Alpine Climbing could be a combination of Sport and Trad Climbing but typically happens in an alpine setting (above the tree line). There aren’t very many bolts in this setting. Alpine Climbing could include navigating snow and or ice along with rock climbing. The approach is much longer, and most times, this will be done over multiple days. You have to carry more gear, more food, and more water. This discipline of climbing is somewhat safe but is much more dangerous than the disciplines described above because of the remoteness of the climbs. Maddie and I plan to climb in this manner in Grand Teton National Park.

Aid Climbing – This discipline of climbing ranges from safe to very dangerous. When Aid Climbing, the climber places gear and uses that gear to gain purchase (pulls or weights the gear). Some aid climbs can have falls of sixty to a hundred feet (or more). Maddie and I have no plans to Aid Climb on this trip.

Free Solo Climbing – This discipline of climbing gets the most attention from non-climbers. It epitomizes the “Wow!” factor. Free Solo climbing and Free Climbing are not the same thing. Free Climbing can be defined as climbing rock under one’s own power. When someone Free Climbing clip bolts or gear, they do not weight or pull on these. They climb past them until they get to the top of a pitch. Everything shy of Aid Climbing above is Free Climbing. Free Solo Climbing involves no rope, no bolts, no gear…no margin for error. Free Solo Climbing is very dangerous. Maddie and I will not be climbing in this manner on this trip…or ever!

There are other subsets of climbing, but this should give you ample information. We will be Free Climbing (Sport, Trad, and Alpine), but we will not be Free Soloing.

So, what is safe enough? Well, that’s debatable. The couch may seem like a safe place, but I have seen people who have died while sitting on their couch. Some because a car ran through their house, and others because of the dangerous habit of little to no physical activity which leads to heart problems. I don’t say this to make light of anyone’s situation. I say this to try to get everyone to open their eyes to what is dangerous. We ingest more and more plastic in our food each year. Some take more than a dozen prescriptions per day (some to counteract others that they are taking). We drive on the interstate, fly in airplanes, ride motorcycles… We do dangerous things each and every day.

I had planned to put up some statistics showing the dangers of driving a vehicle vs several so-called dangerous sports, but the studies didn’t seem very reliable. Some studies showed that climbing is no more dangerous than being in a vehicle. Other studies showed one activity as being more dangerous than the other. I think the biggest factor is what I shared back in 2020 when many people were afraid of contracting Covid and dying. I said that no one will show up early, and no one will show up late.

Hebrews 9:27 NIV84
Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment,

We serve an All-Knowing God. He is the One Who made our appointment with death, not us. Yes, it is possible that PB&J (Chris’ name for her Jeep) will get hit head-on by an eighteen-wheeler killing both of us in Kansas. It’s possible that an earthquake will cause rockfall while we are hiking in the Tetons causing both of us to die. It’s possible that we make a mistake while climbing and fall to our death, but if any of these things happen, it will be no surprise to God.

I know that many will disagree, but just because we are going rock climbing doesn’t mean that we are being reckless. We have spent money on good equipment. We have spent countless hours practicing indoors and out. We always double-check our anchors, harnesses, knots, locking carabiners, and belay devices. We assess the conditions before and during our adventures. We always let someone know where we are planning to be, and we check in when we return.

Please continue to pray for us, but I would ask that you also pray that we seek to glorify God in all that we do. I’m praying for opportunities to share the Gospel with people in the wilderness. I’m praying for Maddie and me to build a stronger bond. I’m praying that upon our return, I will step back into the pulpit with renewed vigor for sharing the Word of God.

Because He Calls, Old Climbing Dad