ConservationDONATIONNewsSloth Diaries
Enjoy this story by guest blogger, Kevin Grinnell, owner of Slothgrip. He recently visited TSI and donated climbing rope used in climbing gyms for use as new sloth speedways.
In late 2017 I was getting ready to open a sloth-themed shop for rock climbers who care about conservation. I sent an email to The Sloth Institute with a bit of an odd question — were there any sloths interested in being a sponsored athlete on our climbing team?
Rather than calling me crazy, we began emailing back and forth finding new ways to work together. When we started to design patches that send profits to specific initiatives, Sloth Speedways was the perfect first project to support. Climbers loved the idea of helping sloths and other wildlife keep climbing, and we sold the patches through Etsy and at events, always excited to see the updates from the team.
Earlier this year Marie Macaspac (TSI’s Chief Marketing & Development Officer) had an idea – what if we used climbing rope for the Speedways? If it’s strong enough to protect a climber taking a big fall, it should be strong enough to make a lovely bridge for a sloth. I asked a few local gyms if they had any spare rope for our sloth friends, explaining it would be used to keep them safely connected to shelter and food instead of attempting to cross roads or use power lines. Brooklyn Boulders and The Cliffs were more than happy to pass along rope that was no longer fit for the walls (but still fit for a sloth!) and all of a sudden we had 500 meters of Sloth Speedways.
It seemed the most cost efficient way to bring our new mountain of rope to TSI would be to simply pack some duffel bags and take a trip.
After a fun conversation with customs (“It’s for the sloths…”) I met my friend Joel, who had collected donated rope from Movement Fitness in Colorado. We took the bus to Manuel Antonio, rested for the night and woke up early the next morning to head to The Sloth Institute, where we met Tom and Carlos, Sloth Speedways experts. Tom identified the locations where a pathway was needed due to trimming or new development, Carlos installed and secured the Speedways, and we prepped the climbing rope for hanging.
Together we hung around ten new Speedways, taking a quick break to watch the release of Aladdin after a quick stay with TSI, and left the remaining rope for installation another day.
Looking at the new pathways, I thought about everything that went into this project and couldn’t be more grateful. Thankful for everyone who purchased a patch, helped spread the word, to the gyms who donated the rope, to Joel for carrying a heavy bag on a long trip and to TSI for creating and running such a great initiative. There’s still plenty of work to be done, but in my quest to be more like a sloth, I’m slowing down to appreciate what a wonderful trip this was.
My nephew Kevin Grinnell is an awesome individual !!!!. He is so talented and diverse !!. I am so very proud of him and the caring man he has always been. love Aunt Sandy