Anne Taylor Robertson Blog 11: First Ascent: Alone on the Wall

This is a segment of a six-part documentary produced by Sender Films in Colorado. Alone on the Wall follows free-solo climber Alex Honnold as he completes the staggering climbs of Moonlight Buttress, Half Dome and more. Because I used Honnold’s story and my interview with him as the subject of my senior research, I got to spend a lot of time reflecting on the concepts of meaning and identity. I used a lot of theory from Kenneth Burke as well as newer work on convergence culture to look at how people find meaning and identity in wilderness experiences, in spite of living in a digital culture. Even now as I sit here, I reflect on my experiences in the outdoors and nature, but I am using my computer and an internet radio station to listen to music. Why do we separate ourselves from society at times? What will it take to fully remove ourselves from digital culture? Though Honnold’s experiences are very unique, they are indicative of a drive for understanding of meaning and identity, and point to the fact that we use wilderness to get there. If the sacred is truly sacred, separation from society is not necessary in order for it to manifest itself. However, this is not to say that experiences where we are separated from society aren’t beneficial. I think those experiences often are the perfect recipe for an encounter with the Holy.