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I had the pleasure of talking with Luke Mehall. Luke is a writer, climber, lover, and all around good guy. Luke is also the publisher of The Climbing Zine and author of many great climbing books. We talk about his love affair with the desert and the changes he has seen over the years. Luke was influenced by authors Kerouac and Abby. It really shines through in his writing. If you are a lover of the desert, this podcast and his book will only make you want to spend more time in this holy place. I had a blast talking with him and I know you will enjoy this show. Be sure to subscribe to The Climbing Zine and buy Lukes books. I put all the links below. Luke is also in tour right now for his newest book, The Desert. Check out his Instagram page and Website for more details. Things we get into… The Climbing Zine His new book “The Desert” What it means to be a dirtbag these days Effects of social media on climbing The Silent Mustache Competition Follow Luke on Instagram @lukemehall_writer Follow The Climbing Zine on Instagram @theclimbingzine Buy Lukes books Here  The post Episode 27 : Desert Love with Luke Mehall appeared first on hangdogdays.

Lila Leatherman is a climber, scientist, and a trans equality advocate. @lilaleatherman Lila works hard to create trans-inclusive and equitable spaces in the outdoor industry. Sitting down with Lila was an eye opening experience. They really enjoy the difficult conversations and I could not imagine a better person to sit down and talk about all of this with. Thank you Lila for coming on the show and for your patience and knowledge. We talk about What queen means to them and some of the struggles people may have getting into our climbing world. Pronouns and definitions of transgender, cisgender, non-binary. What it means to be an advocate How one can get involved Dos and Donts Creating spaces for people to grow into. Why having representation matters. Here are some organizations and resources for you to check out. @melaninbasecamp @browngirlsclimb @theventureoutproject @queernature @colorthecrag @boccrew transstudent.org The post Episode 26: Climbing Queer with Lila Leatherman appeared first on hangdogdays.

Indian Creek season is upon us and in-light of this magical time of year, I wanted to re-post the story about the de-gloving down in Indian Creek. Remember the dude (Greg) that lost a finger in the infamous “fingers in a light socket” at the Super Crack Buttress in Indian Creek? Rock and Ice did an article on the accident and here’s a gory photo for you. Fingers in a light socket is a 60 foot small fingers crack in a corner. The crux of the climb is the top where it has spit many people off and sailing towards the ground. The climb has also been known to have gear pull out of the crack while taking a big whipper. To some, this adds to the excitement of the climb. Greg sent out a message to the climbing community asking for his blue .3 Camelot to be returned to him. The piece of gear has sentimental value and saved his life. Im not sure if he was expecting to get the cam back or not, but he did. Bradford Swanson was the person who climbed Fingers in a light socket after Greg had his accident. Brad finds himself apart of the story without knowing it. We talk about Van life vs Truck life dirtbagin’ it Indian Creek Fingers in a light socket Please leave the Hangdog Days Podcast a rating and review on Itunes  Spotify It helps up get discovered by other people!! Thanks for Subscribing! Instagram : @hangdogdays Facebook : hangdogdays The post Episode 25: An Indian Creek Epic with Bradford Swanson appeared first on hangdogdays.

Most Climbers progress in a very conventional way. Starting in the gym, they rent shoes and boulder until they realize that climbing is rad and they should pursue it as a full time passion. From there they might try and dabble outside, looking for potential partners and convincing local rope guns to help them carry the rope to the anchor for them. Gear starts to accumulate and the climber now tries leading for the first time, maybe then they start plugging gear. Over time bigger objectives come into play and more difficult terrain becomes attractive. Bigger objective lead to bigger summits and harder routs…so on and so on we have our “climbing timeline”. My guest this time has the opposite time line. Karina Hottinger did things a little more unconventional. Having humble beginnings, Karina quickly found herself cutting teeth ice climbing in Alaska and guiding on Denali. From there she experienced many ups and downs that were obstacles she had to get though to where she is today. Bouldering is her current passion but we get into the wild story of how she got there. We talk about… Her Alaska days Why she left guiding What it’s like to enter the competition bouldering world at an older age All the ups and downs she has gone through Follow Karina on Instagram Please leave the Hangdog Days Podcast a rating and review on Itunes  Spotify It helps up get discovered by other people!! Thanks for Subscribing! Instagram : @hangdogdays Facebook : hangdogdays The post Episode 24: Karina Hottinger appeared first on hangdogdays.

Danny Parker, the creator of the Off-Width Army, has been climbing uncomfortable wide stuff for years. He’s the 3rd person to send Century Crack, an inverted off-width that turns a roof for the finish down in Canyonlands, Utah. After ticking off some mega test pieces, Danny sought after the hardest off-width out there, Century Crack. Going at 5.14b, Danny says the route rings true for the grade. He’s really open and psyched about pushing limits and climbing in general. A humble and friendly teacher, Danny loves coaching anyone who’s stoked on off-width climbing. Off-width climbing is niche discipline that comes with its own unique techniques and even more distinctive crowds. After talking with Danny, I’ve decided to explore more off-width climbing. He makes them seem less daunting and more exhilarating. In this Podcast we talk about… What is off-width climbing? Century Crack and how Danny prepared for it. The grading system (or lack of) in off-width climbing Mistakes new off-width climbers make General stories around off-width climbing (banter and such) Follow Danny on Instagram @Cheyeah If you are interested in Dannys “Crack Machine” here are the blue prints to creating your own! Crack Machine Blue Print Please leave the Hangdog Days Podcast a rating and review. It helps up get discovered by other people!! Thanks for Subscribing! The post Episode 23: Danny Parker on Off-Width and Century Crack appeared first on hangdogdays.

James Crump is the God Father of Texas Climbing, period. Crump, AKA The Kraken, has some of the boldest FAs at Enchanted Rock State Park, including Gravitron, Shrike, Texas Radio, and Fear of Flying…the list goes on and on. Crump had a rich climbing career based in Texas. He started early (age 14) and pushed the limit for many years. Crump was a true Texas hard man. Crumps climbing career came to a halt when he broke his back in Utah. Even though his climbing was pretty much over Crump still kept his hands in the climbing world. As an advocate for access and protection, Crump devoted his time to protect the areas we all love and climb at today. He truly leads by example, “everybody gets to play” is a motto he lives by and it shows. The climbing community he has developed is one of a kind. In the Podcast… I was so stoked to talk with The Kracken! Basically, Crump just tells really amazing stories and I just sit there with my jaw dropped. He gets into the history of Texas Climbing. How things were, how things became, and how things are today. It’s been a few decades since Crump has climbed but you can feel the stoke in his voice. This guy loves rock climbing! Crump the co-author of “The Dome Drivers Manuel”, the rare and sought after Enchanted Rock climbing guide book. It is the best E-Rock guide out there today. The book is being re-printed and all of the proceeds are going to The Friends of Enchanted Rock. That means if you buy the book when it comes out, you will be helping protect and maintain access to Enchanted Rock State Park. As far as I know the book is still in the works, but should have a print date soon. If you’re a Texas Climber, this Podcast is for you. If you’ve never climbed in Texas, this podcast is going to make you want to. Hit me up if you want a hangdogdays sticker! julian@hangdogdays.com Instagram : @hangdogdays Facebook : hangdogdays SUBSCRIBE TO HANGDOGDAYS PODCAST : Itunes  Spotify   Gravitron 5.11D X Fear of Flying 5.10 The post Episode 22: Texas Climbing with James Crump appeared first on hangdogdays.

  On this Podcast I had the pleasure of talking with Karl Kelley about his new climbing book “The Creek Freak”. Karl is a Moab local who has been climbing in the desert for almost two decades. It has been said that Karl has probably spent more time climbing in Indian Creek than anyone else. Karl has been recording what he has been climbing and where in the Creek for 18 years. When I herd he was creating the new Indian Creek guide I was stoked. When you hear how Karl gathered and recorded all of the info you’re going to be stoked! Other than climbing Karl owns The Desert Bistro and takes off three months a year to backcountry ski. Karl likes to joke that he had to move to the desert in-order to become a ski bum. Karl talks about some of the changes he has seen over the years. We get into the issues that Indian Creek is facing and what people can do to lighten their foot print on the delicate area. One of the greatest things about Karls Climbing books is that he donates 100% of the proceeds to the Access Fund. If you don’t know how to help protect and maintain the areas you climb, then you can buy one of Karl’s books. Karl has an abundance of love for the area. He tells some incredible stories and reveals what it means to be a “Creek Freak”.    Buy Karls Books… The Creek Freak  High On Moab Hit me up if you want a hangdogdays sticker! julian@hangdogdays.com Instagram : @hangdogdays Facebook : hangdogdays SUBSCRIBE TO HANGDOGDAYS PODCAST : Itunes  Spotify     The post Episode 21: Desert Climbing with Karl Kelley appeared first on hangdogdays.

I sat down with my self and recorded a podcast on what has been going on since Bishop, CA. A lot has been happening. Lots of fun, lots of emotions, and lots of zero days! The Sierras are just as beautiful as everyone says they are. If you ever have the opportunity to hike that section (JMT), do it! They are amazing, but have some difficulties to them as well. I get into what has been the most difficult part of the Sierras and the whole trip. I also describe what its like to be hiking with out your significant other and bring up some questions on taking for granted some of the areas we as thru-hikers pass thru. I had a ton of fun recording alone and think I might bring a few more episodes to the table that are like this. Please we know what you think and as always…share this with your friends and slap a 5 star rating on Apple Podcasts PLEASE!! Follow our hike!! Share this with your friend. Hit me up if you want a hangdogdays sticker! julian@hangdogdays.com Instagram : @hangdogdays Facebook : hangdogdays SUBSCRIBE TO HANGDOGDAYS PODCAST : Itunes SUPPORT THE SHOW! DONATE! The post The Happy Trail : Eps, 7 appeared first on hangdogdays.

This episode on The Happy Trail is a catch up episode. We cram in 3 weeks of hiking into one show. The show was recored at Mountain Rambler Brewery, so please excuse the background noise. We were getting wild with the locals. Free Wheel and The Peach Man are good friends from northern California. They have been around Hangdog Days since day one on the trail. We get into what has happened the past 3 weeks. The transition from the desert to the sierras was a wonderful feeling. We are very excited to be out of the desert and you will be able to hear that. When we arrived into Kennedy Meadows we were exhausted and excited. Promptly we were greeted with beers and other hikers partying. Now that we are in the Sierras our strategy has changed and the hiking has proved to be difficult. With that said, it has been very beautiful and we are all excited for more. Follow our hike!! Share this with your friend. Hit me up if you want a hangdogdays sticker! julian@hangdogdays.com Instagram : @hangdogdays Facebook : hangdogdays SUBSCRIBE TO HANGDOGDAYS PODCAST : Itunes SUPPORT THE SHOW! DONATE! Thanks!   The post The Happy Trail: Eps 6, Catch up Episode, from the desert to the sierra appeared first on hangdogdays.

Finally we are back! My bounce box with all of our podcasting equipment was lost in the mail for 3 weeks. After a stressful couple of weeks filled with worry I was reconnected with the equipment. We will continue to put out weekly shows for yall. Keep in mind, we are living out of backpacks. This show features Blue Beard. Blue Beard is a dude who we met early on the PCT and has been a joy to know over the past couple of weeks. We recorded this show in a tent outside at Hiker Heaven. This was a semi rushed recording due to a fire that started on the trail. We were waiting for a ride to get around the fire and head over to Casa de Luna. Blue Beard goes into why he is hiking and some of the great experiences the trail has given him. I wish we had more time to record with him as he is a very interesting man Follow our hike!! Share this with your friend. Hit me up if you want a hangdogdays sticker! julian@hangdogdays.com Instagram : @hangdogdays Facebook : hangdogdays SUBSCRIBE TO HANGDOGDAYS PODCAST : Itunes SUPPORT THE SHOW! DONATE! Thanks! The post The Happy Trail: Eps,5 On the PCT with Blue Beard appeared first on hangdogdays.