I’m Sabra Purdy, the other half of Cliffhanger Guides. I grew up scrambling on the crazy limestone boulders in Columbia State Park. Early on, I realized that the eastern Sierra was where I wanted to be. I liked big landscapes, big views, and big old pieces of stone. I learned to climb on the rocks of Tuolumne Meadows and its environs and realized that this messing about on rocks made me happier than anything else in the world. I love rocks, rivers, and road trips, and have a special fondness for ill-conceived journeys into foreign countries (a formative travel book in my youth was titled I Should Have Stayed Home).

Around 2005 I met one Mr. Seth Heydon Zaharias – mad Greek, inspired adventurer, climber of off-widths, and hands down, the funniest person I’ve ever known. I’ve never had a better partner and we recognized in each other kindred spirits. So much so that I hauled off and married him. Now that was an adventure! We’ve spent many wonderful days together on the rock, adventuring, and causing scenes. Somewhere along the line in my checkered academic career (it took me 8 years to get my undergrad because I kept running off to the mountains), I got hired to take kids climbing. That was so much fun, I hired on with a local organization that got kids outside fooling around in dirt and climbing. Eventually, I ended up at UC Davis where I spent the next 6 years working for their highly developed outdoor program, Outdoor Adventures, while pursuing a Masters’s in Restoration Ecology. At OA, I managed the climbing program, taught classes, and trained guides. In more recent years I’ve taken courses through the Professional Climbing Guides Institute and started Cliffhanger Guides with Seth.

People have a deep-seated need for adventure in the outdoors. It allows us to refresh our minds and spirits and gets us away from the grind of our stressful lives. I have seen firsthand how transformative a fun and exciting day in the outdoors can be. We feel like it is our personal duty to get people out into nature. It feels so good to see someone’s face light up when they reach the top of a climb, the happy camaraderie of a day well-spent in the mountains, the amazing transformation that occurs as stress and the everyday concerns fall away.  We’ll make you laugh with our off-color stories and our hare-brained schemes. I’ll tell you more than you ever wanted to know about bugs and snakes and weeds and things. We will eat and be merry. I invite you to come adventuring with us.

Certifications: PCGI Single Pitch Guide; Wilderness First Responder

Seth Heydon Zaharias has called Joshua Tree home since 1999, where he lives with his wife, partner, and constant co-conspirator Sabra Purdy at the internationally famous desert oasis known as the Sethspool. A lifelong climber, Seth was introduced to rock climbing in 1990 and was immediately hooked. The adventure, the mental chess match of solving sequences on the rock, the physical intensity of long days in the mountains, and the vibrant climbing community all pulled him in. By the age of 21, he knew outdoor education would not just be a job, but his life’s work.

Now with 30 years in outdoor education, Seth has logged more than 3,000 professional guide days, which translates to roughly eight full years spent on the rock guiding clients. His work has taken him across many iconic climbing destinations including Joshua Tree, the Eastern Sierra, Devils Tower National Monument, Montana, and El Chorro in Spain. In 2002 he spent a season working with the elite Yosemite Search and Rescue team.

Seth is a Professional Climbing Guides Institute (PCGI) Certified Multi-Pitch Guide and Mentor, one of the highest levels of certification offered by the organization. In addition to guiding, he trains and mentors the next generation of professional climbing guides.

Seth is also the co-founder of Cliffhanger Guides, which he launched in 2010 to share the world-class climbing of Joshua Tree with visitors from around the globe. Beyond guiding, he has become a prominent community member, fundraiser, and event producer, organizing climbing festivals, conservation initiatives, and community gatherings that support public lands and strengthen the desert community he loves.

Known for his larger-than-life personality and endless energy, Seth brings equal parts experience, humor, and wild desert spirit to every adventure. For him, guiding isn’t just work—it’s a way of life built around adventure, connection, and sharing the magic of the outdoors.

Certifications: PCGI Mentor; Wilderness First Responder

Andy grew up right here in the High Desert—a true blue, homegrown Joshua Tree native. At 13, a friend asked, “Want to go climbing?” They went. It was fun. That was it. The hook was set.

Since then, climbing hasn’t just been something Andy does—it’s something that threads itself through life as spectacle and practice, community and philosophy, metaphor and humbling reality. It’s an ever-rewarding challenge, a teacher that doesn’t raise its voice but always makes its point. Guiding, for Andy, is sharing that thread and helping others discover how climbing can shape the way they move through the world.

Andy is a man of many trades and talents. As the former manager of JT’s local gear store, Nomad Ventures, he is a walking rolodex of gear knowledge—ropes, cams, rubber, and why your anchor idea might need a second look. He’s also an arborist by trade, comfortable moving through trees with the same economy he brings to stone, and a substitute teacher with an endless patience to handle a gaggle of 5 year olds (praise Andy!). Whether he’s dialing in your rack, pruning palms under a desert sun, or explaining geometry to a room full of teenagers, Andy is, at heart, a guide.

Andy is one of our few guides that hangs around during the summer. The heat doesn’t bother him one bit, although he occasionally escapes to the mountains to sample rock further afield. Still, he strongly maintains that Joshua Tree’s monzonite granite is the best (he’s biased, and unapologetic about it) even though some of his most memorable days have unfolded in the Blue Mountains, the sea-carved limestone of Les Calanques, and the basalt walls of Múlagljúfur Canyon.

Beyond climbing, Andy loves skydiving, scuba diving, and film photography. He once lived on a sailboat for a few years, worked a summer at Disneyland, and met his wife while playing accordion. He shares life with his dogs and maintains one steadfast truth: he does not like peaches. He wishes he did. They bring joy to others. But to him? Gross.

A day of climbing with Andy means exploring the desert through the eyes of someone who grew up in the Mojave and has a deep love of the desert and the stunning rock formations we play on—sharing the park’s history, flora and fauna, and unforgettable stories from a lifetime of adventure

Certifications – PCGI Single Pitch Guide; First Aid/CPR

Certifications – P.C.G.I Lead Guide; Wilderness First Responder

A true desert local, Mike was born and raised in 29 Palms with Joshua Tree National Park as his backyard playground. After a first taste of bouldering in high school, he dove in headfirst in 2014—picking up his first pair of shoes, a chalk bag, and a crash pad. What started as curiosity quickly became a calling.

Mike is drawn to the movement and texture of stone—the subtle shifts in balance, the puzzle of a sequence, the satisfying moment when everything clicks. For him, climbing is about more than the send. It’s about long days outside, good company, shared challenges, and the confidence that comes from stepping beyond your comfort zone.

As a guide, Mike brings steady energy, patience, and authentic desert roots to every outing. He loves introducing new climbers to the vertical world and helping experienced climbers refine their craft—all while sharing the landscapes that shaped him.

He climbs Joshua Tree year-round and heads to higher elevations in summer, including Idyllwild in the San Bernardino Mountains. You’ll also find him exploring granite at Spy Mountain in Landers or making trips to Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area for its sweeping sandstone walls.

When he’s not on the rock, Mike snowboards, rides dirt bikes and quads, catches concerts and movies, and searches out great food. He’s also known for packing out more than he packs in—doing his part to keep wild places clean and beautiful.

A day climbing with Mike—a true JT native—feels like heading out with a longtime friend. Whether you’re a first-time climber, a gym climber making the leap outdoors, or a seasoned climber looking for a partner with deep knowledge of Joshua Tree National Park, you’re in for an unforgettable day on the rock.

Instagram handle: Dunkfan9

Certifications: PCGI Top Rope Guide; First Aid/CPR

Sarah grew up right here in J Tree, running barefoot through the desert and scrambling on top of rock piles at an early age. Climbing has always been second nature to her. It’s been 6 years since she was first introduced to climbing, and was brought onto the Cliffhanger team during the 2019/2020 season. She has a background in teaching kids climbing classes and has worked with children ages 3-15. Getting them outside, connecting them with nature, and helping them explore through climbing brings her joy. She loves anything movement based that allows her to connect the mind and body, especially if it happens outside. Her aspirations of one day becoming a yoga teacher are inspired by that same practice. In the summer months, she can be found chasing cooler weather and playing in the mountains. Though Joshua Tree is her home, getting out and spending extended periods of time on unfamiliar land is really exciting. If you get the opportunity to climb with Sarah Dudley, you’ll be delighted by her gentle teaching style, patience, and love of climbing.

Certifications – P.C.G.I Single Pitch Guide; First Aid/CPR certified