Joel Trotter
Job: Electrician
Primary Outdoor Sports: Climbing, Snowboarding, Surfing, Mountain Biking
Favorite Beverage: Coffee
Trail Snack: Gummy Bears
Favorite Camp Chore: Setting up Tent
Post-Trip Meal: Burger and Fries
Favorite Camp Game: Gin Rummy
Book Recommendation: Shantaram
Three Words to Describe Yourself: Compassionate, Energetic, and Caring
“My dad was very outdoorsy. We grew up camping. Riding dirt bikes. There was always some type of event that he wanted to go to or him and his friends would put on an event. Since I can remember at a very young age, I was around the campfire, sticky with s’mores. It’d be like a big trip. It’d always be the weekend. We’d go Friday after work or in the morning, something like that. We’d be out all weekend. There’d be other families out there. We’d be camping and my parents didn’t have enough money to have an RV so we were always tent camping. We were the ‘die-hards’ the group would say. It was cool to be like, ‘Alright, we gotta rough it.’ And it felt like roughing it because everyone else was in an RV.”
“I was riding dirt bikes and I had an older buddy that would ride with me too. He would invite me out with a bunch of his other friends and that’s where it kinda started to be more independent and not with my parents. When we got our license, and maybe even before that because I grew up in Southern California, we’d go surfing all the time and so we’d go camp out. We’d do that solo pretty young. We lived really close to the beach and there’s always campgrounds around there. So we’d just go to the campground and like 90% of the time poach a spot and not even pay for it. Go surf every morning for two, three days.”
“We have so much access at our hands, like the cell phone. To go outside and be immersed in nature, it brings me a sense of freedom when I’m in it. I’m free, not thinking about what needs to be done later. I’m here. I’m in the present and it’s a form of meditation for me. Nature is just so healing in itself and so calming. When I get to my day-to -day life, it's just like my cup is full.”
“I have done the dirtbag lifestyle and I have had other jobs that have allowed me the freedom to play. Now, I have more of a career-oriented job and the job is giving me a foundation I didn’t necessarily have, a foundation of financial stability. With that, I can go on trips and not have that sense of trouble like, ‘Am I going to be able to make rent? How much money am I going to have for food?’ But to examine it, I would say I’m blessed, really blessed. I’m extremely grateful. I’m playing my cards in a way where I put in the work so that I can live a lifestyle that’s very suitable to me. I want to play outside and be with my friends. I want to do things that bring me joy, not just work.”
“The outdoors in my recovery has been probably the keystone to the arch of my life. Either through hard times or good times. Nature and being outside has always been my number one teacher. Bringing answers. Bringing those moments of clarity. Knowing what needs to be done in a certain situation when I’m really sitting with it. If I’m really having a struggle, I can just let my mind run free. I’ll get these insights and pieces of understanding.”
“I’m never always thinking about the climb, when I’m climbing. My thing is like having snapshots of people at the crag. Sitting and talking to the belayer or having lunch and telling stories. Cracking jokes. Right? Like there’s always someone who forgets something. So teasing people and creating those relationships.”
“Nature is the biggest force. The environment, nature, and the weather are things I can’t predict. I have no control over them. I think the spiritual connection for me is like letting go. I have to let go. If there’s a 50% chance of rain, I’m gonna take that risk and it can get pretty messy, especially big mountains. Storms can come rolling in at any time. It’s like I love that. Knowing that there’s a possibility we can get socked in. I think those are the biggest learning moments, to weather the storm. It’s like, ‘put on that resilient coat and trudge on.’”
“I grew up playing hockey so it was you and your opponent. When you go outside, it’s mother nature against you and you’re not going to win. If you really want to battle with mother nature, like, ‘Dude, ok.’ I don’t battle with that. That is one opponent I don’t tease. I respect it so much. I know that it’s much stronger than me and there’s no way to fight it and if I have to fight it’s just going to make it worse. So I have to go within and know not to battle with it.”
“It’s usually the worst right as I tie in and I’m about to put my shoes on. There’s a lot of anxiety, a lot of fear, bubble guts. But, there’s breathing. I try to focus on my breath. I’ve been climbing for a little bit now, 9 years or something like that. When I’m climbing at a grade where I’m pushing my envelope, I just remind myself, ‘You’re capable’ and focus on my breathing and remember to have fun. That’s a big one. Just have fun. Even if you don’t get it clean, have fun. Embrace the fear in a way.”
