The rock hills of Hueco Tanks rise dramatically above the scrubby Chihuahuan Desert in West Texas— four masses of weathered syenite that have long been a rock climbing paradise.
In May 2015, Doug April was finishing a six-month stint as a camp host at Hueco Tanks State Park, living by himself in an RV. The lanky 46-year-old was divorced with three kids, the youngest in junior high. He had served two tours of duty in Iraq, where he saw plenty of things that were hard to forget. Throughout it all, climbing had been a refuge. Out on the rock, he could turn off his buzzing mind and just concentrate on what was in front of him.
Now that respite was coming to an end. April had officially left the army three weeks earlier, retiring as a major, but he wasn’t through with war zones. In a few weeks, he was headed to Afghanistan for three months to fly reconnaissance missions as a private military contractor. He wanted to make the most of his last days of climbing.
Around 8:00 a.m., April’s climbing partner, Ian Cappelle, pulled up to the campsite. The 38-year-old geologist had moved to El Paso with his wife, Malynda, five years earlier. Shortly after, while out climbing, he’d met April. They’d been buddies ever since.
Burly and bearded, Cappelle didn’t necessarily look the part of a climber. But as soon as he’d tried the sport, he was hooked. He regarded April as a kind of big brother—an experienced climber and generous teacher.
“What should we do today?” April asked as they packed their ropes that morning.
“Well, you’ve been up Indecent Exposure twice already,” Cappelle said. “I’d like to do that route.”
Esta historia es de la edición July/August 2021 de Reader's Digest Canada.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición July/August 2021 de Reader's Digest Canada.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
Forza!
Tennis has a new force: the 22-year-old Italian ski racer turned court champion Jannik Sinner nickname: The Fox). Abby Aguirre meets him in the midst of an electrifying winning streak.
THE OTHER SIDE
Sophie Turner talks about the harsh glare of attention following her breakup and how she has emerged stronger, happier, and healthier than ever.
Now and Forever
From corsetry and embroidery to the fineness of tailoring, this season's most beguiling silhouettes offer a palpable sense of history and craft. Liya Kebede and her children connect the dots between past, present, and future.
Madame Paris
Mayor Anne Hidalgo has long been a leader under scrutiny. And now she and her glorious city will be center stage for the Olympics.
Free Reign
Boho chic, the liberated and unfettered style statement of the aughts, is back with a floaty, festival-ready vengeance.
No Filler
The sandwich” facial migrates to other parts of the body.
A WATERY STAGE
The Paris Games will kick off, in spectacular fashion, with a procession on the Seine. Gaby Wood meets the creative director orchestrating it all.
DOUBLE ACT
Married artists Sam Moyer and Eddie Martinez have built their lives and careers on parallel tracks. Now, with simultaneous shows at the same museum, they are converging.
Everything Under the Sun
To Kendall Jenner, mental health means many things: rest, reflection, riding, reading—and being open. She talks to Rob Haskell about a decade in modeling. Photographed by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott.
The Longest Journey
In 2022 a stroke brought Hamish Bowless teeming life to a crashing halt. After months spent in the hospital and a year back at home, he reflects on just how far hes come.
THE BATTLE OF THE BUILDS DEDICATED VS INTEGRATED GPUs
We put AMD's latest Ryzen 5 8600G to the test
Intel Raptor Lake Core 19 Instability Problems
THE RACE BETWEEN AMD AND INTEL has heated up in the past few years as Ryzen processors have become increasingly competitive. The amount of headroom for overclocking has shrunk in response, and it seems motherboard vendors may have tweaked settings a bit too aggressively.
CREATE A SECURE WIREGUARD VPN SERVER
Discover how to securely access your home network when out and about, with Nick Peers
Intel announces 6th Gen Xeon brand
'Xeon Scalable' becomes the Xeon 6 series
What exactly is an 'AI' PC?
AI, EVERYWHERE, all at once. That, in a nutshell, is what's happening to the computing industry. The PC, inevitably, is not immune. Later this summer, you'll be able to buy a machine that officially qualifies as an 'Al' PC, according to no lesser an authority than Microsoft. But you might be surprised at who's making it.
LG ANNOUNCES GAMING OLED
The panel can alter refresh rates and resolutions
Use Photoshop's new AI features
YOU'LL NEED THIS PHOTOSHOP CC 25.5 OR LATER
HP Omen 45L
HP's biggest desktop PC offers mighty gaming potential
HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU'VE BEEN HACKED?
Don't let attackers sneak under your radar: Nik Rawlinson reveals the telltale signs to look out for
Sapphire RX 7900 GRE Pulse
The Golden Rabbit Edition goes global
THE THEATRE - PHOTO REALISM
Moisés Kaufman's Here There Are Blueberries.”
Thataway Thomas McGuane
The two sisters were growing old now, but they went on gazing toward Palm Springs from this windblown prairie town as though to Mecca.
FAMILY PORTRAIT
In his latest novel, Garth Risk Hallberg shrinks his frame.
AGE OF ANXIETY
The love songs of Billie Eilish.
A REPORTER AT LARGE YOU MAKE ME SICK
How corporate scientists discovered—and then helped to conceal—the dangers of forever chemicals.
THE WORLD OF TELEVISION CASTOFFS
REALITY-TV CONTESTANTS ARE BARELY PAID, AND THE EXPERIENCE CAN FEEL LIKE ABUSE. SHOULD THEY UNIONIZE?
ONWARD AND UPWARD WITH TECHNOLOGY ABRIDGED TOO FAR
The world according to Blinkist.
ANNALS OF INQUIRY WAIT FOR IT
Suspense in literature and life.
THE CURRENT CINEMA APOCALYPSE WHEN
“Megalopolis.”
SHOUTS & MURMURS IDENTIFIED
A panel of scientific experts commissioned by NASA to study unidentified anomalous phenomena,” more widely known as UFOs, said Thursday that it found no evidence that any of the reported objects were extraterrestrial in origin.