"Down on the ground, it was hard to connect, hard to attach, hard to untangle, hard to let go. But up here, I understood. Up here, I could make it good." Broken by an abusive relationship, Emily Meg Weinstein impulsively tries rock climbing on a California road trip, following strangers into the vertical world. Soon, she is consumed by her addiction to the freedom she feels when she's up on the wall. Holding on to the rocks, she is free from societal constraints and expectations, free from her own sorrows and longings. Raw and dark, but also funny, Weinstein describes the steep learning curve of becoming a climber, spending weeks at a time sleeping in the back of her Subaru, and a long, dark night stuck on top of a mountain. As she ascends, Weinstein faces her demons, finding power and grace in risk and adventure. A memoir of sex, angst, and rocks, Turn to Stone chronicles one woman's ascent--on walls of stone and within herself--as she faces her demons and finds freedom and power in the raw and wild adventure of rock climbing."