One Life Stand

We connect to walls that have seen millions of years. Photo: Anton Gietl 

The world changes, and it doesn’t.
However the stories are more important than they stage they happen on. 

Eons ago, our ancestors painted on cave walls and told their tales around the glowing embers.  

Today we take photographs and write blogs by the glow of our screens.

Back then you could see the expression of the listener, run your fingers over the art.

Now a stranger posts a comment and you zoom in on pixels.

In the Cederberg you can still find ancient rock paintings, gather around a campfire, snap away and type your adventures up.

We can act like our for-bearers, but I doubt they could imagine our digital circumstances.

The world changes, and it doesn’t.

Either way, it is all about the story, that is what counts. They are not bound to a time or place. They drift down through generations and the phases of civilization.  

These days we take pictures as reminders of those stories. Sometimes the picture itself speaks, sometimes you need the narrative. 

Here are two. Almost identical. Without the words they are just images of rock. 

First glance: No chalk

The first is from September 2013. I teamed up with a free spirited traveller, Anton Gietl, to explore the area near De Pakhuis. He had a great attitude to life, a positive exuberance and was up for any adventure. Even if it could turn out to be kak. Which it never did. After doing a route we still haven’t named, I saw this beautiful line. I vowed to come back. I am like a magpie in this regard – I have an affinity for pretty things – and some just say “climb me”. Unlike the feathered one, I prefer to collect sparkling tales for the memory bank rather than shiny shit for my nest.  

Two years later: just some chalk remains

The second is from August 2015. I met Alex Bester at the campsite. He was in the enviable phase of being a dirtbag, having lived out of a tent for the last 3 months. It’s a simple and satisfying way to not be stressed about the universe. We returned to the area I visited in 2013, and climbed the line that had been on my list for almost two years. We named it One Life Stand. The circle was complete.

The rock didn't change, but I did.
The stage remains, we move on. 

The next day while others were hiding in their tents, rain beading off the flysheets, we were abseiling down a steep cliff. You can learn technique, train for strength but you can’t coach desire. I suppose some would argue you can’t coach stupidity either, but we had a great day, despite our wet clothing and soggy gear. If that counts as stupid then I’ll wear it. We also have a project to come back to…. Another cycle begins.

Make time to do the things you enjoy, and do them with people who share your passion. Revisit special places, enjoy these cycles. 

Whether you paint it, write it or tell it across the flames; this is the story of you. 
It is all that will be left at the end.   

This is your one life stand.