The first in a new Arkansas Outside series about how the outdoors brings us home to ourselves.
At Arkansas Outside, we believe the outdoors offers more than a place to hike, bike, or climb it offers a chance to feel whole. Each month in this new series, we’ll share stories of people who find connection, healing, and purpose through outdoor recreation and their communities.
This month, we’re kicking things off with a story about climbing and about JD Borgeson, who’s found something much bigger than strong forearms on the rock.
How it Started
For JD, climbing didn’t just show up; it found him at a crossroads. “I was introduced to climbing while attending the University of Arkansas,” he says. “A fellow engineer showed me the bouldering wall on campus. I realized I could get just as pumped climbing as I was lifting weights, and eventually, I stopped lifting altogether.”
It wasn’t just about the physical challenge. Climbing helped JD reconnect with something that had been missing in his childhood love of the outdoors. Like many of us, college life pulled him away from camping trips and time in nature. But climbing? That lit the spark again.
“It just clicked,” he says. “It was like this missing puzzle piece tying together my love of sport and the outdoors in a way that elevated both.”
Climbing as Escape and Healing
Ask JD what keeps him coming back to the crag, and he won’t talk about competition or personal records. He’ll talk about presence. About how climbing forces him into the moment, where nothing else matters but the next move.
“No matter what is happening on the computer screen Monday through Friday,” he says, “you can go out and experience something that feels like a completely separate reality. A reality where those day-to-day worries are drowned out by an intense focus on the present.”
That focus becomes a lifeline and sometimes, a mirror for facing fears head-on.
“There aren’t many moments in life where you experience true fear,” JD explains. “With climbing, it’s fear you are constantly engaging with, checking on, pushing higher, pushing through. It’s healing.”
Where Climbing Meets Creativity
For JD, the experience doesn’t stop at the top of a route. It flows right into his art.
“Climbing and making art are both ways to work through things bouncing around internally,” he says. “They’re both expressions of emotion different tools from the same toolbox.”
His artwork is often inspired by the landscapes he climbs: textured boulders, rhythmic routes, the dialogue between body and stone. In each piece, there’s a sense of movement, a reflection of the mental and physical dance that climbing demands.
“It’s like solving a Rubik’s Cube underwater,” he says, smiling. “Your body and mind are working together solving the problem, staying calm, and holding on until you find the flow.”
Giving Back to the Climbing Community
JD’s not just in it for personal growth. After years of benefiting from the work of others, he’s now a board member of the Arkansas Climbers Coalition.
“After being in the community for a decade, I felt it was time to commit and do my part,” he says.
He’s especially passionate about protecting and expanding access to public lands.
“Recreational access to public lands is crucial if we’re going to continue calling ourselves the ‘Land of the Free,’” he says. “I don’t believe in selling off public lands for short-term profits. We need to be focused on making more land available for recreation, and making sure future generations have the same opportunities we’ve had.”
Adventure, Imperfection, and the Stories We Tell
Of course, not every climb is smooth. JD has his fair share of wild stories: a rope stuck in the dark, a surprise storm, an injured partner.
“But those are the ones you remember,” he says. “When things go wrong, at least you can have solace that it’ll make a good story.”
These moments messy, unpredictable, unforgettable are what build resilience. They’re part of what makes climbing more than a sport.
Climbing is for Everyone
JD wants people to know: climbing isn’t just for the young, the fit, or the fearless.
“A lot of folks say, ‘I don’t have the upper body strength.’ That’s not true. Climbing can be easier than climbing a ladder. The difficulty spectrum is huge. It’s a sport that truly meets you where you are.”
In the end, it’s not about muscle it’s about connection. To nature, to community, and to the parts of ourselves we sometimes lose track of in daily life.
“There’s nothing quite like the feeling of that synergy when your mind, body, and environment are all in tune. It’s a deeper kind of connection with nature.”
And that’s the kind of connection that keeps people like JD coming back. To the cliffs, the boulders, the trails. To the feeling of being whole.
Stay tuned for next month’s story in our new series exploring how Arkansans find meaning, purpose, and self-discovery through outdoor adventure.
This article was originally published on ArkansasOutside.com, your trusted source for outdoor news and updates in The Natural State. Unless otherwise credited, all photos included in this piece are the property of Arkansas Outside, LLC. We take pride in sharing the beauty and adventures of Arkansas through our lens—thank you for supporting our work!
