WATKINSVILLE, GA — August 4, 2026
By Phillip
Some stories have a way of coming full circle.
Read the Full Article
Read the Full Article in the Oglethorpe Echo here.
This week, we're honored to be featured by The Oglethorpe Echo—not just because they wrote about APEX, but because they traced the story all the way back to where my own adventure began.
Long before APEX, I was just a kid growing up in Crawford, spending countless days climbing the granite boulders at Shaking Rock Park in nearby Lexington.
Shaking Rock in Lexington, GA — a short 25-minute drive from APEX Climbing and Spa.
More importantly, I was learning from people like Mike Rivers.
Mr. Rivers taught generations of young people that the outdoors isn't just a place to play—it's a place to build courage, character, resilience, and a love for adventure that lasts a lifetime.
Today, after all these years, I still have the privilege of sharing coffee with Mr. Rivers here at APEX as we dream about new adventures for our community... including returning to Shaking Rock with APEX climbers, right where so much of this journey first began.
A climber at Shelter Rock, one of the popular boulders in Shaking Rock Park.
Shaking Rock Park is just a short 25-minute drive from APEX Climbing and Spa — close enough for a quick afternoon of bouldering, and exactly the kind of place we love sharing with our community.
🗺️ Explore the Boulders
Grab the PDF book and map of all the boulders in Shaking Rock Park — a handy guide to the park's granite playground before your next visit.
There's another full-circle moment that makes this story especially meaningful.
Growing up in Crawford, I remember the excitement of seeing my own photo appear in The Oglethorpe Echo from time to time. Now, decades later, it's an honor to have APEX featured in those same pages—especially as the newspaper continues its incredible new chapter in partnership with the University of Georgia's Grady College under the leadership of one of my former professors. I greatly enjoyed the interview and excellent writing by Sarah Nanos.
It's a reminder that the greatest adventures rarely begin with buildings or businesses.
They begin with people.
People who invest in kids.
People who believe in communities.
People who pass the torch.
Thank you, Oglethorpe Echo and Sarah Nanos, for telling that story so beautifully.
And thank you, Mr. Rivers, for helping so many of us discover that adventure has always been about much more than climbing rocks.
— Phillip
Phillip and Mike Rivers at APEX — a full-circle friendship that began at Shaking Rock Park.