Suchgreatheights

CONVERSATIONWITHCORAMcGLAUFLIN ||| BYCHUCKBARNEY

AnyonewhohasvisitedYosemite NationalPark isfamiliarwiththoseever-popular“GoClimbaRock” T-shirts. Cora McGlauflin takesthatmessage toheart. Since moving to the BayAreafrom Minnesotain2012,she hasmade 20-plustreksto Yosemite, enjoyingitsmajestyfrom the park’stoweringmonumentsofgranite. McGlauflin,amember of the group SheClimbsBayArea,is among the fast-growing numberoffemale rockclimbers whofindfreedom and empowermentin the sport. Wespokewith heraboutthe thrillsof“getting vertical.”

Some peoplehavetrouble climbing aflight of stairs. What makesyou so goodat climbingbigrocks?

Itreallyallboils down to the fact that Ilove it.Iloved climbing when Ifirst tried it,andIcontinue to love it. Myabilitytoclimb big rocks was a naturalprogression of skills and confidencebuilt over manyyears ofclimbing and havingagreattime.

So were youoneof those overactive kidswho couldn’tstop playing onthemonkey bars or clamberingall overtheplace?

Yeah,Idefinitelywaskind ofa wildchild.Iwasalways outside, and myfriendsand I used toplay in this big ravine nearourhouse. Wealso spent alot oftime inthis reallyjanky treehouse.

And you’ve never stopped rising to new heights.

Moreorless.But Ifind thatIenjoy it for different reasonsnow.

Howso?

When I wasyounger, itwas mainlyabout competing. Iwanted to bestronger and faster than others. Iwantedtogohigher.I still enjoy pushingmyselfanddoingthe difficultroutes, but now, I’ve really grown to cherish the communityofpeoplewho love thesamethingIdo andbeingout in nature.

What doesit taketo makethe hard climbs?

Forme personally, thetoughest part ofaclimb isamental struggle and not a physicaldifficulty. All the climbsthat I do are within myphysicalability.The mental struggles happen when I’mclimbingalong andstart to freak out a little. … Sometimes Igetalittle psyched outandgetsomenegative vibes. Whenthat happens,I’ll gettoabigledgeand sitthere for awhileand relax.

That seemstotally understandable. So, arethereany misconceptions aboutrock climbing?

Alot of people think youneed incredibleupper-bodystrength, but that’skind ofafallacy.Women cangetup a mountain using balanceandtechniqueand their leg strength.

Do you have any advice forpeople lookingtoget into the sport?

Justgetout there. Startwith single-pitchclimbing. Getfamiliar withthe rock andtherating and go from there. Take that first step. Do one climb, andyou’re in theclub.

Tellus about yourmost memorable dayas a climber.

That’seasy.It’sthefirsttime I madeitto thetopofHalf Dome. Ifelt really good — and proud of myself —for havingclimbed it rather than hikedit. Before moving to California,Ihad seen so many incrediblephotosofHalf Dome forso long. Itwas sobeautiful and enticing.To finally be up therewas prettysweet.

LEARNMOREATWWW.SHECLIMBS-BA.ORG

What was your first climbing experienceinYosemite?

Istartedout ontheManure Pile Buttress. That’snot themostappealingtitle inthevalley —or the toughest climb — but you’vegotta startsomewhere.

Wasthereanything different about climbingthere?

Ihad never climbed on granite before,and I found it to be a completelydifferent experience. Granite isthe best becauseit’s averysolid type ofrock.Andin Yosemite, the granite has these wonderful cracks in them that make for greatpathways to climb up the cliffs.

Alot ofus havebeen to Yosemite, butwe haven’tallexperienced it fromtheheights youhave. Tellus whatwe flatlanders are missing.

Well, you’reway above the trees, so at nightyou canseeabig blanketof stars completely unobstructed. And duringtheday,I’ve seenflocks of songbirds flyright by ateyelevel.

Anything else?

Of course, you’vegotincredible viewsthat goon forever.Ispent one nightuponahumongous ledgeonarock formation called WashingtonColumn. Asthesun was setting, Icould look down and seeallthe people buzzing around the valley floor. They seemedso busy.

And thereyou were, far from thecrowd.

Yeah, I always thoughtthat simply being in Yosemite was getting awayfromit from it all. But when Iwas uponthatledgeand getting ready to sleep, I remember saying to myself: “Now, I’mreally getting awayfromit all.”

HAVEYOUFOUNDIT?

Eureka—thenameofthismagazine—hasbeenCalifornia'sofficialstatemottosince1963,thoughit hasappearedonthestate sealsince1849.Thephrase(whichmeans“I havefoundit”)referencesthediscoveryof goldat Sutter’sMillby JamesMarshall in1848,whichkickedofftheGoldRush.Intheofficialtextfromthattime,theword’smeaningapplies“eithertotheprinciple involvedintheadmissionof thestateorthesuccessof themineratwork.”Thenotionof discoveryisaliveandwellin ourstate today,andit’sourhopethatin thepreceding82 pages,you’vediscoveredafewnewcornersofthisgoldenlandinwhichwelive.