Today’s post is the starting point for something I first envisioned more than fifteen years ago. While putting the finishing touches on my second guidebook to Smith Rock (published in 2010) I decided to launch my own website. For someone with limited knowledge of the internet , this was easier said than done as I entered a world I knew nothing about. After blowing through a couple thousand dollars on the project, my website died a quiet death before it ever went live.
Fast forward to the summer of 2022. Again, I was on the homestretch of another Smith guidebook – this time the 3rd edition. Fifteen years had passed in the blink of an eye, and it dawned on me that there was no guarantee that I had another fifteen left. It was now or never.
Had I gone it alone, I’d never be writing this post. But the skills I lacked were well within the wheelhouse of my family. But with the creation of Watts Rocks, my website became a reality.
.Fifty years of climbing at Smith Rock has left me with a deep well of stories and memories. Over the decades my appreciation for the history of Smith climbing has grown, and I’ve been fortunate enough to hear firsthand stories from many of the climbers who came before me. Alan’s Corner provides the venue for me to share my experiences and these stories.
Decades have passed since the days when climbing was the most effortless part of my world. Somewhere along the way, things have changed. But there are moments when I surprise myself, somehow latching the dyno on the route at the gym, or repeating something at Smith I thought I’d never do again. At these moments, I find that the years haven’t changed me much at all.
Thanks for your interest, and I look forward to sharing with all of you my journey and the stories of the countless climbers who made Smith Rock famous.
April 9, 2023
