Let’s face it: it’s been a rough couple of years. With an ongoing pandemic and now the war in Ukraine, anxiety levels are understandably at an all-time high. We want to help, so we looked into some ways to lighten things up and boost your health by upping the fun in your life. Best of all, these scientifically proven techniques are easy.

1. Smile When You鈥檙e Learning Something New

If you鈥檝e ever tried unsuccessfully to acquire a skill or become proficient in a sport, odds are you weren鈥檛 having fun. Cognitive studies on mood and emotion in learning reveal that, regardless of the activity, taking a lighthearted approach boosts focus and retention. When a lesson or an experience is fun, dopamine increases; as that neurotransmitter circulates in your brain, it improves your mood and enhances your capacity to tune in to big concepts and small details alike. There鈥檚 also reward involved: additional dopamine is released when you learn more. And educational games and physical activities engage more of the senses, which activates auditory, kinetic, and other sorts of learning to facilitate retention.

2. Make Playtime a Priority

Research suggests that playing like a kid can help adults live better lives. published in the European Journal of Humor Research showed that playful adults lived happier, more satisfying, and healthier lives. During the study, 255 adults were asked to share their interest level in playful activities, then assess the state of their current mental and physical health. Researchers explained that playfulness鈥攂roadly defined as the ability to derive amusement from a situation鈥攊s prevalent in mental activities like playing music or video games, and physical activities like sports or outdoor hobbies. The study鈥檚 results followed a trend: Adults with little or no interest in mental or physical activity scored low in life satisfaction and psychological wellness. Those with an appreciable interest in nonphysical playfulness scored high, and playful adults who were physically active scored the highest.

3. Why Laughing Matters

The more you laugh, the longer you鈥檒l live, according to by a group of Norwegian behavioral scientists. The researchers looked at the influence of humor on the life spans of more than 53,000 people over a 15-year period. They found that those who had a meaningful amount of humor in their lives showed a lower risk of death from infection or heart disease. Why? Perhaps because humor can 颅reduce stress-related hormones that suppress the immune system. A study published in 2020 by Stanford and University of Chicago scientists that focused on veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder showed similar results. Researchers used nitrous oxide on three veterans in treatment, who self-reported quick relief from symptoms, a benefit that lasted up to a week.

4. Fuel Your Feel-Good Hormones

It鈥檚 well-known that high stress levels negatively influence biology, causing the release of the fight-or-flight hormone cortisol. With an imbalance of hormones, the body has trouble regulating mood, metabolism, and immune response. But when we have fun, done by scientists at Sahmyook University in Seoul, South Korea, the body releases the feel-good neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin, which leads to elevated mood and a healthier cell-proliferation process. Hormonal balance is crucial for our immune system鈥檚 strength and our ability to recover after strenuous athletic activity, as is cell growth, which helps the kidneys, lungs, and other organs regulate body functions. Meanwhile, some studies suggest that serotonin released by enjoyable activities could help promote neurogenesis, or cell growth in the brain.

5. Join the Crowd

For most people, communal fun is more appealing than individual fun in a variety of activities, including climbing, running, cycling, and team sports like soccer and basketball. by researchers at the University of Rochester and the University of Arizona, 257 participants were asked to play a game in groups and then by themselves. Participants reported that social interaction, with a friend or a stranger, was more fun than solitary activity. The study showed that the more you connect with friends or make new ones, the more fun you have.

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Growing up, I was not a great swimmer. It took only a few lessons for me to realize that staying afloat was all I needed in life. But during the summer of 2014, when I was out in the Atlantic near Bethany Beach, Delaware, my lack of skills nearly cost me. I was swimming with friends when I got caught in a riptide鈥攁 strong ocean current that can quickly end badly for swimmers. As my friends made their way back to shore, I found that I couldn鈥檛 keep up. Before long a lifeguard came to my aid. At first I felt embarrassed, but I soon understood how fortunate I was: in nearby Ocean City, Maryland, three swimmers died from rip currents that summer, two within weeks of my swim.

After that trip, thinking about ocean swimming gave me anxiety. But while reading about local swimming spots in my new home city of San Diego, I learned that immersion in cold water can ameliorate stress and improve well-being. Advocates of the practice like extreme athlete Wim Hof link the mental benefit to the endorphin rush experienced upon exposure to cold. I considered how often anxiety derailed my workday concentration and energy; if a cold swim each morning could help me stay engaged and conquer my fear in the process, I was sold. I set out to hit the water before work for two weeks, hoping to see an improvement in my mental state.

It didn鈥檛 go well at first. While I consistently arrived at the beach around 7:30 A.M., I spent most of my time only hip-deep in the 62-degree water, willing myself to dive through the oncoming waves. It took two days before I finally swam, breaststroking weakly for three minutes near a lineup of surfers wearing warm, comfortable wetsuits.

The effects, though, were immediate. The initial shock of cold water heightened my senses, and that lasted into the workday. I found myself breezing through daily meetings and fixating far less on stressful deadlines. Email messages that normally took 30 minutes or more to draft were quickly dispatched. I even read back issues of this magazine, partly for research purposes but also to see whether anyone had previously reported on what felt like my amazing work-productivity hack. (They hadn鈥檛.)

In the end, I still had to bribe myself into the ocean with the promised glow of a post-swim workday. Yet the satisfaction of regaining control of my time and boosting my confidence in the water helped me see that many of the daily tasks that cause me angst (writing, researching, email) also make me feel competent and capable when they鈥檙e accomplished鈥攖hat it鈥檚 actually better to dive in than to delay with trepidation. With winter approaching, I鈥檒l be hanging up my swimsuit soon, but I plan to take a few dips in the spring while the water鈥檚 still cold, chasing that mix of fear and exhilaration.

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It was a hot, crowded summer day at Inks Lake State Park, an hour outside Austin, Texas. Campsites were bustling with families and groups of friends grilling, playing, and swimming in the nearby reservoir. For many it was the start of a relaxing weekend.

, meanwhile, stood anxiously at the park entrance, recording equipment in hand, wondering if all her preparation would pay off. It would be her first time sleeping outdoors, and with three days and two nights ahead of her, there was plenty to worry about: wild-animal attacks, the spiders living in the bathrooms, and an unfortunately timed yeast infection. Still, she made her way to her campsite, determined to carry out her mission.

The camping trip was the culmination of three years of work for Le, an听Austin-based podcaster, comedian, and self-professed fan of the indoors, and would serve as the season finale of her ten-episode podcast听, in which she confronts her aversion to outdoor spaces. As Le puts it, 鈥�FOGO is a nature show with the most reluctant host ever.鈥�

Released this summer on , FOGO follows Le鈥檚 preparation for the camping trip from day one, bringing in perspectives from a range of experts along the way. In one episode, a former wildland firefighter and nature educator teaches her survival skills; in another, she attends a therapy session to overcome her outdoor-related fears and hang-ups. Le approaches the material with a mix of humor, awkwardness, and sincerity, making her an approachable guide for fellow beginners.

For Le, the show allowed her to redress the rocky relationship with the outdoors that she developed as a kid growing up in Dallas. As a second-generation Vietnamese American living in a big city, Le didn鈥檛 have many natural spaces nearby, and she didn鈥檛 see many people who looked like her going hiking or camping. 鈥淚f I were to tell my parents, 鈥楬ey, I鈥檓 going to go camping for funsies,鈥� they鈥檇 be like, 鈥榃hat? Why?鈥欌�� she says. 鈥淭hey would literally not understand what it was I was about to go do.鈥�

After building a career in creative fields鈥攚riting, poetry, and eventually stand-up comedy鈥攕he came to podcasting, first as a fan. 鈥淚 discovered podcasts when I became a mom, while I was breastfeeding my first child,鈥� she says.听鈥淚 ended up loving the medium so much that I had a running list of like 200 podcast ideas.鈥�

Of those, Le settled on one that had urgency: finding a way to enjoy the great outdoors before it was too late. 鈥淚t鈥檚听not that I want to go outside鈥擨 just don鈥檛 want to miss out before I die,鈥� she says in the show鈥檚 first episode, citing climate change and other threats to the outdoors as her motivation. 鈥淢y FOMO is in direct conflict with my FOGO…. It feels overwhelming to figure it all out from zero, but if I don鈥檛 go now, I might never get the chance.鈥�

At a Spotify accelerator camp for aspiring podcasters who are women of color, she came up with a plan: she would spend six months recording her journey from an outdoors skeptic to, well, a more knowledgeable outdoors skeptic. A Kickstarter campaign followed soon after, in 2018, which raised just enough money for听sound equipment and camping gear.

Le鈥檚 comedy is an effective antidote to the self-seriousness she鈥檚 noticed in outdoor culture: 鈥淵ou all are a humorless lot,鈥� she tells me. Her beginner鈥檚 perspective allows her to poke fun at the outdoor world from a fresh point of view. 鈥淢ost of the time, I鈥檓 not trying to be funny,鈥� she says. 鈥淪ometimes it makes you laugh, because you鈥檙e uncomfortable or maybe because you recognize something true and that鈥檚 your response.鈥� Her jokes about outdoorsy stereotypes entertain and disarm listeners, but there鈥檚 also a greater meaning behind them. 鈥淚 think humor is definitely a tool that marginalized people use to live the joyful lives that we鈥檙e owed, and to process the experience of being marginalized,鈥� she says.

Her comedic style is also influenced by her favorite nature shows on cable TV. 鈥淚 watch almost all the nature shows out there,鈥� she says. 鈥淎ll the hoity-toity ones, the weird ones like Naked and Afraid, I鈥檓 obsessed.鈥� In one episode, for instance, a guest host narrates Le鈥檚 shopping trip to find camping supplies; the voice-over is excessively dramatic, and the host describes Le stuck in a sleeping bag, like a bear in a trap.

FOGO premiered in May. It was among Spotify鈥檚 top 50 most popular podcasts in its first week and earned Le an inadvertent role as a kind of educator in outdoor media. Not only did non-outdoorsy listeners relate to her experiences, but hikers, campers, and other outdoor enthusiasts listened to hear a different perspective. 鈥淚 did not make the show for outdoor people,鈥� she says, 鈥渂ut I am fascinated that it鈥檚听resonating with outdoor people.鈥�

Since completing her camping trip (spoiler alert: she makes it out alive!), Le has considered a few ideas for a second season, but she isn鈥檛 in a particular rush. Meanwhile, she鈥檚 already achieved one of her main goals for the podcast. 鈥淥ne of the explicit reasons I wanted to make a show that was from my perspective, but not for the consumption of my pain, is that so much of media is made for the white gaze, and I鈥檝e just thought there鈥檚 just enough of it,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 want to be the nature-show host that a person rich with intersectional identities can trust.鈥�

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When Quinn Brett rides her adaptive hand bike, she’s always looking up鈥攁nd not just because of the prone position the saddle keeps her in. Brett’s whole athletic career has been defined by the search for new ways to push her limits. Case in point: she just completed the roughly 2,400-mile cross-country mountain bike race in 25 days. She鈥檚 the first documented racer to finish the race on an adaptive hand bike.

The annual bikepacking race takes on the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route, which spans from Jasper, Canada, to Antelope Wells, New Mexico, along the Rocky Mountains. It鈥檚 one of the longest established mountain-bike races in the world. This year, due to border closings, racers skipped the Canadian section and started in Eureka, Montana, finishing roughly 2,450 miles later at the Mexican/United States border.

Brett鈥檚 path to the Tour Divide is far from average. Four years ago, she was a dominant big-wall climber. A 100-foot fall during a speed ascent of the Nose in October 2017 left her paralyzed from the waist down. While she recovered in the hospital, a friend and cyclist bought her a hand bike. It didn鈥檛 take long for her ambitions to kick in. 鈥淚 just love moving across the earth,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to let anything stop me, I鈥檓 just like 鈥業 need to move鈥�.鈥� She quickly began seeking out cycling opportunities near her home base in Estes Park, Colorado.

On the second anniversary of her fall, Brett spent four days with friends camping and riding along the White Rim trail in Canyonlands National Park. 鈥淎fter that I was like, 鈥業 think I could do White Rim in a day鈥�,鈥� she says. In March, she did just that. 鈥淚t gave me the energy and excitement to do the Tour Divide.鈥�

It would be an ambitious undertaking. The trail鈥檚 overall length and 149,664 feet of vertical gain push riders who aim to finish at any pace. The fastest riders typically finish in 14 or 15 days (the first-place title in 2021 went to Jay Petervary, who completed the route in 14 days, 19 hours, and 14 minutes). But Brett would face other challenges. She rode supported, with cyclist Joe Foster. Finishing the route in 25 days meant riding an average of 100 miles a day, at roughly 11 miles per hour.

Her ride of choice: the , a three-wheeled hand bike. The bomber keeps Brett in a kneeling stance, with her chest lying on the saddle, while her arms do both the pedaling and the steering. This puts her body weight over the crank set for added power, but can add strain on a lengthy ride. 鈥淢y chest and neck were sore all the time,鈥� Brett said. 鈥淭he saddle soreness was a lot, and paired with the workout on my arms and shoulders, I was in a lot of pain.鈥�

Crucially, the Bomber has a built-in mid-drive motor (otherwise, any ride on the hand bike is slow and tiresome). Without the motor, Brett says she couldn鈥檛 move in the outdoors the way she wanted. 鈥淔ive years ago this wouldn’t have been possible,鈥� she says.鈥� For example: adaptive bike companies have figured out how to tweak the motor鈥檚 output to account for the difference in power made from pedaling with your arms instead of your legs.

She tends to keep to the lowest of the five motor settings, which was just enough for her to reach a three to six mile-per-hour pace (similar to brisk hiking) off road, and roughly 13 to 17 miles per hour on flat roads. 鈥淚 wanted to really feel like I was getting a workout on steep hills and things like that,鈥� she says. She got what she asked for, thanks to a few days of rain, which yielded muddy conditions in the backcountry, coupled with a record-breaking June heatwave.

But those struggles went hand in hand with something Brett loves: the ability to spend a long time in the wilderness, out of a wheelchair.

She views her Tour Divide finish as more than just a personal achievement. To her, it鈥檚 proof that the backcountry can still be accessible to people with disabilities. Brett paired her race with a fundraiser with the , a nonprofit dedicated to providing recreational opportunities for people with spinal cord injuries. The goal: raise money to purchase adaptive bikes and other equipment to be kept at or near national park sites. 鈥淚t’s hard as a person with a disability to travel with these big bikes,鈥� says Brett. 鈥淭o have them at the gateway towns of these national parks where people can rent them and then use them is such a clear way to improve access.鈥�

Of course, with the Tour Divide done, Brett isn鈥檛 slowing down. 鈥淲hen we finished out the route I was like, 鈥榯oo bad there鈥檚 this wall here, I want to keep going and do the Baja Divide!鈥�,鈥� she says. For now, her immediate hope is to finish the roughly 300 remaining miles of the Tour Divide route, once restrictions are lifted. 鈥淲e were talking about making that ride more of an adaptive cyclist event,鈥� she said. 鈥淚nvite people in the community and get a group ride going… there are definitely lots more biking adventures I want to do.鈥�

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As summer gets into full swing, cyclists are embracing the return of bike events. 鈥淧eople are clearly so excited to be outside together and doing things again,鈥� says Ben Delaney, the cycling group editorial director for 国产吃瓜黑料 Inc.. 鈥淭he energy to participate in bike events this year seems like a combination of pent-up frustration, eagerness to get out and do something, and the relief of being out there.鈥�

Whether you鈥檙e looking for a chance to test your fitness or reconnect with the cycling community, jump back into in-person group riding with these five upcoming events.

Richmond, Vermont

has a quirky, welcoming atmosphere, bringing together riders of all abilities into a race full of fun, food, and beer. There are two course options: a 45-mile route with 3,500 feet of elevation gain and an 85-mile route with 8,000 feet of climbing, both of which follow mostly dirt roads through Vermont鈥檚 Green Mountain range. Post-finish, riders can celebrate with local IPAs and classic maple creemees. A random selection lottery for entry was held in January for more than 800 spots, but if you鈥檙e aiming to join in 2022, registration for the lottery opens November 1 .

Red River, New Mexico

The newest addition to 鈥檚 roster gives riders a chance to experience northern New Mexico. Starting from the town of Red River, the 85- and 100-mile courses take cyclists through small mountain towns and along a scenic byway in the Sangre de Cristo Range. The ride highlights the regional culture in this unique part of the Southwest: live music acts dot the course, and local restaurants and breweries provide support for riders. More information on fees and registration details can be found .

Grand Junction, Colorado

This year鈥檚 Tour of the Moon event, which follows a 41-mile road loop from Grand Junction to Fruita and back again, is a modern take on a classic event: the route was first raced as a stage in the 1980 Coors International Bike Classic events. It weaves through听Colorado National Monument, an otherworldly high-desert landscape dotted with towering sandstone formations. Registration is available through , and the popular 2,200-rider event routinely sells out鈥攕o book early. Sign on before July 13 for a 10 percent discount.

Salt Lake City, Utah

Utah鈥檚 Five Canyons Bike Challenge starts in Salt Lake City and takes riders through scenic canyons in the Wasatch, climbing more than 14,000 feet in 116 miles. Those 14,000 feet don鈥檛 come easy: three of the climbs are sustained efforts of 5,000-plus feet, and the remaining two clock in between 1,500 and 3,000 feet. Your reward? Stunning views of the Wasatch Front. here.

Fincastle, Virginia

This Gran Fondo in early October is perfectly timed to watch the lush hills of Virginia鈥檚 Blue Ridge Parkway turn red and gold. The ride, a new addition to the Gran Fondo National Series, offers three road options that take you through historical villages and winding river crossings and up to a mountain summit. Choose between the 33-mile Valley Ride, the 45-mile River Ride, and the 75-mile Mountain Ride. by October 4 to save 10 percent on your entry fee.

Roll Massif and BikeReg are part of 国产吃瓜黑料 Inc., the same company that owns 国产吃瓜黑料 magazine and 国产吃瓜黑料 Online. If you join the 国产吃瓜黑料+ membership program, you鈥檒l gain unlimited access to all of our stories, along with deep discounts on bike events and more. Learn more about 国产吃瓜黑料+ .

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On April 10, 2021, Josh Ourada, a 31-year-old climber from the听San Francisco Bay Area, fell while free-soloing the Nutcracker, a straightforward, five-pitch route in Yosemite听he had climbed鈥攂oth on rope and free solo鈥攂efore. He confidently sent the first three pitches, but on the fourth, he slipped, falling nearly 200 feet to a rock ledge. He was gravely injured听but survived.

Ourada, a former Marine who has been climbing for a decade, was primarily a boulderer until about two years ago, when he shifted his focus to trad climbing and big walls. Around the same time,听he started to experiment with free soloing, which he considers a meditative practice. On this trip to Yosemite, he intended to spend his time free-climbing bigger, more challenging routes than he had before, with some solos in between.

Ourada told 翱耻迟蝉颈诲别听the story of his accident while recovering in the hospital. Here鈥檚 what happened, in his own words.

That morning, I鈥檇 set out to meet up with some friends for a chill day of cragging. We had been together in the park for three weeks, and the attitude was casual.听We usually made spur-of-the-moment plans,听unless we had a big objective for the day. Two days prior, I had climbed Lurking Fear on El Capitan, so I was still in recovery mode. I slept in and got a later start, and by the time I drove into the park, the parking听lot at the Church Bowl鈥攁 popular picnic area where the rest of my party was making breakfast鈥攚as full. Instead of waiting around for a spot to open up, I thought about what I could reasonably climb on my own. That鈥�s when I settled on heading out to the Nutcracker, a five-pitch 5.8 on the Manure Pile Buttress, a granite crag in the park with moderate routes.

I let my friends at the Church Bowl know my rough plan, and went off to climb. Early spring is prime climbing season in Yosemite鈥攁 good time to beat crowds and get on the walls before the temperatures get too high鈥攁nd the weather that day was nice, reaching up in the seventies. So, predictably, there were quite a few climbing parties at the Buttress. There were two parties of two already climbing and nearing a ledge at the top of the second pitch of the Nutcracker. To kill time while I waited for the Nutcracker to open up, I decided to wander and check out other routes. All the other routes that would have been reasonable free solos were occupied, so I waited until I could climb my first choice.

I was starting to get a little antsy, and with all the other routes full, I decided to ask some of the climbers on the wall if I could climb behind them rather than wait for them to top out. I knew I鈥檇 quickly meet them on that ledge since I didn鈥檛 have to do any belaying or waiting for partners. Hindsight is 20/20 of course: I was definitely making decisions out of impatience.

To me听it felt like a pretty normal climb, even with the groups on the wall, so I had no reason to be nervous while ascending. I pretty quickly got up to where a climber was on a larger ledge where you can stop and stand. I spoke with the belayer and asked if I could keep climbing with them, and they gave me the OK, so after a quick rest,听I jumped back on the wall.

I was just past the top of the third pitch, and there were three climbers on the wall ahead of me and the belayer still on the ledge below me鈥攖hat was something I was aware of, but since things were going smoothly and they were friendly, I wasn鈥檛听concerned about being so close to them.

Before long听I was halfway up the fourth pitch, at the crux of the route鈥攁 mantle move that is the most technically challenging section of the whole climb鈥攕o I was taking decent care in how I climbed in that moment, moving slower and more intentionally. The last thing I remember is slipping. I鈥檓 not sure whether it was my hand or foot. I can鈥檛 remember the exact movement before the fall.

The fall, however, I remember well.听I was plummeting听feetfirst with my back toward听the rock. The route isn鈥檛 quite vertical, so I wasn鈥檛 free-falling. I was digging my heels into the rock as I fell, and my hands were on the wall behind me, searching for anything I could grab to catch myself or even just slow down. At that moment, it was all fear running through me.

Below, I could see the person on the ledge. I was falling right toward听them. I remember thinking, OK, I need to find a spot to fall so that hopefully I don鈥檛 hurt anyone.听I have a lot of guilt about how my accident put those climbers in harm鈥檚 way. It was my first thought once I realized where I was falling. I was also aware that I needed to try and land in a way that protected me from injury to whatever degree I could, and also to ensure that I stopped at the ledge instead of falling all the way to the ground.

After falling somewhere between 150 and 200 feet, and thankfully avoiding the belayer below me,听I landed in a seated position on the ledge between the second and third pitches, next to him.

At that point after landing, I can only remember things in bits and pieces, and the time frame is a bit unclear. I was battling a lot of pain. Of my many injuries, the biggest was a collapsed lung, which made it very challenging to breathe. The belayer called Yosemite Search and Rescue for help, and looked out for me while we waited. He kept me out of shock and tried to distract me from the pain. I asked him to put on music and eventually to play a television show I had downloaded on my phone while waiting, all to make sure I didn鈥檛 hyperventilate or pass out.

It took about two hours before the YOSAR team arrived. It was a huge relief to see them. After getting looked over medically, the rescue team had to figure out how to best take me down from the wall, which was tricky鈥攖hey first wanted to lower me to the ground with ropes, but decided that it was too risky with my injuries. Using a helicopter with a stretcher attached, they picked me up from the ledge and flew me to nearby El Capitan Meadow, where they planned to transfer me to a larger helicopter that could transport me to a hospital in Fresno.

From there听my memories are pretty hazy鈥擨 asked for pain medication once on board, which might have been the extent of my treatment at that moment. I don鈥檛 remember anything between that and waking up from surgery at Fresno鈥檚 Community Regional Medical Center.

I spent 37 days there. I had fractured my right heel so badly it actually disintegrated in parts. My left heel had a wound that needed 20 stitches. I fractured the left side of my pelvis, as well as听my spine听in several places鈥攁 severe crushing in my L1 vertebra听and a handful of smaller fractures in other vertebrae. I fractured my sternum, broke some ribs, collapsed my right lung, and broke my left thumb. I鈥檝e had two surgeries鈥攁 spinal fusion and one to put pins in my hands and feet鈥攁nd done extensive rehabilitation for muscle recovery.

Due to the spinal-cord injury, I can鈥檛 feel or move anything from my ankles down. There鈥檚 a decent chance that will never change, meaning I鈥檒l have paralyzed feet for the rest of my life. This entire experience was traumatic, but the thought of permanent paralysis is by far the hardest part to get my head around. The rest of my injuries will听hopefully听heal. I know that things could have been much worse.

This accident changed my entire life. I had planned to spend the next month training to climb the听Nose on El Cap. On an emotional level, I鈥檓 going to be processing this event for a long time. The feelings are still really raw鈥攔egret, naturally, comes to the forefront. I regret putting other climbers at risk, and I regret the impatience I felt.

My life听lately听has revolved around climbing听and being active outdoors. I鈥檓 struggling to understand what听it鈥檚听going to look like now. But I don鈥檛 think this has changed my perspective on鈥攐r love for鈥攃limbing. I don鈥檛 look at free soloing the same way anymore on a personal level.听I鈥檒l watch videos of free soloers and just feel uneasy thinking about my own experience. But I still don鈥檛 think of climbing as reckless or unnecessarily risky.

Now I鈥檓 discharged and heading to stay with my dad in Burwell, Nebraska, as I continue to recover. I鈥檓 taking stock of what I can do now听and trying to be as independent as I can. I鈥檒l do my best to live a somewhat normal life, and I鈥檓 holding out hope that I鈥檒l climb again. But for now, I鈥檓 slowing down on those kinds of plans听and focusing on how lucky I am鈥攁nd how I want to move forward.

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On Friday, April 9, climbing guide Darrin Reay and a few friends went to the remote Sunshine Wall Slabs north of Utah鈥檚 Arches National Park for a weekend of climbing. When they arrived, they came across three newly bolted sport routes.听

Reay started up one of the new lines, an easy 5.3. About 30 feet off the ground, though, he came face to face with the image of a warrior holding a spear etched into the agate. Reay realized he was climbing through an entire 20-by-30-foot听panel of a few dozen Native petroglyphs.

鈥淭he route went straight through the whole thing,鈥� Reay told 国产吃瓜黑料. After downclimbing and determining that the two nearby routes were also bolted through the petroglyph panel, Reay and his friends spent the weekend removing the bolts and documenting the damage.

鈥淚 thought about leaving them up for the sake of reporting them,鈥� Reay told friend and climber Stewart Green, who about the incident on Facebook. 鈥淏ut I just couldn鈥檛 leave them up. It was my duty.鈥� The petroglyphs, Green thought, appeared to be from the Fremont people, a pre-Columbian Native American culture that inhabited Utah and parts of surrounding states between 2,000 and 700 years ago. It鈥檚 unclear whether or not Green is correct, but similar petroglyphs attributed to the Fremont people have been documented in other areas nearby.听

It didn鈥檛 take long to figure out the bolts鈥� origin. Reay and his friends听found the routes posted on , a user-generated database of climbing routes, and traced the incident back to Richard Gilbert, a climber from Colorado Springs, Colorado.听

Gilbert, a veteran of the Marines and a 15-year climber, has since come out publicly with an apology and a description of his actions, which he insists is 鈥渘o excuse for the damage done.鈥澨�

According to Gilbert, in late March he explored the unbolted wall in the Sunshine Slabs area and mistook a number of petroglyphs for graffiti, attributing what he assumed was听vandalism to the wall鈥檚 proximity to a听public campground. He听decided it would be safe to develop routes up the wall.听Later he听added information about the new routes to Mountain Project, mentioning what he interpreted as graffiti in the description. (Those routes were eventually removed by an administrator to discourage climbing in the area.) It only took a few weeks for his mistake to catch the attention of the website鈥檚 dedicated community of climbers. Outrage quickly followed.

Gilbert鈥檚 story unfolded largely through conversations on Mountain Project鈥檚 forums, where he says he first realized his error. 鈥淥n Sunday night, I saw a post on my route [at Sunshine Slabs] and it said, 鈥楬ey, this is not graffiti, these are petroglyphs.鈥� I was like, Oh my gosh, I completely messed this up, I鈥檓 going to fix it right now,鈥� he said.听He changed听the route听descriptions听on Mountain Project to steer climbers away from the area, drove听back to the wall to fill in the bolt holes, and left听a sign to draw attention to the petroglyphs.

鈥淚t鈥檚 wrong. It shouldn鈥檛 have happened. It鈥檚 just poor education on my part, and I do take full responsibility,鈥� Gilbert says.

He returned to the area on Monday, April 12, and met with authorities from the Moab Bureau of Land Management to report the incident in person. 鈥淚 told him this was my mistake, and asked what do I have to do to make sure other people aren鈥檛 paying for my mistake,鈥� he said. The BLM office听opened an investigation after the听meeting and previous calls to report the incident, Gilbert said. (The BLM office did not respond to requests for comment in time for publication.) According to , rock art like this is federally protected, and damaging acts can lead to felony and/or misdemeanor charges, with penalties that can include听up to a ten-year prison sentence and $100,000 in fines.

Meanwhile, conversations online about the incident turned to death threats against Gilbert and expressed anger over his actions, including many public posts on Mountain Project鈥檚 forums and direct messages and phone calls to him.

Green posted about the incident on Facebook this week, advocating for more awareness in the climbing community around cultural resources and Leave No Trace policies. 鈥淭he fact is that we just can鈥檛 do whatever we want as climbers anymore,鈥� he wrote, 鈥渦nlike the Wild West days when I was a young climber and anything went.鈥�

Similar situations have played out in popular climbing areas across the United States, including , , and , where routes have been removed and areas near听rock-art sites have been closed.

Along with the apology both online and in an , Gilbert has acknowledged the work required to not only repair the physical damage听but also the ties with Native communities after the damage. 鈥淚鈥檓 not the victim here,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 made a mistake, and I鈥檒l pay for my mistake, but I think it鈥檚 also important to let the Native individuals have a voice and be heard now.鈥澨�

Gilbert, Reay, and Green each expressed the importance this incident has had in teaching climbers the history of the sites they climb on听and the need to prevent these problems in the future. 鈥淚 want this to educate people on the outdoors as much as possible,鈥� Reay said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been a passion of mine for a long time, and I don鈥檛 want to see these places and our access to public lands jeopardized because of a few people鈥檚 actions.鈥�

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