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ROCKCLIMBING Honestly, I didn't expect
to like rock climbing as much as I do. I had been
exposed to free climbing and scrambling because of B.A.S.E.
and during general hiking with my skydiver friends and was not thrilled about
not being
tied in. Once climbing out after a jump off the Perrine
Bridge in Twin Falls, I had fallen off of a vertical crack near the
tree at the top. I kicked off as I was falling so I landed on the ledge instead of falling
back. That was enough to put me literally into tears. Even the
scramble was not enjoyable, resulting in my hiking out the
rest of the trip (and every trip afterwards). I'm just not
into dying, ya know?
So, my next few set of
experiences involved free climbing Escondido Falls and a few
other places which was "okay". Nothing too technical but
really not
exciting either. I pretty much scratched off any climbing or
bouldering off
my list and forgot about it. Then I started at the
climbing gym as an afternoon activity with a few friends of
mine and had a lot more fun than expected. Later I went back a
few times to increase my strength, problem solving and
routing skills. Having someone on belay is a whole heck
of a lot better than free climbing for me. Not to mention the whole act of being
tied-in gives you the confidence to experiment and not take it
too incredibly seriously. You can get better
without worrying about killing yourself. That's always a plus. I think of
it like practicing BASE exits out of a balloon with skydiving
gear. There is a safe way of going about most things
until you get comfortable.
Rockclimbing is also a
great workout! It is fun to do with friends, never
boring and you can be climbing for 3 hours and not even
realize it. It increases strength, balance, mental
acuity and trust in yourself and friends. Although
indoor rockclimbing isn't what I'd call extreme, it sure
as heck helps you rockclimb outdoors. And where better to
start than in the safety of a controlled environment? Granted
you won't see me climbing the face of El Cap. Don't get me
wrong, if I had the chance, I'd jump off of it, lol. But I am
NOT climbing it for two or three days and sleeping on that rockface
in a bivouac and using the bathroom in a bag just to carry it
down with me. I'd feel entirely too uncomfortable without a
BASE rig strapped to me 24-7. I absolutely do NOT like
being on the edge of anything without having a rig on. I'm just not that cool, and I
accept it!
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