Sharp End Guest Update: Episode 50 with Meg Atteberry

Guest UpdateEpisode 50The Sharp End Podcast

Mar 22

I recently caught up with Meg Atteberry from Episode 50: Trouble in the Belaytionship. Since their accident and Sharp End episode, both John and Meg have made great strides with their climbing, and are finally feeling relieved of the trauma from their accident. Read more about their personal journey below!

Sharp End Guest Update by Meg Atteberry:

“Since the episode, both John and I have made great strides with our climbing. Finally feeling relieved of trauma from our accident, we have climbed throughout the world. A few of our favorite spots include Leonidio, Greece, Red Rock National Conservation Area, and Rocky Mountain National Park. John and I exchanged vows using the metaphor of a climbing anchor in an intimate ceremony. Soon after, we moved to the mountains to be closer to what we love, and now live in the foothills of the Rockies.

In late 2020, I had my shoulder re-built after a repetitive stress injury from climbing. It’s unclear if the accident played a role in tearing up my ligaments. Recovery was slow, arduous, and frustrating. Although I am pain-free, my mobility isn’t quite what it was pre-injury.

Then parenthood happened. Baby M was born on June 11, 2022. The journey into parenthood was exceptionally rough on both me and John. Alpine climbing and mountaineering pale in comparison to keeping a tiny human alive! I found myself in a body and mind that still doesn’t feel like my own. Despite climbing on my due date, I ended up losing all of my endurance postpartum. Suddenly, just hiking more than a mile was a monumental effort. Terror returned to plague me on the wall as my mind settled into becoming a mom. Thanks to past experiences, this space felt familiar, yet completely foreign.

Despite this though, our small trio maintains a love of adventure. Baby M loves to explore new places. Our new family has gone on many camping trips, took a humbling climbing trip to Vedauwoo, and embarked on a road trip to remote sections of the Grand Canyon.

Just because you see lots of smiles in the photos, doesn’t mean that things are easy. There is such a huge pressure on parents – especially birthing parents – to “bounce back.” Similar to how we feel when we go through something traumatic in the outdoors, parenthood – even when it’s planned – is traumatic. It leaves us feeling lost and yearning for what used to be and unsure how to rebuild. But there is no going back. Only the present road in front of us. So how can we accept where we are, while also building the life we had hoped for?

Sure, the crux of our day may be how to manage a screaming baby on a 4x4 road instead of working through a beautiful finger crack. However, we believe there is space in life for both. The key for us has been to have the willingness to try. Sometimes that means accepting the spaces we love have changed forever. Other times that means savoring the familiar, beautiful moments that the outdoors grants us – like a beautiful sunrise. We certainly don’t have it all figured out, but we are always willing to try. We are working towards the acceptance that our adventures look different now, even in the places we’ve been 100 times before.”