Sometimes the most exciting part of climbing isn’t the climb but the people you meet along the way.
The other day, while walking near a crag to check the routes, I crossed paths with a man who seemed eager to strike up a conversation. You know, it is possible to notice when someone is willing to chat.
We were in Greece, and this guy, let’s call him Daniel, is a mechanic, though not in the usual sense of clocking in at a garage every day. Instead, he lives on the move, offering roadside assistance to people. Flat tires, broken-down cars, unexpected engine trouble—he’s the kind of person who shows up when someone’s day takes a turn for the worse. He said that he would not explicitly charge people but share his story and people can decide how much to pay.
He told me that he chooses to spend more time in nature, not only for the fresh air or the quiet but because he finds the people he meets there more genuine, more interesting, and somehow more alive than those in the city. In the end I think that there is some truth on that, I mean, if you love being in nature, the probability to find people that would also share your preferences are overall higher.
He has been doing that for 9 months but he would need to get back to his country in 2 months.
