Kelly was practically born trad climbing. From the tender age of two, Kelly was out exploring and scaling mountains with her family all over the country. Kelly’s real passion has always been for traditional adventure climbing and she has an impressive list of accomplishments and first ascents to her name. At 18 Kelly ran from the concrete jungle to the hills of West Virginia to begin an apprenticeship with the highly respected Seneca Rocks Mountain Guides. It was there that Kelly found her calling as a climbing guide. Kelly is the founder and owner of Athena Rock Climbing (ARC), a series of women’s only climbing events designed to help women advance their skills together on the rock. We met Kelly in the winter of 2015 when she traveled cross country to complete her continuing education through the Professional Climbing Guide Institute with Seth here in Joshua Tree. After spending the week in Joshua Tree, Kelly decided on a seasonal migration to the desert to fulfill her dream of guiding year-round. Kelly now lives the dream of guiding for half the year in Joshua Tree and the other half organizing ARC clinics. She is always seeking to advance in the field, and became the first female guide to attain the Multi-Pitch Guide certification through the PCGI in 2019. When she is not guiding, climbing, or hunting for first ascents Kelly can sometimes be found indoors working on completing her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. We love Kelly’s quick and quirky sense of humor, her most excellent technical climbing skills, and her dedication to her craft. If you’re lucky enough to climb with Ms. Fields, you’ll feel exactly the same way.
Certifications – P.C.G.I Master Guide; Wilderness First Responder