What Climbing The Same Thing 2,000 Times Will Do To You

A few years ago, when I was struggling to place gear while fighting my way up a route on Wyoming’s infamous Devil’s Tower, I was passed by a cheery old man wearing green tights and sporting a bushy white beard. As he cruised past me, I awkwardly murmured something, knowing exactly who he was, but not wanting him to know. I watched in awe as someone over twice my age made something look so routine, yet so incredibly fun that I wanted nothing more than to finish what at that point I thought was one of the hardest pitches I had ever climbed.

Frank Sanders, a legend of the climbing community, has been climbing for over 50 years, many of those spent guiding clients to the top of Devil’s Tower. He now lives near the base, and has summited over 2,000 times. CNN’s A Great Big Story did a short video on him and how climbing shapes his world, and to say the least, it’s inspiring.