Dirtbag?

“Do you know where I want to be right now? It’s right here, nowhere else, not in the future and not in the past.” Just live for the moment”
Yvonne Chouniard

Dirtbag; “A person who is committed to a given (usually extreme) lifestyle to the point of abandoning employment and other societal norms in order to pursue said lifestyle. Dirtbags can be distinguished from hippies by the fact that dirtbags have a specific reason for their living communally and generally non-hygienically; dirtbags are seeking to spend all of their moments pursuing their lifestyle.”

I have been called a Dirtbag, Drifter, Bum, Hobo, Scallywag, rascal and Pimp. Out of all of them I prefer “Dirtbag”. In climbing/mountaineering circles it is not a bad thing; Quite the opposite. In fact, being a “DB” puts me in very good company, take Yvonne Chouinard for instance. He started out as a self-taught blacksmith because he wanted to make his own climbing equipment.

The man lived the dirtbag lifestyle, hung out in wilderness areas all over the west, pioneered numerous climbing routes, Then founded the Patagonia clothing line. He is now a Billionaire. From “DB” to Billionaire, not bad.

Another well known “Dirtbag” was Fred Beckey(RIP). Fred was never rich, or famous(except among climbers)but he traveled all over the world pioneering climbing routes and the man probably knew more about the mountains of the American west than any other person.
I admire both of those old “Dirtbags” and only hope that I can live up to their standards of dirtbagism.

See you on the trail!
Tomahawk