About Denver7CommunityPositive News

Actions

Colorado Springs 8-year-old climbs Moonlight Buttress at Zion National Park

Sam Adventure
Posted

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Some fathers and sons bond over baseball, but the Bakers prefer to get their quality time in while 1,000 feet in the air.

Sam Baker, 8, just returned from climbing Moonlight Buttress at Zion National Park with his father, Joe. To translate — they climbed 1,200 feet together.

Joe assured Denver7, via Zoom, that Sam is clipped in the entire time, but it is still a tremendous challenge to ascend that high at such a young age. However, Joe says it is incredibly rewarding.

"I have this belief about, like, initiating the men in my house. I've got three boys, and I just love to [spend] time with them," he said. "But then, at the end of it, I see this tremendous inner confidence forming in Sam, and like this inner strength — but I couldn't give it to him any other way. He has to kind of discover it."

In the above video, you can see videos of Sam and his dad climbing Moonlight Buttress and hear Sam speak about why he enjoys such an extreme hobby.