Issue #38 brought us ‘Growing Pains’ by Angie Scarth-Johnson. She dug deep into what it felt like to move from child prodigy to Australia’s strongest female climber. Her insights and hardwon lessons had us especially reflective over here at VL HQ, as Coz was turning 30 and roping everyone into their age-induced existential crisis…
No matter the catalyst for reflection, aging begs us to ask the question “What’s next?”. It draws us deeper into self-questioning and commands contemplation in a way little else can. While pop culture would have us believe that aging is something we should fear, stories like Ian’s remind us that growing old and doing what we love is a privilege - and that the best really is yet to come.
An old man shoulders a pack up the steep rise to Coolum Cave (Gubbi Gubbi Country) in Southeast Queensland. The air is thick and storm clouds gather in from the west. Climbers at the cave know that lightning is approaching and it has a
