Poop Shute

Rock Climbing, F^@k yeah!

Ryan, Lenka and I went to the Phoenix Rock Gym on Sunday for my first time. I used to hang out a lot with a group of guys that went a couple times a week, and they invited me often but for some reason it never interested me.

I cannot imagine why it never interested me! It was a BLAST! And, I found out that I'm really frigging good at it. I started on the easy ones, a 5.5 and 5.6 and was immediately eager for something challenging. Those were a nice intro to the sport, but way too easy, so I skipped a few ratings for my next one.

I belayed for Ryan as he attempted a 5.10, and looking at it, I knew I could do it. Ryan didn't even make it half way up because he couldn't solve the puzzle aspect of the course.

And that's it right there. THAT is why I love rock climbing so much. They give you a labeled course of specific holds, and you have to do whatever you can to use only those to get up it. You have to figure out which hand or foot to put which place when, and on the harder courses putting the wrong foot or hand on the wrong place leaves you with nowhere to go. That's where Ryan lost. He had the wrong hold, and couldn't reach to the next one.

I had it figured out before I started, and once I started I quickly got about 3/4 of the way up...

...and then my grip strength gave out, and I fell off. I knew where I was going, but I had no gas left in the tank. I had already done three easier climbs, and a bunch of "bouldering" and my forearms and hands aren't used to that kind of workload. My own body betrayed me, and left me defeated by the 5.10.

Later that day, and into the next Ryan complained of soreness everywhere afterwards, but for me it was only in the hands and forearms. I will have to go buy a couple of those little grip exercisers and workout my forearms before I return to tackle that 5.10 again.

And I will go back and beat that climb. Hopefully before they rearrange the holds and courses. They do that periodically, but I don't know how often.

It will be mine, oh yes, it will be mine.

UPDATE

Lenka and I have just made a bet. We're both trying to get more motivated to write daily, so we have issued a challenge: the first of us who let's a calendar day go by without at least a paragraph posted to their blog must be slave to the winner for a whole day. Slave meaning they must do anything the winner wants, except things that will get them hurt, killed or jailed.

Her blog is in my links under Czech Chic for those of you interested in reading hers as well. And let us know when somebody loses, we might not remember by the time it happens.