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![Dateline 1911: John Otto Climbs Independence Monument](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/396ca8_882874a4e1f74795b13ce0f43a255722~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_319,h_240,fp_0.50_0.50,q_90,enc_auto/396ca8_882874a4e1f74795b13ce0f43a255722~mv2.webp)
Dateline 1911: John Otto Climbs Independence Monument
John Otto, a crazy redneck cowboy, trailbuilder, and general pain in the neck to local politicians and newspapers, did the first ascent of t
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![Learning to climb at the Garden of the Gods](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/396ca8_f61f5902df5a42b79ff2ec809bfc20a8~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_319,h_240,fp_0.50_0.50,q_90,enc_auto/396ca8_f61f5902df5a42b79ff2ec809bfc20a8~mv2.webp)
Learning to climb at the Garden of the Gods
I learned to climb on the soft sandstone at the Garden of the Gods, a city park on the west side of Colorado Springs. The first route I ever
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![Teeing up the Devil's Golfball](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/396ca8_efe2411bc41c47cf8dba73397d4ea2a5~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_319,h_240,fp_0.50_0.50,q_90,enc_auto/396ca8_efe2411bc41c47cf8dba73397d4ea2a5~mv2.webp)
Teeing up the Devil's Golfball
Another great day out in the sandstone canyon country surrounding Moab, Utah. Sometimes it feels like the center of the universe, the red ce
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![What Do You Tell Tourists at the Garden of the Gods About Climbing?](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/396ca8_80d27ab5624b44b2a4554e22f5f2807e~mv2_d_3008_2000_s_2.jpg/v1/fill/w_319,h_240,fp_0.50_0.50,q_90,enc_auto/396ca8_80d27ab5624b44b2a4554e22f5f2807e~mv2_d_3008_2000_s_2.webp)
What Do You Tell Tourists at the Garden of the Gods About Climbing?
One of the chapters in a book of climbing stories I've been working on is called "Fear of Heights." It's about tourists an