Last week, the boy and I took off a few days of work to join some friends in Jasper, Arkansas for a climbing trip in the Ozarks.
We first got into climbing a few years ago and have been doing it on and off ever since. There was a period when we were living in Glasgow in which we'd bike to the gym after work or on weekends and climb three times a week. At the peak of my strength, I was top roping the European equivalent of 5.12s and I could do two whole consecutive pull ups, which was two more than I ever imagined I could do in my life.
This was my third time climbing outdoors. Altogether there were 31 of us on this trip, including an infant. We stayed in cabins on or near the ranch and literally emptied several shelves of the nearest grocery stores when buying provisions to feed our small and hungry army.
Each morning was the same: we'd wake up early, meet at the main cabin on the ranch, pay the paltry $5 climbing fee, hike to a wall with our gear in tow, and set up our ropes.
I think that's part of what keeps climbing interesting for me - the twinge of fear that I still get when I look down, or the rush of excitement when I am able to finally literally grasp something that had been out of my reach. It's an activity where I can keep pushing my limits both physically and mentally. I also appreciate that climbing is something where being a relatively small person is not necessarily a handicap - in many other physical activities, that's not the case.
My sore muscles and bruised knees made sure I spent plenty of time off the wall too. In the afternoons, the hardcore climbers usually moved on to more challenging routes and I would either wander around on the ranch or soak in the hot tub and take in the beautiful, peaceful surroundings.
We converged in the evenings to play board games, drink beer, and stuff our faces with a hot meal. There aren't too many options when cooking for 31 people in a normal-sized kitchen so we went with real basic dishes like spaghetti and tacos. But it's amazing how good that stuff tastes after a long day outside.
I learned to play a game called Legends of the Three Kingdoms that's supposedly a rip-off of the card game Bang! In it, you play a role, work in a team and try to deceive others into thinking you're somebody else whilst accomplishing your mission. I got really addicted to it....surprise of the century.
On our last morning, we awoke to horses from the ranch grazing just outside our cabins.
I'll conclude with this beauty of a collage.
We first got into climbing a few years ago and have been doing it on and off ever since. There was a period when we were living in Glasgow in which we'd bike to the gym after work or on weekends and climb three times a week. At the peak of my strength, I was top roping the European equivalent of 5.12s and I could do two whole consecutive pull ups, which was two more than I ever imagined I could do in my life.
This was my third time climbing outdoors. Altogether there were 31 of us on this trip, including an infant. We stayed in cabins on or near the ranch and literally emptied several shelves of the nearest grocery stores when buying provisions to feed our small and hungry army.
Each morning was the same: we'd wake up early, meet at the main cabin on the ranch, pay the paltry $5 climbing fee, hike to a wall with our gear in tow, and set up our ropes.
This was a trip of several firsts for me. It was my first time lead climbing outdoors. I also cleaned my very first route, which involves climbing up the route, clipping in to the bolts at the top using a personal anchor, taking down the other anchors placed in the first place to support the rope, taking down the rope and clipping into it using a belay device, taking the personal anchor off the wall (gulp), and rappelling down to safety. This all went swimmingly until I had to rappel down, at which point I looked down, saw how high up I was, realized that nobody except me was in control of the rope that my life depended upon, and had a panic attack. After a lot of hyperventilating and coaxing and promises from below that no I would not die, I slowly and painfully rappelled my way down. Words cannot describe how good it felt to have my feet planted back on the ground after that.
I think that's part of what keeps climbing interesting for me - the twinge of fear that I still get when I look down, or the rush of excitement when I am able to finally literally grasp something that had been out of my reach. It's an activity where I can keep pushing my limits both physically and mentally. I also appreciate that climbing is something where being a relatively small person is not necessarily a handicap - in many other physical activities, that's not the case.
My sore muscles and bruised knees made sure I spent plenty of time off the wall too. In the afternoons, the hardcore climbers usually moved on to more challenging routes and I would either wander around on the ranch or soak in the hot tub and take in the beautiful, peaceful surroundings.
I learned to play a game called Legends of the Three Kingdoms that's supposedly a rip-off of the card game Bang! In it, you play a role, work in a team and try to deceive others into thinking you're somebody else whilst accomplishing your mission. I got really addicted to it....surprise of the century.
On our last morning, we awoke to horses from the ranch grazing just outside our cabins.
