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Hands down, the best bouldering crash pads, chalk bags, and buckets and everything is made in the USA. I refuse to trust my ankles and knees on anything less and you should too. On top of that, they are fully customizable with a ton of colors to choose from. You'll never your gear mixed up with anybody else's. Check them out and tell him I sent you! Use promo code “sendsandsuffers” for 10% off our Next chalk bags and buckets.

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Transcript

Mario Stanley (00:21):

Friends and enemies, lovers, and haters. Welcome to Sends and Sufferers podcast. I am your host, Mario Stanley. If you haven't already, please follow, like, subscribe, do all the things, even leave a comment if you dare, because all these things make this podcast grow. And most importantly, share it with your friends, your family, or anyone you think that wants to hear this. If you want to go one step farther, support us on our Patreon. Every month we post early releases of podcast episodes and a little video just to let you know what's going on in my life, professional and personal. So if you want to get the inside scoop, that's the place to be. With as little as $5 a month, you can support sends him Sufferers podcast and make sure that this podcast keeps growing, keeps getting better, and keeps bringing you that. Good. Good. Today my guest is Kaya on Instagram. She's known as the one travel chick. She is a writer, a climber, an off with lover, a filmmaker. And what I am so excited to announce is a fellow sci-fi nerd. Now there's gonna be a section where we totally nerd out, but without any further ado, please enjoy this episode with Kaya.

Kaya Linday (01:39):

My name is Kaya Lindsay. I am originally from Santa Cruz, California, this tiny little beach town on the coast of California, about, uh, hour and a half, two hours south of San Francisco. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. And, uh, my connection to the outdoors is, uh, winding, but I think initially what most people would know me as is the chick Belt out Sprinter van traveled around alone for a long time, but, um, more recently I've gotten really into, off with climbing, um, and trad climbing. And so, uh, yeah, I'm mostly the trad climber traveling around, and I am really trying to lay heavy on the whole promoting women in trad climbing, uh, and like doing kind of documentary film.

Mario Stanley (02:23):

I feel like you're doing really well of that because it seems like there's a massive explosion of that. And it just seems like, I don't know, I mean, especially on the internet, it seems like there's, you see more of that than you see, you know, the sausage fish climbing.

Kaya Linday (02:36):

It would be wild, and I feel like it would be presumptuous of me to take credit for that. But, uh, I do notice that there are more women climbing and specifically tried climbing now more than ever before.

Mario Stanley (02:49):

It's a group effort. Yeah. So you ladies are killing the game. Yeah. Good job. Good job. Yeah. So what made you dive into this? Like, why, why tried climbing? I mean, you could, I mean, obviously these are sport climbing, ice climbing. Yeah. I mean, and there's beyond the world of climbing, you know, you can stand up paddleboard, underwater basket weaving, whatever else is <laugh>. But, um, like why this median? Why did you wanna dive into this? Because it's, I mean, I love off West, so I'm gonna go ahead and say this now. Yeah. Like you love off with, oh, I climb it all the time. I love when I have it. So we have this place called the Wichita Wildlife Refuge, and it has it, and also one thing about me too is like, I acquire the skills to do the route I wanna do mm-hmm. <affirmative>.

(03:26):

So like, I wanna do, I wanna do the Harding route in Lone Pine. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. And there's an, uh, there's a tendee variation, there's an 11 C variation. Both of them have off widths on them mm-hmm. <affirmative>. And so I just, the climbing partner I had is no more. So that trip had to get postponed, but I acquire whatever skills I need to do the route. Yeah. I just do not care. Yeah. But inadvertently I end up falling in love with it. Yeah. And so I spent a lot of time bouldering. Cause I thought that would be the fastest way to acquire overhang and very difficult skills. Yeah. In off with. So I spent probably like three weeks just bouldering in vi Avu, just trying to like sample as much as

Kaya Linday (04:05):

Possible. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, that's a really good way to get strong. Go to vi Avu <laugh>. Um,

Mario Stanley (04:09):

I, I don't know any other way to do it. Yeah. <laugh>. So, yeah. So why do you, why, why did you want to just jump into the pain cave?

Kaya Linday (04:15):

Why into the pain cave? Um, yeah. I mean, I had been climbing for a couple years and I had like a, not like a major climbing accident, but I ripped some gear. Um, I was doing the leaning tower on, uh, Washington column. No, I was doing Leaning Tower in Yosemite, and that's what it's called. That's the routes name is Leaning Tower. It was always, it was a long time ago. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. Um, yeah, it was, it's an aid route and, uh, it's overhanging and, you know, I ripped a piece of gear and took like a pretty big whip, felt like upside down, but it was like overhanging. So I didn't like, hit anything. And I basically like met my belay at the, you know, on this route. And I was kinda like, oh God, like <laugh> what just happened? And, uh, it really shook me and, and it shook my confidence in my gear and just like, tried climbing in general. I was like, oh my God, this shit is so dangerous. Like, this stuff could just fall out at any minute.

Mario Stanley (05:12):

I mean, rock climbing is inherently

Kaya Linday (05:13):

Dangerous. Yeah. And obviously I knew rock climbing was inherently dangerous, but it just like, it struck me in that moment and I kind of like took a pretty significant downturn in my climbing around that time. Um, when

Mario Stanley (05:25):

Was this ballparks?

Kaya Linday (05:28):

Probably 2019, around 20, maybe a little, maybe early 2019.

Mario Stanley (05:34):

Did you stop posting as much or stop being as like, as vocal at what you were doing? Yeah. Yeah. It's funny, I've been following you for a long time, so, and I, we talked about that for a while. <laugh>, like, uh, I still have your sticker actually at my house. It's not on anything, but I still have your sticker with all your business contact information.

Kaya Linday (05:51):

That's crazy. Yeah. Yeah. That was such a long time ago.

Mario Stanley (05:54):

<laugh> a while ago. But I like, you know, and, and I'm not, I'm definitely not one of those people who constantly, who constantly is on social media. I mean, I'm want it more now than I want to be, but it it's part of the job. Yeah. Um, but I, I try to absorb very, very, very select content. Yeah. And yours is in that mix. And I, I did notice for a while it seemed like you just kind of like, were off the radar for a little bit, or Yeah. You eased up and granted, I think the things you were posting had more depth. Mm-hmm. <affirmative> you were posting less, but you were posting deeper. And it was just something that I just had noticed. Yeah. And then it seemed like you had come, you now I see your stuff more consistently and I see it back, back on the feet, back on the scene again. Yeah. But that makes sense. Yeah. That's, wow. Like you all, you felt like you met, you met your maker.

Kaya Linday (06:45):

Yeah. I mean, I, I was just like, not okay. Um, with climbing. I was terrified. I, and, and also to that same, uh, just to address that, like, I was also in a relationship with someone who just didn't really want me to climb. Um, yeah. It was a weird thing. He had, he has some like outlaying like anxiety issues and that like spills over into like control issues and

Mario Stanley (07:09):

Ah, that makes

Kaya Linday (07:09):

Sense. Um, at the time, I'm not with him anymore. Um, but at the time, you know, we had moved to a place in Reno and he was just like kind of not psyched for me to climb and he was injured and so we were like having a lot of like, you know, personal difficulties around that cuz I was like, all I wanna do is climb, but when I try and climb I freak out. And he was just like, well, I don't wanna climb. So I just, I just kind of fell off of it for a little while. But that being said, like, yeah, I was trying to like, you know, climb 10 A in the gym and I would tie in and I would get halfway up the wall and I would just like, like panic, like full blown panic mode, um, like shaking that whole, you know, when you're nervous before Oh yeah, yeah.

(07:51):

Like everyone if you climb, you know? Yeah. It was that on everything. Um, and like I needed people to keep me like so tight. Like I needed to feel so secure. And it was like super frustrating because I felt like I went from, you know, projecting my first five twelves and feeling pretty confident on five 11 to just absolutely getting wrecked. And so I, you know, uh, the pandemic happened and that kinda like exploded everybody's life. Um, yep. For me it manifested in breaking up with that partner, losing the place that I was living in, uh, losing all of my paying clients and, uh, dislocating my shoulder and having none of my, uh, unemployment income come through. <laugh>.

Mario Stanley (08:36):

I feel like everybody during Covid has either like a Covid war story or a Covid outrageous purchase. Yeah. And yours is a combination of like, I felt, to me it just sounded like you were in a covid UFC fight.

Kaya Linday (08:51):

I was in a covid UFC fight. Yes. And on top of that, my mother and sister lived in California and there, like, there was when there was the really gnarly forest fires, and so I was stuck in Wyoming. Oh my God. And my mom and sister were evacuating their homes and I was just like,

Mario Stanley (09:07):

You can't do anything. I

Kaya Linday (09:08):

Can't do anything. It was, it was rough. I was really going through it. And so in that, during that time I was in Dvu. Um, and I, uh, basically took up wrestling with rocks as a way to cope with like, all of the stuff that I couldn't control in my life and off with ironically felt really safe because you can put gear above you, um, a lot of the times. So you're not always, but you're primarily like either on top rope or you have a piece like right in front of you. Um, and then on top of that, LA routes at vi dvu are not that long. And so I never had to really like, confront like, the fear of being up super high.

Mario Stanley (09:49):

That's interesting. Because most people I find are, and I don't even speak for myself, some of the hardest routes in the scar. Well, some of the not scary. I like big bold climbs. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, like, I, I like to be scared, I like to be nervous. Yeah. But some of the routes that have made me the most nervous are the shortest. Cuz I'm like, I'm so close to

Kaya Linday (10:08):

The ground, I'm gonna hit the ground. <laugh>,

Mario Stanley (10:09):

I'm so close to the ground in comparison to like a climbing in Vegas. Like I've, I've, I've climbed so much in black lave at Canyon. Yeah. Like, like, I can't even tell you, there's only maybe like four or five routes that I haven't done. Oh, damn. And then a few of the obscure ones that, like the backside I've done like the backside of epinephrine, which is terrible.

Kaya Linday (10:27):

The backside, like the other side of the pillar? Yes. Oh

Mario Stanley (10:31):

God. It's a route there. It exists. It's, it was, it's terrible and it's dirty. And you should bring, is

Kaya Linday (10:37):

It a chimney?

Mario Stanley (10:38):

No, it's a, it's, it's, it's a basically a hand crack. Okay. And you're just like kind of climbing in this little dedal majority of the time. Oh, okay. And so, yeah, it's just like, bring a shovel to clean it, you're gonna do gardening while you're on the way, then you're just moving sand. It is just dirty. Oh god. But, um, but yeah. But if I'm like way up above the deck, I'm like, I, I can care less about balling. Yeah. But that's interesting that you felt safer because they were shorter.

Kaya Linday (11:02):

Yeah. I mean, I think it gets back to like, I was primarily a boulderer growing up. Like when I learned how to rock climb, I was primarily like I bolded in the gym and that's really where I fell in love with rock climbing, plastic pulling, not really rock climbing, but I'm

Mario Stanley (11:14):

In this rock climbing. Yeah.

Kaya Linday (11:15):

I fell in love with the concept of just like, being close to the ground, hanging out with your friends, um, trying really, really hard and so short off with like, you can definitely do that. Um, which feels really, yeah. I think that's kind of the thing that I like.

Mario Stanley (11:31):

Okay. And so all that led up to you falling in love and off with and now advocating for women to start climbing more trad and off opera. Yeah. That's a wild ass turd. Yeah. I mean, don't get me wrong, it's kind of makes sense. You know, like life flashing before my eyes. I thought I met death, the destroyer of all worlds, then my world was being destroyed along with everybody else's. Yeah. And then now you came out of it fucking tough as nails in a like heart as a diamond.

Kaya Linday (11:56):

I hope so. I'm <laugh>

Mario Stanley (11:58):

I don't know if you were just listening to what you just said and we can play it back, but I think that's really what just happened here. Yeah.

Kaya Linday (12:05):

So <laugh>.

Mario Stanley (12:06):

Yeah. So how do you, how do you feel about all of this? Like, uh, like I, I know it's a really silly question to ask mm-hmm. <affirmative>, but like, I like to ask these kind of like introspective questions cuz you know, there's only in, in my opinion, there's only three kinds of like, physical, like internal capital. Um, there's physical like exercising, there's emotional dollars, yeahs physical dollars, emotional dollars, and spiritual dollars. So like, where's your spirit at with all of this? Cuz I can hear you're emotionally have grown and you have emotionally here. Yeah. But like, where Yeah. Where are you at with all of that? I know, it's kind of a weird question with

Kaya Linday (12:39):

Climbing. Yeah. I mean, right now I am, I am doing the dance of trying to make climbing a career and not because I'm trying to be an athlete. Like, I don't, I'm not interested in that. Um, and that doesn't mean I don't think that I'm strong. It just means that I'm not interested in being like a, a sponsored

Mario Stanley (12:58):

Athlete. I think you're not chasing grade.

Kaya Linday (12:59):

I'm not chasing grades. I don't like, their jobs are actually really hard. Like, I have friends who are professional athletes and like they do a lot of freaking work. We're not a lot of money and I just am like not interested in that. Yep. Um, yeah, I mean, so for me, the history of all written word and produced media is probably 95% male.

Mario Stanley (13:26):

Agreed.

Kaya Linday (13:27):

Um, and so my whole life's goal is to just create content and stories in any format that focus on women. And they, I like, I got to a point where I was like, I don't even need it to be good. I don't care. Like, I am literally just adding to the literature of the female experience because it doesn't exist like literature. When you talk about what literature is, it is like primarily <laugh> a white male experience. Yeah.

Mario Stanley (13:59):

I mean, that's who's been writing it.

Kaya Linday (14:00):

Yeah. And so it's like, I, it it is an act of rebellion for me. And, you know, for anyone just like adding their experience to that. Like, if we think of like, this is the pie that is all human experience that has been chronicled. Like adding yours to that is literally just like pushing the needle and like, doesn't have to be good. Doesn't have to be great. Doesn't I, I want it to be good. I want it to be great, but like, I am just like pushing the needle and making more stories, uh, about the female experience. That's like what I'm doing. And I've kind of like taken a chunk out of the climbing community. Um, you

Mario Stanley (14:33):

Like to pick a fight, don't you?

Kaya Linday (14:35):

Well, I do like off with <laugh>

Mario Stanley (14:38):

After this. I have an, i I have like a little, I have a little YouTube project I'm working on. Okay. And, uh, a portion of it is picking a fight with people. I think I, I, I, we'll, we'll, we'll spit about it <laugh>, but I think you're gonna like it. It's pretty satirical.

Kaya Linday (14:51):

Okay, cool. I'm into that. Uh, see, that's where I'm spiritually. Um, I'm just trying to add more, uh, content into the world about women doing stuff in any capacity.

Mario Stanley (15:00):

Is there anybody out there already that you feel that is doing it even in a small capacity that you admire and that you are just like, you know, like collaborating with?

Kaya Linday (15:11):

Um, I really, I really admire, uh, Kathy Carlos's work. Um, yeah. I really admire her work. I actually don't listen to her podcast <laugh>, which I should. Um, but I, I have a very, I I I listen to mostly creative, um, not creative media. I listen to mostly like, fantasy, uh, and like sci-fi and fiction media. And so podcasts are sometimes difficult for me to get into.

Mario Stanley (15:40):

You won my heart just by saying you're a sci-fi nerd.

Kaya Linday (15:42):

I'm a huge sci-fi nerd.

Mario Stanley (15:43):

Oh, I have wa So just like going on this little tangent, I have this thing that I do every once in a e every few years. Yeah. I binge watch all of Deep Space, nine Star Trek, all of next generation. And then I will binge watch all Battlestar Galactica. Ooh. And then I generally try to like, see if there's any cross references cuz a lot of, like, a lot of people don't realize, like a lot of the same writers work on these projects. Yeah. So like, um, like, uh, like for example, um, like Stargate, people don't realize mm-hmm. <affirmative>, the, the creative writers. Okay. This thing is driving me nuts here. I don't know why it's being this way, but it's being this way today. <laugh>. Um, but, uh, a lot of the creative writers that worked on a lot of the creative writers that worked on Stargate mm-hmm. <affirmative>

(16:31):

Also worked on Star Trek. The Next Generation also worked on all these other things. So this is me as a random little nerd. Yeah. I try to see if there's like random little, like when someone sets a route Yeah. They have habits, they're like right-handed. Yeah. They do these things. Like, they have things that they repeat and that they do. Um, and I try to look for that in the Synchron writing. Yeah. And it's fun. You can see it in certain things. But yeah, I definitely like binge watch horribly. I've binge watched all of Firefly. I've watched,

Kaya Linday (17:00):

I go through Firefly every couple of years. I'll just like start

Mario Stanley (17:02):

Over. It's, you know, it was one of the greatest sci-fi TV shows ever written.

Kaya Linday (17:06):

Ever written. Oh my God.

Mario Stanley (17:08):

Did you know that show broke a, his, it broke a historical record. That show had more fan mail come in than any show in history when it went off air about people advocating for it to go back on in one single like, and not like, not like all inclusive like much, but like, the amount that came in in one single slew. People were pissed.

Kaya Linday (17:29):

People were pissed. I mean, like they, that's how we got Serenity. Like the movie. Yeah. Like, it was basically fan funded. Like, fans were like, no, we need this.

Mario Stanley (17:37):

Oh, I, I watched that movie religiously. It's

Kaya Linday (17:39):

So good. <laugh>. Yeah.

Mario Stanley (17:41):

It's on my Amazon downloads and it's on my phone.

Kaya Linday (17:44):

<laugh>. So just in case you like an emergency,

Mario Stanley (17:46):

Always entertaining. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. And then if you watch it enough, there's always something that like catches. I don't know, to me there's always some random little thing that I see. I'm like, how did I not see this thing in this weird, creepy alien?

Kaya Linday (17:57):

So I, I actually like, think of myself as like a space cowboy. Like in my head, like, when I'm driving around this, I, this is my little spaceship that I am in my, my van. Uh, and like, I'm a freelancer, so I do a lot of odd jobs for money. You know, I travel around. Yeah. I have my little haunts. I have like, you know, the places that I stay and like, oh yeah, I know there's like good wifi here, or here's a good watering hole. Or like, oh, there's this person who I know like, you know, let me park in their driveway and charge up. And like, you know, I just like, I kinda think of myself as a little space cowboy.

Mario Stanley (18:32):

No, I like that. I love that. I love that. Yeah. <laugh>, I think for Halloween one year you should get cardboard wings and put one on the top of that and turn it into a shuttle.

Kaya Linday (18:40):

Oh, that would be so cute. I could make it a little Serenity <laugh>. Yes.

Mario Stanley (18:44):

Oh my

Kaya Linday (18:45):

God. My god. I've never thought about,

Mario Stanley (18:47):

I'm not gonna lie, I like just have this bonding moment and I, I now I just wanna like talk about like sci-fi channel and then

Kaya Linday (18:53):

Let's turn the camera off. Let's just take a second. Let's talk about, uh, <laugh>.

Mario Stanley (18:56):

There's so many shows. Oh my God.

Kaya Linday (19:00):

Yeah. I'm, I'm actually, uh, for the first time watching the original Star Trek, I've never seen it and I'm, yeah. So, uh, no, sorry. With Picard not the original. Original.

Mario Stanley (19:10):

Oh, okay. Okay.

Kaya Linday (19:10):

Next mm-hmm. <affirmative>. Next Generation. Next Generation. Yeah. I've never, um, I think I'm in season two right after, um, well they killed that one woman character for some reason. Like really early on. I'm very early on. Early on.

Mario Stanley (19:27):

Oh. Oh, I've

Kaya Linday (19:28):

Tatiana got some, yeah, Tatiana. Oh.

Mario Stanley (19:30):

And they got

Kaya Linday (19:30):

Rid of Wesley Crusher's mom, like she's no longer there.

Mario Stanley (19:33):

Oh. She comes

Kaya Linday (19:34):

Back. She comes back. Okay. I was like, what's going on with

Mario Stanley (19:36):

That actress? No, Wesley's dad died. And then, and then, uh, Beverly, Beverly Crusher his mom. Then there, I think there was a scene where she goes away or something like that back. I'm not sure she back, but she's throughout the whole thing.

Kaya Linday (19:46):

Oh, okay. Cause I was like, this character is just gone now. Like Okay.

Mario Stanley (19:49):

But Keana the short haired woman. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. The one that warfs him slightly in love. Yeah. Yeah. Data ended up having sex with

Mary (20:13):

Hello.

Mario Stanley (20:14):

Hey Taylor. How are you girl?

Mary (20:16):

Doing well. How about yourself?

Mario Stanley (20:18):

I'm doing all right. Doing all right. You know, just trying to live the dream and kill the game every day.

Mary (20:23):

Yeah. I feel that <laugh> <laugh>.

Mario Stanley (20:26):

How's, how's been training your classes going?

Mary (20:29):

It's been going really well. Um, I actually just took a week off though from training to go on a little vacation.

Mario Stanley (20:39):

Oh nice. Oh nice. Where'd you go?

Mary (20:42):

I went out to, uh, Breckenridge actually to do some camping out in the mountains. It's pretty spectacular. Kind of cold

Mario Stanley (20:51):

<laugh>. I mean, BR

Mary (20:52):

Is already,

Mario Stanley (20:54):

Yeah. Breck is very beautiful. That's awesome. That's awesome. What was the best part about your trip?

Mary (21:00):

Um, probably just getting to disconnect from the world for a little while and uh, you know, I really enjoy my surroundings and um, just be one with nature. A little two one with nature. Um, my tent kind of gave out at the very end there. <laugh>. We went to the primitive campgrounds and it got a little sketchy. Oh,

Mario Stanley (21:26):

I'm sorry. I've definitely had that happen before. Bad tents and bad camping gear. Makes for an epic trip. No bueno sometimes, but definitely an epic trip.

Kaya Linday (21:37):

Oh

Mary (21:38):

Yeah. Uh, and it was kinda, it was good timing cuz it was there at the very end, but I'm definitely going to have to do some replacing in some of my gear. I know you are into that kinda stuff, right? Like, do you have any recommendations?

Mario Stanley (21:57):

Yeah, so I'm a big fan of Nemo. Uh, they kind of came on the scene a little while ago and they've been around for a while, but their tents are awesome. And it's funny enough, the owner of the company had an experience much like you and it just failed him and he was infuriated with it. And then, so then he set out to create amazing, amazing products. And if you're gonna be doing like a lot of backpacking, you know, they make an Aurora that is really good. Um, but I would definitely check them out and if you decide to purchase anything from them, if you use the promo code Sends and Sufferers 20, you get 20% off. You help the podcast.

Mary (22:35):

Okay. I'm sold. I'm definitely checking this out.

Mario Stanley (22:39):

All right. Well, hey, I look forward to seeing you in the gym later on this week, and I'm still excited. I'm gonna try to catch one of your fitness classes, but I gotta jump off here. But, uh, it's good catching up with you and I look forward to seeing you soon.

Mary (22:50):

Sounds great. I'll see you later.

Kaya Linday (23:04):

We were talking about people that I look up to and then we got on a big tangent of, uh, sci-fi and Star Trek, but

Mario Stanley (23:10):

Yeah. Yeah. Tatiana died. Yeah. It was like, there was a big uproar about that. Oh yeah. Right after the z going around the ship where everybody was acting weird. Yeah. And her and Dana had sex. Yeah. And like she died right afterwards. People were so mad.

Kaya Linday (23:23):

Yeah. Yeah. Ugh. I know, I remember looking into that. Cause I looked up why she was like ax as a character and there wasn't really a good explanation. Um, and it was just kind of like they just didn't want her in there anymore. And I was like, what? So

Mario Stanley (23:38):

That was weird. And they moved wharf into her position. I personally think that, my guess is like they just couldn't handle a woman being like chief of security and things like that. Yeah. And now in the new Star Trek, strange wor strange, uh, strange New World. Yeah. It's like, it's gone back to that like majority of the deck, like the leading senior staff is female. Yeah. Which, you know,

Kaya Linday (23:59):

Is rad.

Mario Stanley (23:59):

It's so

Kaya Linday (24:00):

Rad. I've seen some of the new Star Trek as well. I can't remember what it's called. Um,

Mario Stanley (24:04):

Star Trek. Strange New

Kaya Linday (24:05):

Worlds. Strange New Worlds. Yeah. It's got that actress, her character's name is Michael Ye and

Mario Stanley (24:12):

She's Oh no, you're talking about Sister Discovery.

Kaya Linday (24:15):

Discovery, yes. Oh, okay. I like that one. I thought that was really good.

Mario Stanley (24:18):

So yeah, this is another thing where I like, go on this tangent mm-hmm. <affirmative> where like, you can actually, okay. So you can actually in the next generation, in the original mm-hmm. <affirmative> in strange new worlds. Yeah. And in Discovery. Yeah. If you like, once you watch 'em a couple times, you can actually see where all the storylines cross because this is like, it it's supposed to be like, you know, Marvel's metaverse, like there's its other universe, but there's so much, there's such a deep history with all these things Yeah. In Canon and a non canon. Yeah. That like, you can see where all of it crosses all over mm-hmm. <affirmative>. So it's really good. Like one of the, uh, strange New World episodes they actually referenced House Box's sister disappeared

Kaya Linday (25:01):

Ooh.

Mario Stanley (25:02):

In the discovery episode. So when the ship went back into the future Yeah. Right into the future. Yeah. That is one of the very first episodes of Strange New Worlds where they reference that.

Kaya Linday (25:14):

That's cool.

Mario Stanley (25:15):

Yeah. Yeah. And, uh, and in Star Trek, I've, I, I'm curious in the next generation, uh, if there's a reference of that moment, because they talk about it. All right, we're going online. We're going way off. Yeah. We going, this is

Kaya Linday (25:26):

Not a, this is not a sci-fi <laugh>

Mario Stanley (25:28):

Podcast. We should do that climbers sci-fi podcast.

Kaya Linday (25:32):

<laugh>.

Mario Stanley (25:33):

Oh

Kaya Linday (25:33):

My God. Like, I mean, I have a big theory. Rock climbers are all nerds. Oh yeah. Like, people think rock climbing is like bold, really cool. Kinda like intense sport. But like everyone I know who's like a really good rock climber, it's also the biggest nerd. Like super awkward. We're all like kind of weird engineers who just also kind of like to be

Mario Stanley (25:52):

Outside We all to be neurotic. Yeah. Like we have to be neurotic. Like Yes. Off with is a prime example. You need to be neurotic in detail <laugh>. If not, you're gonna slide right out. Yep.

Kaya Linday (26:01):

Yep. That's aid climbers.

Mario Stanley (26:03):

Yeah. Yeah. Aid climbers. I recently have been dabbling into that world. Yeah. And I'm like, I like this. Yeah. I mean, this is terrible, but I like this

Kaya Linday (26:11):

<laugh>.

Mario Stanley (26:13):

Yeah. It's funny you say that because like, the first time I ever really watched a bunch of people playing, uh, d and d mm-hmm. <affirmative> was at Ara <laugh>, all these climbers were like, climb all day. And then I'm like, hearing people act like fucking goblins and these weird things. And I was like, what's going on? I'm like, oh, we got a d and d match you wanna play? And I'm like, I don't even know what this is, but I'm gonna sit and watch. Cause this is great

Kaya Linday (26:34):

<laugh>. Uh, I do listen to a d and d podcast.

Mario Stanley (26:37):

Oh. Have you ever watched celebrities pay d and d on YouTube?

Kaya Linday (26:40):

No. Oh, that sounds so funny.

Mario Stanley (26:42):

I think, uh, like, uh, what's her name? Silver Spoon?

Kaya Linday (26:46):

Reese Witherspoon?

Mario Stanley (26:48):

Yes. No. Oh, no, no, no, no. Maybe not. It's not Reese Witherspoon. Who is it? Oh, she's, um,

Kaya Linday (26:53):

This is now a pop culture podcast.

Mario Stanley (26:55):

It is,

Kaya Linday (26:55):

It is. We're not gonna talk about rock climbing for the rest of the hour. <laugh>. Yeah.

Mario Stanley (26:58):

But long story short, it's like Jack Black and all these famous comedians and sit in actors play D and d that sounds so into character.

Kaya Linday (27:06):

Fucking awesome.

Mario Stanley (27:07):

It is the best. I laugh my butt off. It is so good. Oh, I'm trying to remember this other person's name, but it'll come to me. But yeah, no, I agree with you. I think most climbers, like they, they're you, you have to have the ability most when you reach a certain level in rock climbing. Like, I think when you reach a certain level in rock climbing, you become a little bit neurotic. You, you have to be able to be a, a geek. Mm-hmm. <affirmative> a little neurotic. Yeah. And then you have to become a little bit of a masochist. Yeah. Like, it's just like, at that point, if not, you're just gonna be kind of huffing around. Yeah. And

Kaya Linday (27:44):

That's it. Yeah. I mean, I think it is the thing that I like about rock climbing, and I think this is a thing that calls to a lot of people, is that it is learning to sit with extreme discomfort, uh, and use that as a tool to achieve instead of an obstacle.

Mario Stanley (28:03):

Oh yeah. That's really well put. I've never, I mean, I've always agreed with that statement, but I've never heard it so elegantly. Well put.

Kaya Linday (28:10):

Well, I'm a writer <laugh>.

Mario Stanley (28:14):

That was a solid, that was a solid flax. Like, I like how you're

Kaya Linday (28:18):

Like, I flipped my, no one can see this, but I flipped my hair as I

Mario Stanley (28:20):

Said though. Yeah, no, that was a solid

Kaya Linday (28:22):

Flax. I clenched all my muscles, so I looked really strong.

Mario Stanley (28:26):

Yeah, no, that was, that was, that

Kaya Linday (28:28):

Was clutch. No, but yeah, I really do think that, like, the thing that I like about rock climbing is that it is hard and it is uncomfortable. And I, I don't wanna speak for everyone, but you know, for me, being comfortable all of the time and feeling good all of the time feels bad.

Mario Stanley (28:47):

Yeah. No, because it's not

Kaya Linday (28:48):

Real, you know, it

Mario Stanley (28:49):

Yeah. It's like being in a relationship that you never fight. Yeah. And it's like, people are like, I've literally met people who're like, yeah, we don't really fight that much. And I'm like, oh, there's a lot of underbelly shit going on like that mm-hmm. <affirmative>, because like my best relationships I've ever been in, I've fight, I've fought like cats and dogs mm-hmm. <affirmative> with them. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. But it's because like

Kaya Linday (29:08):

It's, you're engaging, you're engaging

Mario Stanley (29:10):

With that person. You can't hide. Like you can't hide. Yeah. And I think that's the beauty of rock climbing too. Like you can't hide. Yeah. Like when you're up there, you can't hide. And the person, and the funny part about it is, is I think people are think sometimes they're hiding from everybody watching and every whoever's playing on the rope. But no, like, you are trying to ever hide from yourself, but it's you. Yeah. And it's the biggest thing, like the rock doesn't care, nothing changes. The only variable that ever changes consistently is you getting on the wall. Yeah. And I think that's a hard, hard thing for people to reconcile

Kaya Linday (29:38):

With. Yeah. I mean, I also think it shows us, us like the depth of what it is to be human. Right? Like, there's two sides to the coin, right? We have high highs and low lows. And in rock climbing, I've had the highest highs and the lowest lows of my life been in rock climbing. And like that those low lows make me appreciate the high highs. And so I think that if you live your life in this kind of like soft, you know, everything's really comfortable and you never really, you know, reach the depths of yourself or reality or whatever it is, like you have no way to know how high you can go. And like, for me, that's what rock climbing gives me. Like, you know. Yeah. The first time I ever did a hand jam, it was excruciating and I never thought I'd do it again. And now I live my life. And like, hand jamming feels amazing, you know? And like, you know, same kind of thing in off with like, there was a time when climbing in vi Avu was extremely painful and excruciating. And now the desire to make it to the chains overshadows the pain that I feel. And only when I get to the bottom do I kind of realize like, oh man, I'm like a little bruised up. I'm a little banged up, you know?

Mario Stanley (30:50):

When, can you gimme an example? Because I feel like we started this off with like definitely a story of a low, low mm-hmm. <affirmative>. So can you gimme an example of a high, high in your life just for perspective for everybody listening?

Kaya Linday (31:02):

Yeah. No. You know, funnily enough, like I, it's gonna sound very mundane and I, I mean I have like high highs from like climbing stories and like getting to the chains and all that stuff. But really the one that always sticks out to me is right after I first hit the road, and this is when I first discovered trad climbing and I was in Yosemite Valley and I was driving my van around the loop and you, you've been to Yosemite? Yeah. Yeah. So if anyone has not been to Yosemite, it's basically a giant circle that you drive around the valley floor. And uh, I was driving with a friend in the passenger seat. We were on our way to go rock climbing. And I had spent the entire week learning how to tread climb. And I remember like looking out the window and it was springtime in Yosemite and the grass was so green and the sky was so blue. And I was looking at Yosemite Falls as you drive past it and the chapel's on the right. And I just remember seeing like all these people walking along the roads and I was just like, this is my space. This is where I belong. And I remember very distinctly having this feeling of being like, I didn't even know I could feel this happy.

Mario Stanley (32:18):

That's beautiful. You

Kaya Linday (32:19):

Know? Yes. Like I, before climbing, I had capacity for joy and like after climbing my capacity for joy tripled.

Mario Stanley (32:28):

You were in a complete state of bliss.

Kaya Linday (32:31):

Yeah. And, but not nec. Yeah, bliss. But not bliss as in like, you know, when you are, after you eat a really big meal and you're lying on your back and your bed or whatever, like bliss as in like fully engaged, like every atom of my being was like on working towards a goal. And it gave me like purpose and joy and like to me that's like the highest high. And really I've been chasing that moment for the rest of my life. <laugh>

Mario Stanley (32:56):

Never getting off the wave.

Kaya Linday (32:58):

Yep. <laugh>.

Mario Stanley (32:59):

That's awesome. That's fucking cool. Yeah, I think that's, you know, something I like that. I, I think that is actually very beautiful and very unique because it has everything to do with rock climbing, but nothing to do with rock climbing. Yeah. And the reason why I say that is most people would expect you or myself or anyone to be like, well it was this climb and it was at the top of this and that. Yeah. And that is just like, you just kind of came home. Yeah. And you kind of like really just walked through the door of who you are Yeah. In the beginning. And I think it's really, it's really intriguing it's thing. And I think it, honestly, it's kind of cool because that and kind of embodies this podcast. The name of this podcast is Sends and Sufferers

Kaya Linday (33:41):

Sends and

Mario Stanley (33:42):

Sufferers and you know, your send has nothing to do with so much being on the wall, but it was the beginning of every adventure you're going to have. Yeah. You know? Yeah. And then we definitely talked about your sufferer in the, in the beginning. Yeah. But I think all of this is cool because it just shows how resilient you are and how you're bouncing back. And I don't think that is, I think that's talked about a lot in real rock and everything of like, I just got on the route and it was hard and I did the next harder thing and I did the next harder thing and then it was emotional and then I cried. But like, I don't think people really tell stories of, and this is something that I, like I the stories that I've liked to hear and this is why I started this podcast. Yeah. But I like to hear stories that are really, they're so relatable. Like anyone who hears that mm-hmm. <affirmative> can understand stepping into a place where you, you understand you belong. Yeah. And I, yeah, I just, I just wanna thank you for that cuz that was, that was beautiful.

Kaya Linday (34:38):

Thank you. I mean, I think that like the greatest thing that rock climbing ever gave me was a feeling of belonging. You know, like I think a lot of people relate to that is that like we all, you know, everyone in every human being is searching for meaning and purpose and like joy and community and friendship and you know, like I think some of us are lucky enough to realize that where we get that is in rock climbing. Um, and not everybody has that, right? Like no, in a lot of ways, like sometimes I feel bad for my friends who don't climb, but you know, it's not their thing. Like this isn't where they feel at home. But I'm like, I want you to feel this complete joy and like acceptance that I feel.

Mario Stanley (35:24):

I think also too, you have to take in consideration of like how

(35:31):

You have to take in consideration of your emotional maturity, your emotional intelligence and your emotional vocabulary. Yeah. And I think those things and kind of going back to like spiritual dollars, emotional dollars and physical dollars. Mm-hmm. <affirmative> the reason why people just go to the gym and live because those dollars are easy. Yeah. You can get on being Instagram pro ho male or female mm-hmm. <affirmative>. Yeah. Those are easy dollars to spend. Emotional dollars are harder. So like, I would say, you know, $1 to physical and then you gotta have three physical dollars to equal one emotional. Yeah. And then you gotta have like 10 physical Yeah. Or 10, you know, 30 emotional to each equal spiritual. Yeah. And the thing is, is like that capacity to go there. Yeah. Rock climbing and any true adventure sport brings that out of you. Because the thing with this sport in all adventure sports is there comes a moment where you are the only one can get yourself out of the mess that you're in.

(36:26):

Yeah. And I don't think people are willing to do that as a whole. Yeah. I think just the general public wants Hey, that's, that's why guiding exists. That's why all this stuff exists and it's easy. Yeah. But these people who don't do this and they and our friends that don't do this, it is hard for them. It is sad cause they miss out because it's not just the joy, it's the full completion. Yeah. Like you're, you're, you're viewing a full emotional circle. Yeah. And you're growing and it in your're forcing growth in your life. And I just, I don't know, growth is uncomfortable. Yeah. And I don't think most people wanna be uncomfortable.

Kaya Linday (37:06):

Yeah. That's fair. That's real. No, and like that's, that's the crux of it, right? Like we are leaning into the discomfort and the pain of truth climbing and a lot of people are not willing to lean in. Um, I was really, yeah, I was really jamming out on what you were just saying about the emotional dollars. I like that whole like concept of, you know, physical dollars equate emotional dollars equate spiritual dollars.

Mario Stanley (37:27):

Yeah. If you get a chance,

Kaya Linday (37:27):

That's kind of cool. I

Mario Stanley (37:28):

Never heard that before that check. I just posted, uh, about it on Instagram cuz like I had some big life changes mm-hmm. <affirmative> and I basically kind of had to sit back and realize like, how am I as a 38 year old male mm-hmm. <affirmative>, you know, someone who is in an industry that is rapidly growing and rapidly changing. Yeah. But also rapidly, I think I want rapidly is wrong. There are some people who are just stoic. I don't think they're tr really trying to force it may force it to stay the same. I think they're just trying to force their little niche Yeah. Not to change. Yeah. And it's like, and on top of all of that, how do I navigate my own personal life? My own personal feelings because I, it was for the first time in my entire life, a couple months back, like I, I had to reconcile my relationship with climbing.

(38:22):

Like if I ever wanted to do it again. Bam. And it was something I got put in a situation that I got put in a situation, and I'll tell you this off, off mic mm-hmm. <affirmative>, but I got put in a, a situation where I felt like I had to weaponize climbing like some like in a bad relationship where you weaponize sex. Yeah. And like it just rattled me to the freaking core. Ugh. And I put myself in that situation and that along with other personal stuff, it was one of those things where I was just like, like I, I don't know, I didn't know what kind of capital I had to spin to get out of there. Yeah. And I was throwing myself at climbing and throwing myself at that. And what I realized is I needed to burn a lot of money and I was gonna burn a lot of money and maybe not get all the rewards, but it takes money to make money and it takes money, it takes time and it takes effort to grow. And not every effort and not every endeavor you're gonna do is gonna give you the return that you want, but it at least teaches you the direction you want to go in. Yeah. And I think climbing has this unique ability to do it much faster than a lot of other things. I think like, maybe the only other sport I would say is like whitewater rapping because Yeah. Like you kind of just in it like there's nothing you can do that's, that shit terrifies me.

Kaya Linday (39:37):

Yeah. It's much more reactive. I wrapped the Grand Canyon in 2020 and I was like gained a whole new respect for people do white water sports, but also was like, I see culturally how this is very similar to rock climbing and also completely opposite.

Mario Stanley (39:52):

I would be so terrified. <laugh>. Oh my God. But yeah. That's cool. What were, what can you, what were the biggest, I guess what were the two things that you noticed? Like what were some, what was the biggest relation to it and what was the biggest difference?

Kaya Linday (40:07):

Well, someone pointed out to me, um, and to be totally honest, like I actually really liked right. White water rafting and I could see myself when I get older and have some money to get into it cuz it's kind of pricey. Yeah. Way pricier than rock climbing. Uh, that's the biggest difference. But someone laid it out for me at one point, they said that in rock climbing, when you get stronger and climb harder, um, you put in more and more effort. So five 14 takes more effort than five 13 truth five 15 takes more effort than five 14. So you are trying harder in rafting. The harder and harder rafts or or rapids that you have to navigate, you do less and less. And like, the more, the better you are, the less you'll do

Mario Stanley (40:52):

Because you not, you know how to ride

Kaya Linday (40:54):

It because you know how to ride it and you literally just like dip your ORs and like do a slu a slight motion, maybe a couple backstrokes, like really, really, really good a rafters barely touch the water.

Mario Stanley (41:06):

I feel like that's like the best, it, it's like the five, the, the scariest pitch on Astro Man mm-hmm. <affirmative> is the five 10 slab. The five 10 C slab that no one's allowed to fall on. Like my boss fell on it and broke his ankle. I know so many people who have fallen on that thing, but like, everyone's like, that's the scariest and the hardest pitch. But it is So bring a stick. So delicate. Yeah. I I think you're plugging, if I'm correct, astro man in the valley, that thing's dog.

Kaya Linday (41:35):

I've never

Mario Stanley (41:35):

Done it. It's Astro Man's on my bucket list. Okay. It's on my bucket list. Yeah, you should look at that thing.

Kaya Linday (41:40):

I, I mean I've looked, I've heard about it. I've just never, like, I just don't climb in the valley

Mario Stanley (41:43):

Very much. Yeah, no, I, I mean I've, I've only climb there twice, but it's like on my bucket list. But yeah, it's, yeah, slab is the only thing I can think about. Like less is more, but Jesus, that's cool. Yeah. I would've, I didn't really think about that. Yeah. Now like when you say it, it makes obvious sense. Yeah.

Kaya Linday (41:58):

But culturally they're very similar. It's a lot of people just trying to get away from their families and, you know, explore nature and try hard things and yeah. So similar to rock climbing in that way.

Mario Stanley (42:09):

Um, I do not want to wrap this up, but I have to because the Lander Festival people are gonna start like yelling at me and trying to figure out where I am. Yeah. But if people wanna follow you, support you actually first, if people wanna follow you, what do they need to do? Where are you at?

Kaya Linday (42:24):

Uh, one chick travels, that is O N E C H I C K travels on Instagram. That is also my website. And, um, on Twitter, I'm Kaiya says, but that's, you know, don't really follow me on Twitter. I don't do much there. It's kind of fair

Mario Stanley (42:38):

Enough a throw away. And then how can people support you in the efforts that you're doing?

Kaya Linday (42:42):

If they wanna see my films, they can go to my YouTube channel. You can just type in one chick travels on YouTube and I'll be there. Um, you can go to my shop and buy yourself a Girl's Gone Wide t-shirt. Uh, every single t-shirt sold goes to a good cause, which is feeding me. And, um, I also sell stickers. Uh, the other, uh, shirts designs will be released soon. I'm pretty much, I'm really into this old idea of releasing kind of like funny climbing t-shirts. So it's kinda my side business to pay for everything.

Mario Stanley (43:14):

That's awesome. Well, I want Kai, I wanna thank you for your time and I look forward to having another chat with you in the future. I know this is gonna happen more. Yeah. And also we do need to just have a straight up climbers nerd fest about sci-fi. Like Yes. Yeah. And anyone who's listening to this, if you got annoyed with the tantrum of like sci-fi, just hit skip next time. Yeah.

Kaya Linday (43:33):

<laugh>

Mario Stanley (43:35):

It. All right. Okay.

Kaya Linday (43:36):

Thank you. DM me about all your sci-fi theories. I need to hear them. Oh

Mario Stanley (43:39):

Yeah, yeah. <laugh>.

(43:50):

I hope y'all enjoyed this episode. As you can tell, a friendship was born. We went all over the place. And honestly, I think this is one of the coolest conversations because I got to nerd out about something other than rock climbing. Yeah. I love climbing. Yeah. We talk about adventurous stuff, but we're all deeper and more multifaceted than that and we all know that. And it's just nice to hear it. So if you haven't already remember, check us out on Patreon, Instagram, wherever, like follow, subscribe, leave that comment cuz it makes such a big difference. And as always, if you're not suffering, are you even sending it all.