Being tired of my life in Ontario, the politics, and the lack of care for our natural world that seems to be the norm in the over sized city centres, I decided to leave with permanent intentions and my eyes focused to the west.

Spending a day alone in the woods while bouldering is something I enjoy quite a bit. The serenity of the birds chirping, wind blowing, and little critters running around is music to my ears. It reminds me that for me bouldering has always been a means to interact with nature, and not just about climbing hard problems. As the sport continues to grow the ability to experience these special moments becomes more and more scarce, as well as more and more special. The lack of screams of children hiking through the woods, or groups of young strong climbers falling on their “sick projects” is peaceful. No one shouting beta at me, and no one scaring off the wildlife.

This whole pandemic has created a bit of chaos in the outdoor world. Places I could usually go to get away from people are now packed. Campsites I could book a week in advance are now booked for the entire summer. I was lucky to get a permit for a single night at High Dump.

I recently had the pleasure to spend a morning with Katelyn and her dog Winnie, walking along a snowy trail. It was snowing quite hard, but with the snow came a wonderful atmosphere and soft light that played well in the portraits. Katelyn was down for pretty much everything, but her dog had a much rougher time. Winnie’s fur quickly collected the snow effectively turning her into the abominable snow dog.

So another decade is coming to a close. As I grow older the time seems to just fly by. 2019 has certainly been a wild year for me. Again I made it a priority to get out to explore the beauty of nature. And boy did I find some amazing landscapes, and had some excellent adventures.

The late fall and early winter has always been the time of year where climbers make their way to the boulder fields to test their might on hard problems. With the cooler temperatures comes dryer rock, and better friction. With an adequate warmup it’s ideal for climbing at your limit. I’ve been lucky to be able to get out a lot during this magical time of year, and have captured some astounding displays of climbing still and strength that’s been on display at the Niagara Glen.