Rock Dust

Stan Badgett takes the reader on a journey with him to the soaring heights of his youth—when he nearly leaped over the peaks of the Rocky Mountains in unbridled joy—to the darkest depths in the Colorado coal mines where he fought his own demons. Interspersed between these extremes are times of sweet songs, confusion over his pastor father’s mental health, and years spent in Boulder drenched in drugs and godlessness. Like a string winding its way through the fabric of his life is Badgett’s love for rock climbing. This sport gave him release from pain, joy in adventure and physical prowess, but also humbled his ego and with horror, reminded him of the fragility of human life.