Dreams Come True

Dear St. Augustine,

It is surreal to be sitting down to write the first blog entry for St. Augustine’s first climbing gym. This dream was conceived in a classroom at Flagler College in 2008 and twelve years later it is becoming a reality.

Rock climbing has brought so much to my life. It has taken me to the most wild and beautiful places. It has given me emotions from sheer terror to utter jubilation and everything in between. It has blessed me with lifelong friendships, and made existing ones stronger. It has kept my body strong and active and increased my confidence and mental fortitude. 

Climbing is just one of the coolest, funnest, and most positive things you can do. I’m so pumped to share these experiences with my beloved St. Augustine community.

This is not going to be any old climbing gym. You deserve better than that. It will be a premiere climbing facility, complete with a yoga room, showers, cardio equipment, a cafe, retail shop, event space, and more! It is going to be a fun, inviting environment where we intend to foster an inclusive community with a shared love of climbing and the outdoors. 

At Stone, you’ll be able to learn the skills to take your climbing journey as far as you’d like. If you dream of climbing El Capitan, desert towers, or cliffs in Linville Gorge we can make that happen! Climbing outside is the ultimate, but to be able to stay strong and climb right here in our glorious little beach town is going to be something very special.

This gym is a culmination of hard work, miles of blacktop, countless pitches, fireside conversations, and a special partner named Dr. John William Thousand IV. Without John (JT), my dreams would be just that. His commitment to my vision and financial backing for this project is the water and sunlight to the seed of this dream.

I’m probably going to cry the day we open. I hope you’re there to see it. The team and I are working diligently to make that day as soon as possible. 

Much Love,
Eric