“In Ireland, during the summer of 2007, I lost a best friend, a brother, and a mentor, Michael Reardon.
It was an emotional trip with highs and lows. That summer I came to appreciate the island he was so
enamored with, and during the course of this past year I began to crave it. His wife Marci (my
California mom) asked if my girlfriend, Christina, and I would join her in Ireland this summer to
remember Michael at Valentia Island. It was an easy decision to make. I knew Michael would want us
to have fun, drink a lot, and climb some damn rocks on the Emerald Isle – and that’s exactly what we
did. The days were filled with laughter and tears, and the nights with whiskey and Guinness. Somehow,
in between all of it, we found time to climb some boulders. We even added a few new lines to the
Emerald Isle, just like Mike would’ve done… only we were a little lower to the ground.”
“I wish I could just climb for a living. I envy those who are living that life, but I need the security of a salary and 401k. I am a coffee slave to it. So, I juggle both and mix in a little karaoke, dancing, and a game of boggle in with it. There is also that painting I’ve been working on for five years, and that guitar that I dust once a month.
Of all the climbing hot spots on my tick list, I never thought I’d have Ireland as one of them. As it
turns out, there is some amazing rock to climb, and the scenery isn’t too shabby either. Damo and I
joined our ‘mom’ Marci Reardon, along with friends and family to commemorate our friend Michael.
We got the VIP tour around parts of Ireland, and met some amazing people. Since Damo and I can’t
go long without our climbing fix, we did our own tour of some of Irelands finest boulders, and put up a
few ourselves. Where to next?”
Rob has been a National Park Ranger since 1983, though his friends call him “The Power Ranger”. Not because of the fact he carries a badge, but because of his freakish pulling power. He can do 60 consecutive pull-ups and 150 lb. weighted pull-ups.
Rob feels he has lived a dream life as a ranger and a climber. He started climbing in 1979 and soon became a backcountry ranger at Grand Canyon. He moved on to River/Climbing Ranger at the New River Gorge in 1987. He then set out to climb and range at Obed River for 10 years, made his way back to the New River, and finally (for now at least) packed up to settle at Lookout Mountain in Tennessee. He says the best part and the worst part of it all was that “back in the day I was the only climber who lived close to the unexplored rock.” It allowed him to see rock that no other climber had ever seen, and put up new routes and boulder problems, but it also meant that he was often without partner and limited in what he could attempt. Though, he also says, the best part of his career as a ranger is that it has given him lifelong friends in the climbing and boating communities.
These days, Rob trains a lot, attempting to systematically break all the Cross-fit records. He also says it was great to have recently met one his heroes, John Bachar, at TBA Gym in Chattanooga.
Andrew grew up in a small Midwestern town in Ohio. His family has a tradition of amateur and
professional photography, and Andrew learned how to use a camera at an early age. He discovered
rock climbing while a student at the University of Chicago in the 90’s. After a few years cutting his
teeth on the perfect sandstone of the south, Andrew moved with his wife to Tucson. It was there that,
in 2000, Andrew left his job as a software developer to pursue photography full time. He traveled the
American West for four years, climbing and photographing the landscape of adventure, before
finding his way back east, where he believes “the best rock in the world lies hidden in the hills of the
Southeast US”. Andrew currently lives with his wife and 5-year old son in Atlanta.
A self-taught photographer, Andrew continues to push the creative boundaries of climbing
photography. He shoots on-assignment for various major magazines and advertising clients in and
outside of the outdoor industry. Andrew has been a lead contributor to UC Mag since the beginning.
He is represented by Aurora Select in New York.
"I cannot lie and say I've rapped since 85 / I didn't battle in the parks when the art of b-boyin' was alive /
But if I did I'd be the baddest emcee out / Like many claim they are beyond the shadow of a doubt /
I'm on the path, but then my clout is very small right now / But as the days go by it grows tall / And I'll try
the best to be the freshest that I can be / And let you see me, not the creation of a company / Not
crumbling g's, but I'm traveling overseas / I'm soaking these days up, cuz it doesn't get no better / And I
know better, I flow whether or not you try to stop me / Cuz I'm the master, so who's the copy? / Not me."
– The Grouch, “Rap is Senseless” UC
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