Mountaineer Magazine - Spring 2022

Page 8

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Valley of Giants Stories from Women at the Heart of Yosemite Climbing An interview with author Lauren DeLaunay Miller

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auren DeLaunay Miller is the editor of a new anthology that shares the stories, famed and previously untold, of the remarkable women who have shaped Yosemite climbing history. Valley of Giants, published by Mountaineers Books, is a first-of-its-kind collection that gathers stories from journal excerpts, original essays, interviews, and archival materials from almost 40 contributors, including legends like Lynn Hill, Steph Davis, Kate Rutherford, Beth Rodden, Chelsea Griffie, and more. Lauren has worked for Yosemite Search and Rescue, served as Vice President of the Bishop Area Climbers Coalition, and as event coordinator for the American Alpine Club’s Bishop Craggin’ Classic festival. Read on as Lauren discusses her inspiration for this book, what it taught her, and more.

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This interview originally appeared on Climbing.com, conducted by Madeline Taub.

basically says that he makes no apologies for excluding women from climbing literature history because they weren’t involved in early ascents in Yosemite. When I got to Yosemite, I found that that was not true and that there were inspiring women all around me who were telling their stories — but not with the same authority to write them down. There have been articles that have done a lot to highlight women’s experiences, but I think that there’s something really important about a book that feels really concrete compared to other types of media.

Why did you decide to write this book?

What surprised you while writing this book?

The writing of this book was kind of a long process; I probably spent just as long thinking about it as I did writing it. I think that’s because it took me a while to feel like I was the right person to do it, even though I’d always known that it was something that needed to exist. I go back to this Galen Rowell quote: it

I think I felt surprised by how influential women were in the really early days, I kind of cut [the timeline] off at roped fifth class climbing, which was introduced in Yosemite in the 1930s. But in the 30s, the 40s, the 50s, early 60s, I was pretty surprised at how many women I was able to find from that period. It was

mountaineer | spring 2022


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