Q: I heard you were a cave-dwelling climbing bum
in Yosemite for years. What should I look for
when selecting a similar abode? Do I really have
to live like Fred Flintstone to improve my
climbing chops?
—Liam
Washington, D.C.
Liam,
Indeed, I spent a few years groveling under some dark,
rat infested boulders in a certain well-known valley in
California. I was in my early to mid 20s at the time and
for a while I actually considered living there for the
duration. Thank God I snapped back to reality. It gets
old fighting with rats and ring tail cats on a nightly
basis. If you are really serious about wanting to live in a
cave, try to find one that stays dry in the rain. My
biggest problem was getting soaked every time it
stormed. In fact, it was the lack of dry accommodations
that eventually led me to bail out to Colorado where I
had to get a real job and start paying rent. And no,
obviously you don't have to live in a cave to improve
your climbing. However, not having to pay rent does
mean you can work a bit less, or not at all, and this does
leave more time for hobbies.
