Abbey Smith

Abbey Smith

Pick up any publication pertaining to the sport of rock climbing, and chances are, you will see a smattering of descriptive chronicles highlighting the travels and adventures of the prolific scribe Abbey Smith. A climber and writer for over 10 years, Abbey travels extensively, financing her jet set lifestyle though her writing, allowing her more opportunities to pursue her love of adventure. Abbey has reported on a myriad of topics. From the exclusive hobby of vintage motor racing, to sassy, healthy-savvy posts on BeThree.com, to being on the editorial staff of the independent green publication elephant journal, a quarterly magazine devoted to living the "mindful life" through conscious consumerism, sustainability, eco-fashion and non new-aged spirituality.

Abbey's energy for writing is ravenous. When she speaks of it, her article ideas roll out of mouth in constant barrage without commas, periods, or other punctuation, but when placed in front of a computer, the word stream subsides into descriptive prose reminiscent of Joanne Harris. Dead Point Magazine is privileged to have her as a contributing blogger.

 

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Abbey Smith: May 2010 Blog

 

One of my biggest fears is getting lost in the labyrinth of clay roads that twist through the rugged Henry Mountains of Utah. "At the top of the steep hill, stay right at the pseudo turn,” described Noah Bigwood over the phone. “Then follow a windy road along a cliff until a creek crossing. This is where the road gets narrow and sketchy.” As he recounted the abstract directions through the Henry Mountains via the South Road from memory, my chest grew tight and my palms began to sweat. “After the steep and bumpy switchbacks, there’s a surprise right turn. Don’t miss this turn,” he asserted over the patchy cell phone static. “Ok...surprise right turn,” I stammered while hastily jotting down directions. “Got it.” I tried to swallow; my stomach was lodged in my throat. The fear was implanted. As soon as you enter the isolated range, there’s no room for error. The narrow roads are relatively unmarked and wind along rocky ridges, cross shallow streams, and climb up and down rough terrain. The climbing is even heads up. The massive orange and black striped granite boulders are minimally decorated with deep pockets and sharp edges that require absolute focus, precision and grace. With no cell phone reception or accessible medical attention, you’re 100% committed. Before we hung up the phone, Noah reminded me, “It’s always an adventure.” And then Jason and I were on our way.



For seven hours from Colorado to Utah I stared down the highway anxiously awaiting the dirt road encounter. At 7 PM, just as the sun was starting to set, we entered the uninhabited range. By the time we crossed the first creek, my wandering mind clicked into the present moment, my anxiety released and converted to excitement. The map wasn’t explicit, but when combined with intuition and past experience, it was good enough to get us there. We were greeted by close friends, spectacular climbing and an oasis of serenity.





The adventure in the Henry’s triggered memories of the wild experiences I had with my friends Jonny Copp and Micah Dash. Whether we were embarking on a new business venture or linking pitches in Eldorado Springs, the path was often uncertain but the objective was always clear: to dream big, try hard, live in the moment, and have fun. By aligning their lives around passion and love, Jonny and Micah always encouraged and inspired me to take a chance even when the course is unknown. Climbing for the weekend in the remote mountains helped me realize that my freelance writer/climber lifestyle is like the road through the Henry’s -- an uncharted and committing trail that undulates between high points and low dips, rides the edge, and varies between slow and bumpy, and straight and fast. I just try to stay on track and make the right turns at the right speed. Sure, my lifestyle choice can be unstable, unpredictable, frightening and difficult, but I wouldn’t trade the freedom for anything.





Now it’s time for the next adventure. This August, Pete Takeda, Jason Kehl, John Dickey and I will travel to the exotic Kashmir region of the Himalayas in India to explore and develop the granite boulders in the extreme alpine terrain. In 2007, Jonny and Micah completed the first ascent of the Shafat Fortress (19,200 feet) via the The Colorado Route in a pure light and fast alpine style. When they returned they raved about the bouldering and confirmed the granite in the area is some of the finest in the world. Thus the seed was planted, and in the wake of their tragedy, a bouldering expedition to the Himalayas has blossomed and is graciously supported by Marmot, Men's Journal and Native Eyewear. Once again the path is unknown, but that’s what it’s all about.




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