Trust: the most fundamental form of love

We were swinging freely almost twenty meters above the ground. The 9-mm climbing rope went through the two rappel rings at the top, 100 feet up from the ground, a “free-hanging rappel”, i.e. a lowering technique where there are no walls around or adjacent to you: you’re lowering from what is basically a hole inContinue reading “Trust: the most fundamental form of love”

Tu vas me manquer, dude!

[Note: This entry will be very long, and partly flow-of-consciousness. This is probably a piece that will eventually, hopefully, go into my memoir. So please read with sympathy and feel free to comment as long as it’s gentle & constructive feedback.] “Elle parle Français et beaucoup d’autres langues!” my French buddy cried after the pairContinue reading “Tu vas me manquer, dude!”

Close but not too close and often not close enough

Once again the topic of male closeness.  Yesterday, I finally climbed again with my first climbing partner from Colorado. We met almost two & a half years ago, through my Italian climbing buddy. I’m not sure what to make of J. or of our relationship.  The first time we met, we were the two onlyContinue reading “Close but not too close and often not close enough”