Many dirtbags have become weekend warriors I used to go snowboarding, cross country skiing, mtn biking, bouldering, windsurfing, kayaking, surfing -- pick one - almost every weekend in the northwest (depending on weather and season) driving 1 to 3 hrs for each trip and living in my car (or camping) Sat nights the spiritual uplifting of nature kept me going thru the drudgery of work
For sure, I lived my "dirt bag" years here in Washington. It's not hard to do when you don't have kids. I was a liftie at Crystal mt for a couple years. Rode during work, Rode on off days. Then did it at Mt Baker, Summer I would collect unemployment and hit the rivers. Best times of my life. Now I work, fish, and ride when I know I'm gonna get some pow shots to my face. Cheers mate.
I did mining work mon-fri...weekends?...mountains.Climbingwalking, winter climbing, fishing...didn't matter...out in the hills was all.Then we discovered caving. Added it to the list. All paid for by the coal company. Thank you,bastards.
I really like this video because it reminds me of what climbing used to be like. I grew up in the era of Reinhold Messner, Jim Long, and Lynn Hill, seeking out routes in the California mountains as a teenager that weren’t in guide books and fantasizing about living like Fred Beckey, the original dirtbag climber. Then I got married and never realized that dream. People in general judge you as either selfish or crazy if you live like this. They don’t realize the sense of freedom and the purity and simplicity to it that drives the spirit of climbing. It’s also very sustainable way to live, and we really need to give him credit for that.
I agree with you for the most part and can only imagine growing up in California during those days when climbing got refocused on skill and freeing climbs that were aid routes. It must have been really cool. But one thing I kind-of disagree with is the notion that guys like this are living sustainably - I mean, yes, he is, but an area can only support so many people living there behind rocks or in their cars. There are a lot of people and a lot of climbers, you know? Like, what would Yosemite be like if there were 5,000 people trying to live in their cars, rocks, or caves? This guy is able to do this only because most people do not. This isn’t to crap on the idea, just to recognize that with as many of us humans as there are, our society actually works really well to allow millions to live in cities and at the same time keep these wild places as wild and free as they are. I often will bring this up in videos where a couple is “homesteading” and the guy hunts. It’s generally the same message, like “we humans should get out there and live off the land,” etc etc. Those people again can only do what they’re doing because most everyone else does not. If there are 10 million deer, that’s one deer for every 30 people in America and they’d be extinct. It’s good that some can choose the lives they want, but those lives aren’t exactly sustainable if everyone did them, if you see what I mean. Dude can only sustain his life dirtbagging if there are others doing the farming, bagging the beans, getting them to the store, etc. He lives a privileged life.
Brings back memories of the 90's when every free minute was pent at the crags in the southeast up to new england. After that, Lived out of my car for a summer traveling the countries crags from red river, to waco, to city of rocks and everything in between.... It was great, you eventually don't smell bad, just kind of blend in with the dirt and chalk. Then...went to school, climbed less, got a few jobs, climbed less, graduated, fell in love, climbed less, got married had kids, gym climbing...... until now.... no climbing. Its all good. Have a great life!!! Enjoy the ride brother!
I climbed trees for 20 years as pro arborist....it was a wild life style that i cant explain but i feel like a rock star... A year ago i had a cut go wrong and i feel 50 feet and it grounded me permanently....i miss it so much i am forever lost
What a great personality and affect. It's a good and compelling story. I like that it gives us climbers who fit cragging into our other lives that we've chosen a bit of romance and perhaps even bit of pause about value of what we do. I know what I do (education and schools) is important...and I sure love to climb outdoors. Thanks for your storytelling.
Dirtbaggin' is still around, and with young people as well. It's just a little different with the current generation. My sister has been dirtbaggin' right out of college for the last 4 years. She has hundreds of friends that dirtbag as a lifestyle, but it is more of an international lifestyle. She has flown to Australia and china for 2 years, living at the base of cliffs out of tents. She is currently in Patagonia, been there 6 months, living out of a tent or caves while doing highwall climbing. Dirtbagging in the USA is just not as widespread anymore as the old DirtBaggin' haunts have become so mainstream, but it is still extremely strong where climbing is cutting edge and an adventure.
I was a dirt bag climber from 1974 until the mid 1990's but it was getting way to crowded with climbers with $1000 racks, new SUV's and fingers of steel from all the gym climbing but had no ethics, environmental awareness or commitment to climbing cleanly. Not to mention after years for injury my body was just falling apart. Hmmm...maybe it is time for me to get fired up again now that it is less crowded. What do you think?
Be sure to eat your greens and fresh fruit, and lay off the crap you're body doesn't handle well, keep it fundamental,… and probably keep off the starches. That'll keep you veins and joints as prime as they can be, along with some animal products-food,… simple fundamental though,…. and some beer is good too,… and water, salt, herbs/greens,...
Robert Feinberg You were a climber in 1974? If you were born in that year you'd be 43/44... However if you started climbing in 1974, assuming you were atleast 12/13 when you started you'd be 55-56... Pushing your body to its limit is one thing, but after 50 it's a serious serious risk...
He sounds very calm and he does what he likes in live, that's happiness. Sometimes people buy a big house, it takes them 10 years to fill in with expensive furniture to impress people who do not like, we need to impress our self not others, read a book a week, claim a mountain, travel, go to the gym, live in a cave...find yourself.
I truly miss the dirtbag life… Lived from October to May every year for many. Summers at Tioga Pass Resort in a yurt. Then… I got old(er). Health issues, chiropractic needs, harder to sleep on the ground and in the back of my Toyota pickup. Huge ups and downs! So miserable in a prolonged storm; so exuberantly happy in warm sunny days. It’s a great life for awhile. Always will miss the closeness to the natural world.
Thank you, James Lucas. Sometime before you stop hanging around Yosemite, I'd really like to get out and meet you. You're been a big inspiration for me, and I hope you're happy.
Glenn Masters umm, I don't usually respond to Internet comments... But I feel compelled. What if something really evil makes you happy? Didn't really think that one through... ;)
Life's not always about happiness or being happy. It's often much more about having sheer grit and working hard and just dealing with all the vagaries Life will deliver. That said, it's my belief that, regardless of what life drops on you, having gratitude for the good AND, yes and, the bad will more often than not lead automatically to being generally happy so one does not have to seek and pursue said happiness.
I hung in longer than most but now at 57 I have brutal arthritis in my elbows and knees and a torn meniscus in my left knee from 2000 plus days of skiing throughout my life which makes walking hard enough and climbing near impossible - I so wish I could go back at times but I know those days are gone and I am just so grateful to have the memories I have - the camaraderie, just so many wonderful climbing partners I had over the years, both male and female....some of the most intelligent and interesting people one could ever hope to meet.....I was always an adventure climber as I started climbing in the late 70s before bolting got so rampant - thus, I was first and foremost a trad climber as were all my climbing partners. Myself and my mates, were often alone, off the beaten track, where ego and spandex have no place or purpose as there is no one around to impress - it was all about growing as a person, defeating oneself encouraging your friends and pushing down those fear demons which well up inside your throat when you're run out twenty foot above a small vicarious nut placement .........character building shit, you know what i mean, shit you just can't get clipping bolts....I.had lots of girlfriends over the year but never got married or had kids as climbing always came first, ice in the winter and rock in the summer - It makes for a rather lonely existence now as I push on to sixty, but I still wouldn't trade those first forty plus years for anything!! - I traveled the world, over fifty countries and five continents and climbed my ass off and lived my dream, the dream I had when I first discovered rock climbing on the Niagra escarment in Southern Ontario at the age of 12 - Following your dream is something every kid should do - whatever it might be and deal with what's down the road when you get there. People today spend far too much time living in the past and or in the future far too much! They are either full of regrets or full of apprehension about what lies around the corner, will their job end, will their wife leave, - many of our worries are beyond our control thus we have to learn to live in the moment and there is no better school than the "School of the Sharp End" for teaching you this vital skill of being completely focused on the moment. I am convinced this is why the "dirtbag climbers" found climbing so all-consuming - it was their church in a sense, back when they had no computers or other technological distractions to occupy their minds.......When you learn to live in the moment, every time in your life is the right time! simple because time as construct ceases to be, thus have any real meaning - when someone asks you what time it is you simply reply, "it is now brother, so let's get busy, you take the rope and I'll take the rack!"
Awesome dude! i was living the dirtbag dream in a cave in Patagonia climbing area called Dorotea, i'm going for another season, to have a climber spirit, leave everything behind!
Lol! The jug is a metafor for his sanity, just barely hanging on. No, but in all honesty, i really salute this guy, good to see someone following a dream, even if it means breaking with the norm.
Bravo for this guy. To borrow a phrase, too many people live lives of quite desperation, fulfilling other people's requirements. I know people read this and say it's unrealistic hippie bullshit, but I've listened to more than one octogenarian who's told me directly that, if they had it to do again, they would have lived extremely unorthodox lives something akin to this "dirtbag" here. It appears that it sucks to cap a long life with regret.
Nicholas Allen wtf..why do you call him weird? Because he talks highly of a lifestyle he really enjoys but is sad it’s dying out? I don’t see anything sad about that. He’s not tied down to a 9to5 and that’s something not a lot of people can do.
Just stumbled upon this video and couldn't agree and disagree more! I am a dirtbag! Graduating college in 2016, I live out of my car, a white Mercury Mariner, and "work" odd jobs so that I can pay for my student loans, take pictures, and most of all CLIMB! Yes, there are very few of us. I am struggling to find that group of people he is talking about, but Yosemite has shown me a community. I am looking forward to Joshua Tree, Red Rocks, and Squamish communities as well. Beans and rice for every meal fuel me up. Most people I meet are "seasonal" dirtbags, but that is okay. If James Lucas is looking for somebody to climb with, let me know! I would love to connect with another dirtbag! Also note, I am writing from a subway in Seneca Rocks because my biking trip epically failed and this is the only place I can get wifi.
"Eventually I'll grow up... I hope so". Best line of this video. Other than "You tell them you drive a saturn and you can drive 'em around the universe" of course.
Soon after this was filmed, the cave he was using as a habitat caved in for good. He is currently living carless and caveless in a fallen tree log in Yosemite, climbing hard and keeping the dirtbag dream alive.
He's internationally know as the first and only climber to ever redpoint free solo a route. A true legend and my personal hero. Hand to God, Google it.
I have mixed emotions about this. Part of me is like "Yeah man, good for you!" And then the responsible grow ass man side of me is like "Wait, is this man still in a damn cave right now???" Because someone should probable get him.
To each their own, right? Some people can do the same shit endlessly over and over and over again and be thrilled doing it. Others cannot handle that kind of monotony. I rock climb, kayak, mountain bike, dirt bike, hike, fish, dual sport.... Basically I excel at nothing because I do a lot of stuff instead of focusing on any one thing. Where others can't get enough of one activity, I would get insanely bored doing the same shit 24/7/365.
Andrew Bungay What does a 60 year old legend have to do with proposal that there's a lack of dirt bags of today? I agree that he was an OG dirtbag, people fail to recognize it's not just throwing your gear in a bag and hitting the mountain, it's about having the insatiable desire to climb. And understanding that reaching the summit is just a bonus. Because the way up is where it's at.
I think what he said about all of the indoor climbing is true. I climbed at a decent level back in the 70s and 80s .now my nephew climbs inside almost all of the time and climbs at a level much harder than I every did but has never led a climb on a real cliff. He climbs a few days a week. Its a different time now.
Well I´m 37 now and if it wasn´t for the climbing gym in my town opening in 2011 I would´ve never climbed. Now I climb at least 2 days a week and only toprope since I never found a partner who is a reliable lead climber. But I´m happy and it helps my back. So whats so bad about gyms?
I always found that i didnt do that much climbing when i was trying to do it full time. More sitting around talking than actual climbing. The psyche would dwindle after a few weeks in and my body would fall apart. Much prefer the weekend warrior life style. You come in fresh and get shit done.
I'm planning on becoming a part time dirtbag this fall. My plan is to be a raft guide for 5 months in the summers, and ref basketball on Saturdays in the winters, and climb the rest of the time.
That's dedication to the cause, John the Baptist lived the life, if this guy actually does live in the woods and eat locusts for his dream then the man's marching to his own beat. He made it too I can respect that.
hippie in another perspective. i can understand this lifestyle. i am 25, quit my job a year ago, pack my backpack and went traveling around the world. now i am back home for my sister wedding, and i dont feel like getting a job and settling down, just continue rock climbing, boxing, running doing whatever makes me happy. but how many people can understand this way of living? the worst part? i am asian, and this is something not socially accepted in asian culture. i hope people can understand me more
+CWT91 As long as you understand yourself and really love the way you live then that should be enough right? It shouldn't matter that other people understand you, as long as your happy with yourself.
Enjoy it while you're young and free. You will grow out of it, we all did eventually, some took longer than others but then you have Fred Becky the exception to the rule and ultimate dirtbag climber .
Is he the one who fell off Overhang Bypass, Jtree in 2001? I saw the whole thing. Before he soloed up that climb and subsequent fall, he soloed the Double Cross amidst a crowd.
When I saw the "Soon after this was filmed..." message at the end, my 1st thought was "Oh no, s!@#$, the guy had a climbing accident and died!", but was then relieved to see that only his car died. Crisis averted.
I have lived on the edge for a long time and now i am 25 and i just want a normal life. Wife, house kids, ice cream trips, pizza nights and little road trips
keep climbing man one day when you are gone they will cry when plastic planet comes to an end and seek for someone to save them from them ..i like climbing my own mind so i don't have to be all external but needed are guys like you ..path finders
0:38 Belayer should be tied in to the end of the rope and belay off the rope loop, not the ab/single loop on harness. - More dynamic and less chance of gear pulling out or shock loading the system.
This is sadly a prime example of sadness acquired through the inability to accept the changes taking place throughout the world. You can't live this way. You gotta accept change and make the best of things, or you will end up sad and lonely wishing it were different.
We all end up sad and lonely in the end, no matter how you have lived your life. I don't believe there has ever been a single person, lying there taking their last breath, who is thinking that they should have worked more when they had the chance. I personally believe its more insane to live all of your youthful and energetic years working 40+ hrs per week to pay for the debt you racked up on material objects you do not need. Then, saving and investing every penny you can spare in the hopes that maybe you live long enough to reach the retirement age of 67, so you can buy a little condo in Florida and play shuffle board every day with all the other people who did the same thing and regret every minute of it. How you live your life is your choice, there is no right or wrong way. Time more valuable than any object, spend it wisely.
Why can't he live this way if he wants? He has no dependents, doesn't appear to be committing any crimes or infringing upon anyone's well being or rights. I say more power to the man, so I guess we disagree. Peace to you nonetheless.
When he said that he lived in a tent in the woods during university I knew immediately that he was a fellow alumni of UC Santa Cruz.
🤣🤣🤣
I'm about to start school at UCSC this fall, good to know the kind of people I'll be meeting there lol
@@nathanleroy5623 It may have changed a little bit since those days, but I'm sure you'll enjoy your time there.
Many dirtbags have become weekend warriors
I used to go snowboarding, cross country skiing, mtn biking, bouldering, windsurfing, kayaking, surfing -- pick one - almost every weekend in the northwest (depending on weather and season)
driving 1 to 3 hrs for each trip and living in my car (or camping) Sat nights
the spiritual uplifting of nature kept me going thru the drudgery of work
For sure, I lived my "dirt bag" years here in Washington. It's not hard to do when you don't have kids. I was a liftie at Crystal mt for a couple years. Rode during work, Rode on off days. Then did it at Mt Baker, Summer I would collect unemployment and hit the rivers. Best times of my life. Now I work, fish, and ride when I know I'm gonna get some pow shots to my face. Cheers mate.
I did mining work mon-fri...weekends?...mountains.Climbingwalking, winter climbing, fishing...didn't matter...out in the hills was all.Then we discovered caving.
Added it to the list.
All paid for by the coal company.
Thank you,bastards.
Theres no instruction manual to life so do what makes you happy, so long as it doesnt hurt others
Exactly fucking right! The true definition of freedom! Love you man.
@@chckrbordx8 We all have choices in life, and it is obvious he is an outdoor man and wants to live as a free spirit.
maureen paton yep yep, thats what i was agreeing with.
Just agreeing with you and Efren. Admiration for GB too (RIP)
Amen
Toby from the office on weekends
That’s fucked up
Dude. This guys is extremely committed!
Most of the people I work with would call him a bum. They are resentfully complacent with a heavy dose of delusional pragmatism.
Beautifully described!
I really like this video because it reminds me of what climbing used to be like. I grew up in the era of Reinhold Messner, Jim Long, and Lynn Hill, seeking out routes in the California mountains as a teenager that weren’t in guide books and fantasizing about living like Fred Beckey, the original dirtbag climber. Then I got married and never realized that dream. People in general judge you as either selfish or crazy if you live like this. They don’t realize the sense of freedom and the purity and simplicity to it that drives the spirit of climbing. It’s also very sustainable way to live, and we really need to give him credit for that.
I agree with you for the most part and can only imagine growing up in California during those days when climbing got refocused on skill and freeing climbs that were aid routes. It must have been really cool.
But one thing I kind-of disagree with is the notion that guys like this are living sustainably - I mean, yes, he is, but an area can only support so many people living there behind rocks or in their cars. There are a lot of people and a lot of climbers, you know? Like, what would Yosemite be like if there were 5,000 people trying to live in their cars, rocks, or caves? This guy is able to do this only because most people do not. This isn’t to crap on the idea, just to recognize that with as many of us humans as there are, our society actually works really well to allow millions to live in cities and at the same time keep these wild places as wild and free as they are.
I often will bring this up in videos where a couple is “homesteading” and the guy hunts. It’s generally the same message, like “we humans should get out there and live off the land,” etc etc. Those people again can only do what they’re doing because most everyone else does not. If there are 10 million deer, that’s one deer for every 30 people in America and they’d be extinct. It’s good that some can choose the lives they want, but those lives aren’t exactly sustainable if everyone did them, if you see what I mean. Dude can only sustain his life dirtbagging if there are others doing the farming, bagging the beans, getting them to the store, etc. He lives a privileged life.
Its called having balance in your life. Its different for everyone, but this scene is definiately not for everyone.
That's definiate.
Brings back memories of the 90's when every free minute was pent at the crags in the southeast up to new england. After that, Lived out of my car for a summer traveling the countries crags from red river, to waco, to city of rocks and everything in between.... It was great, you eventually don't smell bad, just kind of blend in with the dirt and chalk. Then...went to school, climbed less, got a few jobs, climbed less, graduated, fell in love, climbed less, got married had kids, gym climbing...... until now.... no climbing. Its all good. Have a great life!!! Enjoy the ride brother!
I climbed trees for 20 years as pro arborist....it was a wild life style that i cant explain but i feel like a rock star...
A year ago i had a cut go wrong and i feel 50 feet and it grounded me permanently....i miss it so much i am forever lost
I hope you are feelin better. And that you find a ground level field that suits you
What a great personality and affect. It's a good and compelling story. I like that it gives us climbers who fit cragging into our other lives that we've chosen a bit of romance and perhaps even bit of pause about value of what we do. I know what I do (education and schools) is important...and I sure love to climb outdoors. Thanks for your storytelling.
The last 30 seconds got a chuckle out of me!
One of the best Saturn commercials I've ever seen. Maybe with this guy, those cars would still be in dealerships.
I towed that car with James to the scrap yard lol . Cool dude !
Me and several homeless people had sex in that car after you guys dropped it off! Life works in funny ways.
@@connormcnuggetoftheclanmcn5943 With the car or in the car?
How many of us can truly say we are living the way that we want to.....I mean truly.
Me...
Me
Ah what a fun watch. Living for climbing is something that's not for everyone but I think those people still exist. I hope you meet more xx
I get it, not for me but sure love the passion and commitment to pure rock climbing. Certainly not the easiest choice to make. Props dude.
"He is currently living carless in a cave in Yosemite." Where do I sign up?
At a random cave in Yosemite, I'd imagine.
@John Sickler How did he snitch?
Careless too, lucky guy.
Yosemite. Just go, no appointments necessary.
You can join McDonald's anytime
And now James Lucas is an Editor at Climbing Magazine having an part time desk job but still has enough time to climb regulary.
he sold out!
and hes dating Nina Williams who is arguably one of the most beautiful people on the planet
He's pathetic.
@@TheRoafer why?
Dirtbaggin' is still around, and with young people as well. It's just a little different with the current generation. My sister has been dirtbaggin' right out of college for the last 4 years. She has hundreds of friends that dirtbag as a lifestyle, but it is more of an international lifestyle. She has flown to Australia and china for 2 years, living at the base of cliffs out of tents. She is currently in Patagonia, been there 6 months, living out of a tent or caves while doing highwall climbing. Dirtbagging in the USA is just not as widespread anymore as the old DirtBaggin' haunts have become so mainstream, but it is still extremely strong where climbing is cutting edge and an adventure.
This guy has such a pure soul.
The last part of the vid when he talks about his romantic life😂😫😭"candy in the back" wtf lololol
cant say im not jealous of those minimalist... its so pure, the way they choose to live their life
I was a dirt bag climber from 1974 until the mid 1990's but it was getting way to crowded with climbers with $1000 racks, new SUV's and fingers of steel from all the gym climbing but had no ethics, environmental awareness or commitment to climbing cleanly. Not to mention after years for injury my body was just falling apart. Hmmm...maybe it is time for me to get fired up again now that it is less crowded. What do you think?
Robert Feinberg I’m 20 years old and aspiring to be more of a dirtbag everyday! Show me the ropes!!
Be sure to eat your greens and fresh fruit, and lay off the crap you're body doesn't handle well, keep it fundamental,… and probably keep off the starches. That'll keep you veins and joints as prime as they can be, along with some animal products-food,… simple fundamental though,…. and some beer is good too,… and water, salt, herbs/greens,...
Robert Feinberg You were a climber in 1974? If you were born in that year you'd be 43/44... However if you started climbing in 1974, assuming you were atleast 12/13 when you started you'd be 55-56... Pushing your body to its limit is one thing, but after 50 it's a serious serious risk...
Get back out there old man
@@shak9558
All the more reason he should go for it!
He sounds very calm and he does what he likes in live, that's happiness.
Sometimes people buy a big house, it takes them 10 years to fill in with expensive furniture to impress people who do not like, we need to impress our self not others, read a book a week, claim a mountain, travel, go to the gym, live in a cave...find yourself.
I truly miss the dirtbag life… Lived from October to May every year for many. Summers at Tioga Pass Resort in a yurt. Then… I got old(er). Health issues, chiropractic needs, harder to sleep on the ground and in the back of my Toyota pickup. Huge ups and downs! So miserable in a prolonged storm; so exuberantly happy in warm sunny days. It’s a great life for awhile. Always will miss the closeness to the natural world.
Thank you, James Lucas. Sometime before you stop hanging around Yosemite, I'd really like to get out and meet you. You're been a big inspiration for me, and I hope you're happy.
Respect.
If aren't doing what makes you happy every day, then what are you doing?
Glenn Masters umm, I don't usually respond to Internet comments... But I feel compelled.
What if something really evil makes you happy? Didn't really think that one through... ;)
I'm not so sure that this guy is thoroughly happy.
What am I doing being miserable everyday.
Paying the rent, what I like doing doesn't pay enough to cover rent.
Life's not always about happiness or being happy. It's often much more about having sheer grit and working hard and just dealing with all the vagaries Life will deliver. That said, it's my belief that, regardless of what life drops on you, having gratitude for the good AND, yes and, the bad will more often than not lead automatically to being generally happy so one does not have to seek and pursue said happiness.
I hung in longer than most but now at 57 I have brutal arthritis in my elbows and knees and a torn meniscus in my left knee from 2000 plus days of skiing throughout my life which makes walking hard enough and climbing near impossible - I so wish I could go back at times but I know those days are gone and I am just so grateful to have the memories I have - the camaraderie, just so many wonderful climbing partners I had over the years, both male and female....some of the most intelligent and interesting people one could ever hope to meet.....I was always an adventure climber as I started climbing in the late 70s before bolting got so rampant - thus, I was first and foremost a trad climber as were all my climbing partners. Myself and my mates, were often alone, off the beaten track, where ego and spandex have no place or purpose as there is no one around to impress - it was all about growing as a person, defeating oneself encouraging your friends and pushing down those fear demons which well up inside your throat when you're run out twenty foot above a small vicarious nut placement .........character building shit, you know what i mean, shit you just can't get clipping bolts....I.had lots of girlfriends over the year but never got married or had kids as climbing always came first, ice in the winter and rock in the summer - It makes for a rather lonely existence now as I push on to sixty, but I still wouldn't trade those first forty plus years for anything!! - I traveled the world, over fifty countries and five continents and climbed my ass off and lived my dream, the dream I had when I first discovered rock climbing on the Niagra escarment in Southern Ontario at the age of 12 - Following your dream is something every kid should do - whatever it might be and deal with what's down the road when you get there. People today spend far too much time living in the past and or in the future far too much! They are either full of regrets or full of apprehension about what lies around the corner, will their job end, will their wife leave, - many of our worries are beyond our control thus we have to learn to live in the moment and there is no better school than the "School of the Sharp End" for teaching you this vital skill of being completely focused on the moment. I am convinced this is why the "dirtbag climbers" found climbing so all-consuming - it was their church in a sense, back when they had no computers or other technological distractions to occupy their minds.......When you learn to live in the moment, every time in your life is the right time! simple because time as construct ceases to be, thus have any real meaning - when someone asks you what time it is you simply reply, "it is now brother, so let's get busy, you take the rope and I'll take the rack!"
He found something early that made himself happy. He stayed committed and lived it. True Freedom!!!
Awesome dude! i was living the dirtbag dream in a cave in Patagonia climbing area called Dorotea, i'm going for another season, to have a climber spirit, leave everything behind!
Yo Seb! When you back man! Im down in PNat all season, lets go boulder dude!
I thought this was going to be about free climbers. Literally a dying breed.
He left his jug on his roof lmfao
Myles H I think that was his toilet??!🤔
Lol! The jug is a metafor for his sanity, just barely hanging on.
No, but in all honesty, i really salute this guy, good to see someone following a dream, even if it means breaking with the norm.
It's an artistic portrait using a drone to focus on it.................nah, I don't think so:-)
MrPhathix Yey
WHAT DID YOU SAY.... metaFOR???? METAFOR?
Bravo for this guy. To borrow a phrase, too many people live lives of quite desperation, fulfilling other people's requirements. I know people read this and say it's unrealistic hippie bullshit, but I've listened to more than one octogenarian who's told me directly that, if they had it to do again, they would have lived extremely unorthodox lives something akin to this "dirtbag" here. It appears that it sucks to cap a long life with regret.
I love this story, it's very me! I hope he never grows up. Heart warming and inspirational!
this video is so much more inspirational than it seems. climb on!
I agree, it made me tear up
well the world is your oyster - get a used station wagon and live the dream
how did I know he was gonna say UC Santa Cruz
Exactly 😂
Nicholas Allen wtf..why do you call him weird? Because he talks highly of a lifestyle he really enjoys but is sad it’s dying out? I don’t see anything sad about that. He’s not tied down to a 9to5 and that’s something not a lot of people can do.
i am sorry you are in so much pain you have to criticize people doing what they love
i’d say he’s eccentric rather than full-on weird.
I coulda swore he said Humboldt
Just stumbled upon this video and couldn't agree and disagree more! I am a dirtbag! Graduating college in 2016, I live out of my car, a white Mercury Mariner, and "work" odd jobs so that I can pay for my student loans, take pictures, and most of all CLIMB! Yes, there are very few of us. I am struggling to find that group of people he is talking about, but Yosemite has shown me a community. I am looking forward to Joshua Tree, Red Rocks, and Squamish communities as well. Beans and rice for every meal fuel me up. Most people I meet are "seasonal" dirtbags, but that is okay. If James Lucas is looking for somebody to climb with, let me know! I would love to connect with another dirtbag!
Also note, I am writing from a subway in Seneca Rocks because my biking trip epically failed and this is the only place I can get wifi.
Lol, he has a Saturn, you have a Mercury. It would be nice if someone with a Ford Galaxie joined in.
Just out of curiosity, how far in debt did you go to earn a degree in something you won't use?
@@rovers141 My thoughts exactly, why bother going to university to decide to just go on to do odd jobs to pay for it?
Right on Sir! I too have slept in my Saturn Wagon- (same model.) Go Slugs! Way to create a life for yourself that fits you just as you are.
"Eventually I'll grow up... I hope so". Best line of this video.
Other than "You tell them you drive a saturn and you can drive 'em around the universe" of course.
Soon after this was filmed, the cave he was using as a habitat caved in for good. He is currently living carless and caveless in a fallen tree log in Yosemite, climbing hard and keeping the dirtbag dream alive.
He's internationally know as the first and only climber to ever redpoint free solo a route. A true legend and my personal hero. Hand to God, Google it.
I have mixed emotions about this. Part of me is like "Yeah man, good for you!" And then the responsible grow ass man side of me is like "Wait, is this man still in a damn cave right now???" Because someone should probable get him.
ap1986 green boots on Everest
ap1986 No kids. more power to him.
To each their own, right? Some people can do the same shit endlessly over and over and over again and be thrilled doing it. Others cannot handle that kind of monotony. I rock climb, kayak, mountain bike, dirt bike, hike, fish, dual sport.... Basically I excel at nothing because I do a lot of stuff instead of focusing on any one thing. Where others can't get enough of one activity, I would get insanely bored doing the same shit 24/7/365.
MotoAtheist
And why would we be interested in you exactly ?
Tommy... couldn't give a fuck less if anyone is interested in me or not.
Dirtbags: The ascetics of climbing. Very romantic.
You don't need a click bait title when your video has cool content.
The yogi of rock climbing for sure, God speed my friend
It's funny,the second he said he lived in the woods behind campus I knew he was going to say UC santa cruz.
and?
Same. You just don’t hear about that at many schools
I don't think there's any shortage of dirtbags nowadays. Everyone thinks that if it's not on UA-cam and Instagram it isn't happening.
yeah they probably went old-school and don't use internet. that's the best way-ta go!
Andrew Bungay What does a 60 year old legend have to do with proposal that there's a lack of dirt bags of today? I agree that he was an OG dirtbag, people fail to recognize it's not just throwing your gear in a bag and hitting the mountain, it's about having the insatiable desire to climb. And understanding that reaching the summit is just a bonus. Because the way up is where it's at.
August Hallstrom I mean my neighborhood is full of dirtbags so I guess it isn't dying
I think what he said about all of the indoor climbing is true. I climbed at a decent level back in the 70s and 80s .now my nephew climbs inside almost all of the time and climbs at a level much harder than I every did but has never led a climb on a real cliff. He climbs a few days a week. Its a different time now.
Well I´m 37 now and if it wasn´t for the climbing gym in my town opening in 2011 I would´ve never climbed. Now I climb at least 2 days a week and only toprope since I never found a partner who is a reliable lead climber. But I´m happy and it helps my back. So whats so bad about gyms?
My guy lives in a fucking cave...what a legend
Respect for living life the way he wants
You went to college so that you could live in your car and not work!!!!!! Fucking brilliant .....
and what's wrong with that?
I graduated UCSC in 2008 too. Environmental studies. Too bad we didn't cross paths back then, might have ended up a dirtbag too.
be glad yalls paths didnt cross
+Senseless Nonsense LMFAO
I always found that i didnt do that much climbing when i was trying to do it full time. More sitting around talking than actual climbing. The psyche would dwindle after a few weeks in and my body would fall apart. Much prefer the weekend warrior life style. You come in fresh and get shit done.
I'm planning on becoming a part time dirtbag this fall. My plan is to be a raft guide for 5 months in the summers, and ref basketball on Saturdays in the winters, and climb the rest of the time.
That's dedication to the cause, John the Baptist lived the life, if this guy actually does live in the woods and eat locusts for his dream then the man's marching to his own beat. He made it too I can respect that.
My man left his water on the roof of the car 😂😂😂
the end is amazing. I bet he gets more action than i do haha
Dirtbags have the hottest women.
Respect! A man who’s doing exactly what he wants to do, future be damned.
Easily the best end credits story update I have ever seen! Brilliant!
hippie in another perspective. i can understand this lifestyle. i am 25, quit my job a year ago, pack my backpack and went traveling around the world. now i am back home for my sister wedding, and i dont feel like getting a job and settling down, just continue rock climbing, boxing, running doing whatever makes me happy.
but how many people can understand this way of living? the worst part? i am asian, and this is something not socially accepted in asian culture. i hope people can understand me more
+CWT91 As long as you understand yourself and really love the way you live then that should be enough right? It shouldn't matter that other people understand you, as long as your happy with yourself.
How are you doing now? Your lifestyle is interesting.
"Hey gurl, I got some candy in my saturn. Let me take you around the universe."
He should be able to fund a year of climbing with this awesome Saturn commercial.
Some comments really out there but I give this guy creds all day!
He finds a way to make bucks and lives his dream! Climb on!!!!!!
Living in your car and climbing rocks every day? Like that's super exciting!!
Still better than being a gamer
Indeed.
0.48 look at that ? Now that's what I call rock climbing, picture postcard .
James!!!!!!!!!! Just stumbled across this video, loved climbing with you in L-town!
A freedom from responsibility - really interesting cultural view. good video - thanks
for some reason Ive been laughing through this whole video
RIP BRAD GOBRIGHT such a tragic loss the the community. He fell to his death 1000 ft. In Mexico yesterday.
I didn’t think about the impact of technology on the sport. That’s a real interesting perspective
Enjoy it while you're young and free. You will grow out of it, we all did eventually, some took longer than others but then you have Fred Becky the exception to the rule and ultimate dirtbag climber .
He is awesome...so refreshing!
The ending is magnificent.
I'm just happy I seen this video!
I started to cry
Bro he's living in a cave now. I don't even have words.
long live the dirt bags!
love from alaska
why did I know this guy was from UCSC before he even said it... hahahah legendary.
Is he the one who fell off Overhang Bypass, Jtree in 2001? I saw the whole thing. Before he soloed up that climb and subsequent fall, he soloed the Double Cross amidst a crowd.
When I saw the "Soon after this was filmed..." message at the end, my 1st thought was "Oh no, s!@#$, the guy had a climbing accident and died!", but was then relieved to see that only his car died.
Crisis averted.
I have lived on the edge for a long time and now i am 25 and i just want a normal life. Wife, house kids, ice cream trips, pizza nights and little road trips
keep climbing man one day when you are gone they will cry when plastic planet comes to an end and seek for someone to save them from them ..i like climbing my own mind so i don't have to be all external but needed are guys like you ..path finders
0:38 Belayer should be tied in to the end of the rope and belay off the rope loop, not the ab/single loop on harness. - More dynamic and less chance of gear pulling out or shock loading the system.
Where can I find out more about this guy and/or the dirtbag lifestyle?
If your not living out your truth than what are you doing?
Much Respect.
Yes!! Awesome! You just inspired me to plan less work and more climbing!
Lovely video enjoyed watching
funny thing is, if you google James Lucas, there was a Victorian hermit named just like that
What's the name of that flat red rock they're climbing that looks machined? Do beautiful would love to visit
I love climbers, for some reason they are just always the biggest intelectuals and the thinkers.
that wall looks amazing
respect to you
Im working on getting a van together now, cant wait to be a full time dirtbag. Maybe ill see you out a Yosemite.
respect! may your dream alive till you meet your goal
I think an indie movie about an eccentric dirtbag rock hoping would be pretty cool.
That, was a really nice video...
I used to live in a house in whisler called the dirt bag, Skiers and climbers good times fore sure.
Yo where you at James Lucas On my way! Dirtbags for life
This is sadly a prime example of sadness acquired through the inability to accept the changes taking place throughout the world. You can't live this way. You gotta accept change and make the best of things, or you will end up sad and lonely wishing it were different.
I don't see Amish people very sad at all. They are actually very happy people.
We all end up sad and lonely in the end, no matter how you have lived your life. I don't believe there has ever been a single person, lying there taking their last breath, who is thinking that they should have worked more when they had the chance. I personally believe its more insane to live all of your youthful and energetic years working 40+ hrs per week to pay for the debt you racked up on material objects you do not need. Then, saving and investing every penny you can spare in the hopes that maybe you live long enough to reach the retirement age of 67, so you can buy a little condo in Florida and play shuffle board every day with all the other people who did the same thing and regret every minute of it.
How you live your life is your choice, there is no right or wrong way. Time more valuable than any object, spend it wisely.
"You can't live this way." LMAO WTF
Why can't he live this way if he wants? He has no dependents, doesn't appear to be committing any crimes or infringing upon anyone's well being or rights. I say more power to the man, so I guess we disagree. Peace to you nonetheless.
Looks like Parriott Mesa outside Moab, Utah.