Written by CJ Copeland

Chalk dust drifts through the air as climbers gather around a cluster of boulders, spotting each other and mapping out routes on rough stone. Laughter cuts through the quiet of the outdoors, mixing with the sounds of shoes scraping rock and people calling out encouragement from below. For some, it’s just a day of climbing. For others, it’s something more: a space where they can exist as themselves.

Morgan started climbing in college after moving to Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Drawn in by the physical challenge and problem-solving, they quickly found a love for the sport. “I felt pretty closed off in the climbing community when I first got here, just because I didn’t know anybody,” they say. “Sometimes it can be hard to sort of break into it.”

That feeling isn’t uncommon. Climbing communities, especially outdoor ones, often rely on word-of-mouth, and shared experience. For someone new, not just to climbing, but to the area, it can feel like everyone else already knows where they belong.