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Gimpslice Get's Hatemail

March 2, 2006


Or at least it was Angrymail

When I began this website I figured there would be just a few sections in it.  Family stuff, personal stuff, some news and political stuff.  Out of each of these sections, I started writing up some outdoors stuff when it involved family and then they took on a life of their own.  If I ever thought I was going to generate some angry words, the Rock Climbing section wasn't the area to create turmoil.

My political section has been small and I think at least two people have read what I write in there.  I have insulted, poked, prodded and come as close to long-distance anal probing as legally safe.  Response?  Oh, no.  Nothing; nada, nathan, zilch.  I steal a whole bunch of news articles from Fark, from the inane to the grotesque to the bizarre, a range from 42 midgets getting eaten by a lion (turned out later to be fake) to a sister stabbing a sibbling over a burger.  Response?  Laughs, some groans, a few "um...take me off your list," and two people out of 70 or so who complained when I stopped doing the news.  But hate mail?  Nope.

Evidently, lions eating midgets, telling christians they have come full circle to being the templars and that George W. Bush is like Courtney Love on a bender with half her bains wasn't provocative.  What I got my ass into trouble about was I was giving away all the great bouldering spots in and around Central Oregon.  Here is the e-mail I recieved:

My deal is that you need to chill out on providing the entire world with directions to bouldering areas. Let them find them just like yourself. I've been climbing in those areas for 10 years and the impact from people is becoming attrocious. Do you know that the F.S. is trying to shut Widgi down? Do you know that it's illegal to boulder at The Depot(it's COID land). Your promoting trespassing. Why are these areas getting over-run? Because of ass-hats like yourself who just HAVE to spray about your conquests. Go ahead have fun, I'm not trying to shut your experience down. But please don't post pictures and directions how to get to these places.

So let's get a couple of things straight:

  1. I am a shitty climber.  I try, but I am not very good.  Spraying my conquests of climbing would be about the same as me dropping a grand at the strip bar and bragging to my buddies about all the totally hot bitches who were dry humping me all night.  I don't even attempt to talk about how good of a climber I am.
  2. I don't provide "directions" so much as say things like this:
    Widgi Creek sits about three minutes outside of the city limits of Bend, Oregon.
    These are about the same descriptive quality of directions as the Bush Administration has for Iraq.
  3. And, finally, I know it is trespassing to climb at The Depot.  Let Johnny Law come get me and take me on a one-way trip down the Graybar Motel.

After all is said and done, I really thought his whole letter boilded down to this: He doesn't want more people crowding the places that have brought him joy and solitude. 

Well boo-fucking-hoo.  Those places brought him joy, happiness and a wonderful recreation and rather than wanting to share that with other people, he wants it for himself and his bro's.  I could care less.  Climbing isn't about a select few, climbing is for everyone and I bristle when I hear people saying the "yeah, its the best, but it's our spot, our secret little spot and other people are the problem, other people destroy the place."  It's not your place unless you own the land.  If that land is public, it is free to all.  Get over it and get over yourself.