The River Gorge Guild

Category: The Campfire


  • How to include kindness and sustainability in your consumer life

    As rock climbers and outdoorspeople, we need a lot of stuff. Hardware like cams, nuts, and quickdraws, warm base layers and heavy coats, durable shoes, and countless other products are all instrumental to our safety and comfort. As a consumer who cares about nature, you’re in a tough spot. How can you best uphold your…

  • Winter traditions to ground you in a busy world

    Solar winter will be upon us in just a few short days, and in many places, it feels like winter already. Sport climbers, trad climbers, and hikers alike are all hanging up their gear, with only the ice climbers and alpinists among us preparing for another season of adventure. As we all bundle up and…

  • Doing things while feeling bad: on an interview with Bailey White

    I just had the great fortune to climb with one of my best friends, the incredible Bailey White (she/they), who visited me in the Red River Gorge for a few days in early November. Bailey is a recent graduate from Princeton University’s EEB (ecology and evolutionary ecology) department, a talented wildlife and sports photographer, and…

  • 10 things to do at Miguel’s Pizza and Campground when you aren’t climbing

    Miguel’s Pizza and Campground is an iconic rock climbers’ refuge, nestled among the soaring cliffs of the Red River Gorge. Equipped with a pizza parlor, two outdoor pavillions for communal cooking and feasting, and sprawling lawns of primitive camping, this climber haven is located less than half an hour from countless world-class crags. Everyone needs…

  • Finding your friends: who should I climb with?

    If you’re here, you know already that climbing is more than just climbing. It’s a social sport, and our experiences in the climbing world are often driven and shaped by our human connections. This sport combines many of the most poignant social aspects of others: the counter-culture grit of skate circles, the trust and group…