Project Direct Contributor - Jenny walters
As Project Direct rounds out its second calendar year and Thanksgiving season approaches, I want to share the stories of the people that have helped me immensely along the way (photographers, designers, other coaches, etc...)!
First up is jenny walters - climber + photographer. Here is our story.
Jenny Walters - photographer, climber, thoughtful human
Climbing offers us a distinctive space to meet people and let relationships naturally grow over time, under different circumstances, and on top of different rocks. Until they eventually stand on their own - rocks or no rocks. while These relationships are initially stitched by the commonality of climbing culture, the special ones grow into a place that exists beyond the allure of stylish sends.
That’s the story I want to share about Jenny. It was heartening to look back to our many interactions over the years. These people we get to know – that we wouldn’t have met without climbing - carry the true value of our sport.
I met Jenny in September 2018 (long before I had even considered something like my own coaching business). I remember her big brown hat. I remember the thoughtful way she spoke and held presence with those of us chumming around the Upper Psychoactive crag. she was the kind of person that asked questions to really listen to the answer. We chatted and enjoyed the all-day shade offered by that crag during the summer months in Wyoming.
In the summer of 2019, I remember climbing with her again in Ten Sleep, WY – this time at the Supererratic Pillar. She was working Great White Behemoth. I remember she still had her brown hat and carried herself thoughtfully throughout the day. She lent me her mosquito net later that night.
In the summer of 2020, she visited me in Bozeman with another friend to attend the Black Lives Matter march. It was the closest one to where she was living (a 4.5 hour drive). Amidst the civil unrest of the summer and the global pandemic… it was a really tumultuous time for everyone. I was happy to have her in town and chilling on the couch.
Over the years, I would continue to connect with Jenny in Ten Sleep, St. George, and other climbing locations.
She was the first friendly face that came up to me in the gym in St. George – lavender hair this time, sans hat – same kindness and genuine interest in… well, what the hell I was doing in St. George looking like I didn’t know there was a shower in the gym =P.
Then later this summer, she lived with me in Bozeman for a month and I got to show her around some of my favorite spots to climb around Montana.
Quick to learn about her passion for photography, I was so happy to get to work with her in her realm. She photographed my first 5.12 on gear and captured the committing moves beautifully.
Roll of the Dice, 5.12a, Gallatin Canyon, MT - Redpoint captured by Jenny Walters
It’s not just the photographs that she creates that makes me proud to work with her – it’s the way she moves and acts with people she knows and doesn’t. I feel like I can be myself around Jenny – with all the jagged and goofy parts. i am So stoked she has shared her talent and time with Project Direct.
You can find out more about Jenny and the work she does by visiting her page @roarkfitness + website at jenniferwaltersphotography.com.
Thank you for being a part of Project Direct, Jenny. I know I’ll see you soon!
