Climbing Out of Bed, July 4th Release

Climbing Out of Bed, the first book from Luke Mehall, will be released on Wednesday, July 4th. It will be initially released as an e-book on Kindle, followed by the printed version. Climbing Out of Bed is a collection of rock climbing and mountain town stories, written over the last 13 years.

The muses of Mehall’s pieces are the people who make up the rock climbing and mountain town culture. Originally hailing from Illinois, Mehall moved to Colorado in 1999 to attend Western State College, in Gunnison. He describes the experience as being a lost soul who floated to the mountains, and then discovered his true self. Many of the stories in Climbing Out of Bed are coming of age tales, especially when the author embarks into the unknown of the rock climbing world.

There are 25 pieces in Climbing Out of Bed, and topics for essays include: friendship, hitchhiking, couch surfing, buildering (climbing buildings), road tripping, dumpster diving, extended camping experiences, dirtbag living, love, loss, wanderlust, and Zen dishwashing

 Mehall lived in the Gunnison Valley, Colorado for 11 years, and now resides in Durango, Colorado, where he is a freelance writer. He is also the publisher of The Climbing Zine, an independent rock climbing publication. His work has been published in Crested Butte Magazine, Rock and Ice, Climbing, Mountain Gazette, foxsports.com, and Patagonia’s blog, The Cleanest Line. He also worked at his alma mater, Western State College of Colorado, for three years, as the assistant director of public relations and communications.

George Sibley, author of Dragons in Paradise and senior correspondent to the Mountain Gazette, says that Mehall’s writing makes him think of Jack Kerouac, on a good day. “I don’t know anyone who writes with more enthusiasm, joy and honest about a life that ranges from pearl diving in restaurant kitchen sinks all winter, to climbing the big walls and spires of North America all summer and fall,” Sibley said.

More information about Climbing Out of Bed can be found at www.climbingzine.com. It will be available on Amazon’s Kindle on Wed., July 4th. The author can be contacted at lukemehall@gmail.com. 

Fire, Burning Desire

I’ve finally got a working computer again, and I’m stoked to get back in the writing zone; my life is incomplete without writing, in many ways. The first benefit is the meditation and head space I receive from writing, the second is that writing is my profession, how I feed myself; writing is my life, what I have to offer the world.

           

Officially it is still spring, but in Durango it feels like summer. It feels like a hot summer is on the way, we’ve already had fires popping up near town. This is my first summer in Durango, and something feels burning inside of me, a burning desire to experience life to the fullest, and manifest some dreams of mine.

I once heard someone say that the most common rhyme in music was fire and desire. After I heard that said, I’ve heard that rhyme all the time. And once a fire is in your heart and soul, there is a desire for it to grow.

My personal fire right now is on many fronts: the desire to become the best climber I can be, the dream to manifest my goal of becoming a successful writer, and that search for love, or as Johnny Cash says it better “flesh and blood needs flesh and blood.”

 Since I’ve last blogged I also have taken a job, a part time gig at my favorite Mexican restaurant in town, called Zia Taqueria. It feels good to be working in a kitchen again, and I’ve realized how much I missed that type of work. Many of my coworkers are Mexican, and I’m stoked to work on my Spanish. Plus there’s just something about the Latino spirit that moves me, the work environment there is really enjoyable.

I love climbing so much, more and more every day, and currently I’ve got a goal in mind, which usually helps me dedicate my energy to a dream. The goal is to do a Birthday Challenge in the next couple of weeks. My birthday is in December, which is a terrible time of year to do a proper rock climbing Birthday Challenge, plus the older one gets, the more difficult the challenge becomes. Recently I was talking with a climbing partner of mine, Badger, and we realized our birthdays are a mere three days apart. We are also only a year apart in age, he’s like a “brother from another Mother”. So, we decided we would do a mid-year challenge. Today will be our first training session at the local Golf Wall, as we build up to doing 34 pitches in day. So psyched!

I can’t overstate how much fire is building is my heart and soul right now, it’s almost a little overwhelming. I feel it leading to living my dreams, which is what the essence of being human is about, right? Please comment below to tell me what you are feeling, what wildfires are brewing in your heart, and what storms are starting to release thunderous bolts of lighting in your world.

peace,

Luke

eLaboration on Motion and eMotion

As I wrote some last night I am currently staying waaaaaaay out in the hills, on a 30 acre property. I am house sitting an off-the-grid house, one that is more sustainable than any other type of dwelling I've ever stayed in. The people who own the house grow their own food, have various animals (pigs, horses, chickens), and get most of their energy from the sun (solar).

On day four I'm finally settling into this place, and I am starting to appreciate the solitude. At first I wasn't sure if they had the internet, but they do, so I feel a connection to the rest of the world. It's like if Henry David Thoreau had Facebook at Walden. It is what it is.

Solitude is a crazy thing because it makes you directly look into your own soul. Looking in I am happy with some things, and other aspects of my life, such as my dietary habits, I realize need to be improved.

As I wrote last night too I feel that yearning for love. All human beings feel that, and that is what brings us together. Even in this day and age with so many technological advances what we truly need stays the same. And that is why I wrote last night that all we are is love. That is the greatest thing we possess, the greatest gift we can give, and the greatest thing to share. Without love what are we?

Well, there's my morning thoughts from the solitude of Windy Ridge. I'll post some photos as soon as I start taking some. The view from the outhouse is world class.

Much Love,
Luke

February Motion and eMotion

What else are we but love? I've been staying way out in the hills near Durango, Colorado, actually closer to Bayfield, Windy Ridge to be exact, and this is the first thing I'm driven to write on my bloggie blog since being here.

I love the simplicity of blogging, the channeling of in-the-moment thoughts, into words, out to the interweb, the world.

Are we anything but love? That is what I think out here, all alone, with no way to actually reach out to another breathing human in flesh. All alone I realize how social I am. How I yearn to love thee women. The women, thee women, you are out there, I know, so that comforts me and I move along with my night, light the fire, light one up, drink one down, listen to iTunes. Love you world. Love you.

Old Man Winter and Writing

“You could have been anywhere on the internet right now, but you’re here, and I appreciate that.”

I have several writing projects in the works, and I've got a great space to write here in Durango, out in the hills, with little distraction. The ground is covered in snow, and old man winter is in the house. This is typically the most productive time of year for me, writing wise, as long as I don't get the blues; which really doesn't happen to me here in Durango, it's just too mild of a winter for the dark side winter to really get to me.

When I really get into the writing zone I typically start as many writing projects as possible, I think it is the so called ADD of my mind (ADD is a term I've never liked, but I won't rant here) to start multiple projects at the same time, and then focus on whatever one I like when the time is right; or when I have a deadline.

Those are just some random thoughts, what I'm really thinking about this morning is making it, as in making it as a writer; supporting myself with the pen. I've done it before, professionally, when I worked in public relations in higher education, but that was writing for someone else, creating stories for an institution, telling their story. Now I'm trying to make it with pure honesty, my own words, my own stories.

Trying to make it, on my own, has been directly tied to the economy, and I imagine there are thousands and thousands of other artists out there who lost their 9-5 jobs with the downturn, and are now focused more on their art. That’s exactly what happened to me, my job was cut as the government gave less to the college I was working for, and I was one of the victims.

Economically that may have been one of the worst things that could of happened to me as my thirties started, but artistically and spiritually it was the best thing that could have happened. Now, a year later after being laid off I have my first book, “Climbing Out of Bed” nearly done, and it’s so, very close to publication. I don’t think I would be so close if I was still slaving away in the 9-5 world.

For this blog, as I really delve into my writing this winter, I’m going to use it as a forum for more than just climbing, as I don’t only write about climbing, and also because The Climbing Zine is finally going to have its own website, and thus I won’t have to use lukemehall.blogspot.com for the zine’s main page. (Look for The Climbing Zine website to drop within the next month or two.) I’ll probably change the name of this blog, as I have many times before, but the address will remain the same.

So, welcome old man winter, and to all of the artists out there, putting your 10,000 hours in, for the love, keep your head up, stay positive, and create. After all, what else is there to do with your life?

Here's a couple photos I took yesterday during a snowy bouldering session in Durango at Turtle Lake. We had seven people out yesterday, and I'm relieved that so many folks here are willing to climb in the snow, because I plan on doing that all winter long baby!

Heather and Tim, psyched on winter bouldering!