I’m here writing this morning because it’s my birthday. For many years, starting in my late 20s, I used to write every morning when I wasn’t out climbing.
That practice came out of the general writing advice that if you want to be a writer, you should write every day. But climbers, well, we’re different. And while “write every day” is good advice, continuous writing without reflection and processing can drive one crazy.
If I’ve learned one thing in 25 years of the pursuit of writing, it would be to have something to balance it out, something to get you out of your head. Climbing is great for that. Running is too, sometimes even better.
by Luke Mehall, publisher of The Zine. Photo of Luke from Volume 25 by Ivan Ioza
I love writing, and so as a gift to myself I’m here writing on my birthday. It’s cold and rainy outside anyways here in Potrero Chico, Mexico, where I spend my winters.
And I’ve got a really cool announcement to share, that we have finally completed our “Keep The Zine Alive” campaign. More on that in a minute, but first I want to share a personal note, a gift from me to you as I celebrate 46 years of being alive.
These last few years have been full of many ups and downs, peaks and valleys. I was engaged to be married right before the pandemic, and then we broke up. I lost my family unit and my home, and eventually ended up in a hole of loneliness and depression. That led me to therapy, which helped me immensely.
I realized I’d been holding on to pain and sadness from a long time ago, and was able to talk that through with a therapist I trust deeply.
Since then I’ve fallen in love again, and rediscovered the climbing community in a much different way than ever before. At 46, I’m older than most of the climbers here in Potrero Chico, certainly not all, but most.
And I’ve realized that the greatest thing I can do for others is to share my stories in an open and vulnerable way. And for myself I’ve realized I don’t have to hold on to my pain and depression, or even these same feelings that may have been passed on to me from my ancestors.
In our so-called United States we have mostly recovered from the pandemic that was covid. But there’s a greater one of loneliness and mental health.
I can imagine a scenario where I didn’t have the support of friends, family, and therapy. I can imagine where my mental health might be if I had continued to spiral.
But, I didn’t and I won’t. I’m committed to taking care of myself and those close to me. Though I am a man of solitude when I am writing, community (common unity) is so deeply important. We have to know we are not alone when we experience the inevitable lows of life.
I feel more than grateful that at 46, I am at my peak performance for the sport that I love. I feel so strong some days I can’t help but smile.
And I feel very passionately that in addition to sharing that, I also need help and support on those days when I don’t feel emotionally strong.
That’s my personal message today, my journal entry of sorts to all of you, the dear readers who spend your time with my words.
And, now my final message is that we have completed the “Keep The Zine Alive” campaign!!!
This campaign, to add 1,000 new subscribers, started soon after covid arrived. Like many of the disruptions covid caused, The Zine was certainly affected. Commitments from our sponsors were sporadic. Timelines and budgets changed. Print got really damn expensive. The two major players, Climbing and Rock and Ice both stopped printing.
But guess what, our readers stepped up! And also a new resurgence of independent print publications came on the scene. Crazily, The Climbing Zine is now the longest continuously running of the active rock climbing print publications based in the United States.
In addition to our readers we’ve received a lot of help and insight from our friends at the Mountain Gazette, a publication I used to be a delivery boy for in the early 2000s, and also where I published some of my first essays. Karma comes around.
We also added the Dirtbag State of Mind podcast, and have now done over 100 episodes. Print is the staple, but adding the podcast has certainly added to the fanbase, and honestly those podcast interviews are my absolute favorite part of my job.
The timing of wrapping up this campaign is perfect because we are also reaching the 15th anniversary of The Zine early next year. The first fifteen years were about creating something independent and unique. Now that we’ve got that foundation it is time to grow into something more stable and harness why we are culturally relevant.
Thanks for reading and for supporting us. Y’all helped us navigate some of the most challenging years of The Climbing Zine.
I’m committed to this project, which is now my life’s work. And, with the plans of writing another book, American Climber 2, I’m going to get back to that daily writing routine.
And for everyone out there experiencing a difficult time in their lives, I’m rooting for you, praying for you, and sending good energy.
With Love,
Luke
Luke Mehall is the publisher of The Climbing Zine, host of the Dirtbag State of Mind podcast and author of five books, including American Climber. You can subscribe / order a copy or back issues at our online store.
Volume 25 is here! Subscribe / order a copy here: https://shop.climbingzine.com/
