Climbing

I couldn’t take my eyes off him. Trust me, you wouldn’t either.It was our turn. Bodies in a vertical endeavor to be included. The exhibition climb at the Minneapolis Special Olympics was our chance. United by a goal our team tied in. It was time to show the committee we are climbers.I was looking to prove I’m the best.I am a skilled climber, but I quickly learned that was unimportant here. My ego was put in its place when I met Foster.Foster is many things I’m sure. What you will notice first is he is blind. What I noticed is,...

Hi United Rocks. I’m Noah Simmons, a non-speaking autistic climber from Bethesda, MD. I want you all to know climbing saved my life.I truly mean that. I spent almost 15 years silent. My mouth cannot vocalize words. I can think them, I understand everything, but my mouth is offline.The world thought I was dumb.There isn’t a nicer way to say that.Few people could see the real me.Even fewer just accepted me as I was.The wall did both without hesitation, without proof.I have been asked to share my story.I would also like to help tell yours.I’ll start by sharing a piece...