After resolving not to disappear, I have disappeared again.? Sort of.? Lurking but not blogging.?? Many personal things have transpired since my new- year?s re-emergence: my husband?s job loss, a massive work project, my father?s quadruple bypass surgery and my resulting trip home?? In other circumstances I would say this has been one of the hardest years of my life.? Instead, I can say that I climbed a friggin? mountain this past spring! Okay, not a mountain, but a REALLY big rock.
In addition to diligently attending weight watchers meetings and losing 20 pounds (yay!), the real story of my spring and summer GUU experience boiled down to three words: Rock. Climbing. School.
After doing a GUU-inspired backpacking school last fall with the same club, I knew several people who loved this rock climbing school and encouraged my participation.? I harbored the hope that I would do it, but the fear that it would be a pipe dream.? I had to carefully think through and talk out what this might mean to me, whether the possible benefits would outweigh the cons of the cost, terrible timing with my life stressors, and developing a hubby-less hobby (he?s not a fan of heights).? After much hemming and hawing, I decided it could be life-changing and just went for it.
As anyone reading this blog knows, I?m a sucker for the idea of personal transformation. Like a lot of people, I struggle to narrow that gap between who I want to be and who I am, and to come to terms with the part of the gap that may never change.? Sometimes, perfectionism (?I don?t want to do it unless I can do it perfectly?) holds me back from achieving my goals. I was determined not to let it this time, even though my only rock climbing experience was limited to single outing on a trip at the age of 14.? I hadn?t even been to a rock gym since that time.? This would be a crash-course, with 5 classroom didactic sessions, and six Saturday outings involving actual.real.climbing.outside, all capped off by a graduation trip climbing up a gigantic cliff in West Virginia: Seneca Rocks.
Our introductory party for the school was a dose of reality and a bit of fear.? Not only did we have to sign one of those fun death-and-dismemberment waivers, as it was my first chance to scope out my classmates, or at least the majority that I didn?t already know from backpacking school the prior fall.? As a total novice climber, I was surprised to learn there weren?t more like myself.? Instead, this was a fairly competent bunch, with most rattling off a year or more of climbing experience in some form when it was their turn to stand.? This bunch looked to be primarily in their 20?s, and the sort who spent their Saturdays doing things like triathlons and kayak polo, rather than watching TV marathons of ?Arrested Development? (my sort).? Our group, while somewhat diverse, seemed exemplified by the midriff-baring blonde girl?all wiry muscle and legit tan?who reminded me vaguely of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.?? When it was my turn for introductions, I confessed to my rank inexperience and awkwardly repeated that ?it should be fun.??? I silently hoped my inexperience wouldn?t come back to haunt me, and wouldn?t prove a liability to anyone else.? I promised myself I would try bouldering (climbing un-roped up ?short? walls?7 feet or so?with mats below you as protection) at the climbing gym before the weekend.
I compensated for my inexperience by studying all the techniques in my manual a way, way lot: tying tons of different kinds of knots, learning to attach myself safely to the rope, belaying (holding the rope of the person climbing so it they fall you will catch them), and so much more.? The technical details of this sport?equipment, safety precautions? was both neat and intimidating. It is no wonder that the majority of climbers I met were engineers in their day jobs.?? My equipment for the class included a harness, various carabiners, a helmet, a rappel/ belay device, and some totally puzzling smaller ropes (which turned out to be for ?prusiking,? an emergency technique to allow you to ascend the rope).? I had to lean how to safely use all of these things, plus tie a whole bunch of knots for different, specialized purposes, hold someone else?s life safely in my hands, and set up anchors to attach the ropes to at the top of climbs as safely as possible.
The first outing had a tenuous start, between the fifty emails it took to arrange carpools and the wretched-looking weather forecast calling for driving rain and near-freezing temperatures.? At the parking lot gearing up with everyone, I was shivering in my five layers, hat, and gloves.? We did not waste any time down hiking the short path to the climbing area and stashing our packs under a ledge, and I joined the first group of volunteers at the rappel station (rappelling is lowering yourself down with a rope?backwards?off a cliff).? Even after completing a list of safety checks with an instructor, there was a quick flare of adrenaline when I took the first few steps backwards off the ledge and lowered myself down.
After rappelling, I went straight for my first climb.? As a novice, all the climbs looked intimidating: tall, craggy, and unforgiving.? I?d been assured the climb I was in the line for was the easiest, but with the bumpy ledge jutting out it did not look it.? I started climbing with probably six instructors on the ground.? I tried not to think about it, and just climb.? It was amazing how much it helped to have people cheering me on, and directing me to various hand and footholds.? I climbed to the top, and got lowered down to cheers and handshakes.
As the class and the outings progressed, I came to see that climbing is a very individual sport: when you climb, your climb is your own and is a totally individual experience.? I tried to keep my inner competitiveness/perfectionism (aka my ego) at bay, and be grateful for what climbing I am able do and to savor in the experience of learning and being a novice.? Several of my GUU experiences?including starting to play the guitar and practicing aikido?have helped me to be a better Beginner by focusing more on passion and effort than on myself.?? I also came to really enjoy climbing, quite a lot.
In part 2 I will finish up describing my experiences in rock school, including the graduation trip climbing Seneca Rocks.
One of my beginner climbs this summer.
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