NaturalHigh by Jon D’Auria


In this edition of Arizona Extreme we join Alexis Finley and David Merin of Pangaea Mountain Guides on a thrilling ascent to the summit of a beau- tiful Mt. Lemmon desert cliff.


was filled with, well, fear. Having never done rock climbing before, I started to wonder if my selection for this adventure story had been a bit overcon- fident. The two men walking in front of me were reassuring, but could I really pull my body up a 70-foot cliff? As my nervousness increased, I began ask- ing enough questions to make a sugar-filled pre-schooler on a road trip seem like a Buddhist monk. My two guides responded with a patience and gentleness that calmed my whirling mind. Alexis Finley and David Merin are both native Tuc-


A


sonans who began climbing and hiking around the age of five. Both of them left after high school to go out into the world and conquer the field of mountain guiding. Having served as guides all over the world and reached the highest


s we wove back and forth along the wind- ing path of the narrow trail, I discovered that beneath my calm exterior my mind


David Merin and Alexis Finley


rank of the American Mountain Guides Association certifi- cation for guides, the duo reunited in Tucson and decided to open Pangaea Mountain Guides. After only two years, the company began attracting clients from all over the country who were interested in climbing in Tucson. “I had worked for some companies where guides are often underpaid, underappreciated, and overworked. We knew we wanted to go about everything the right way, and we knew we wanted to do it in Tucson,” explains Finley.


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Tucson


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