For those of you who saw me on one of the first times I climbed (Thanks Jeff for both introducing me and scaring the absolute crap out of me), you found out a few things.  One, I have no talent for climbing and two, I have one of the more respectful stances with regards to gravity that you will ever meet.  Basically, heights bother me when I feel exposed.  Yes, I know I live 400ft off the ground, but the view and bullet-proof glass make it worthwhile. 

Regaling some months back, at the top of my first climb, every muscle in my body was completely tensed so that I wouldn't fall off.  Too bad that that strategy works against you.  I was so fearful, to say I felt uncomfortable releasing my death grip on the wall so that I could be lowered down, is like saying King Kong was just a monkey.  As an aside, I now have a lot more respect for his free climbing of the Empire State building.  With such big fingers, he had to have crimped all the way up.  And that, without any protection from falling and the unblanced load of Fae Rae.  I'll admit, if you had placed a piece of coal in a strategic spot on me, you would have had a diamond by the end of my first night of climbing.

Well, I at least no longer have the fear of falling while top belayed in an indoor gym.  After three months of concerted climbing indoors, I was finally talked into going outside by Ellen on a beautiful Spring-like day this past Sunday.  There, Bernadine met us for a couple of hours of fun at Allenbrook, a bluff overlooking the Chattahoochie River just outside of Roswell proper.  I will blame Bernadine as much for getting me out there as she was the first to adopt me into a great group of friends and climbers with which I currently climb each week.  If my tennis, volleyball, or cycling groups are worried, don't be.  This climbing group rips into me with their caustic wit just like you do.  Ellen's happy that I seem to be deflecting a great deal of what she used to get.  Glad I can be there for everyone.

The fear I lost from my experience in the indoor gym did to some degree alleviate some of my trepidation in climbing outdoors.  But DEFINITELY not all of them.  At the park, we hike down this nice little path and we get to the top stone outcropping of rock.  Beautiful view of the Hooch.  It had rained a great deal the day before, so there was a little waterfall going and everything just felt clean.  Ah, the outdoors.  But, we were a long way up from the river, which was disconcerting to me.  Ellen walks to the edge of the rock (can you believe there wasn't a guard rail), looks down, and throws the rope over.  I cautiously stay a good 10 feet back from the ledge.  I can already feel another diamond forming, if you know what I mean.  It just feels that the nearer a ledge I go, the more something inside pulls me toward and over it.

The really safe thing about indoor climbing is that you have a set of bolts at the top of the climb that are screwed into metal.   From these bolts are large carabiners that can withstand thousands of pounds of weight.  You can see that everything is good before you start your climb, plus, it's in air conditioning, not the elements, so there's less chance of wear and tear.  Outside, you're not normally this lucky, and even the stuff that you might find may be cracked, rusted, or just plain weathered.  So, outside, it's all on you to correctly and safely set up your protection.  On our way out, we definitely saw a not so right way of doing it.   Ellen was excellent is showing me exactly how to set up "bomb-proof" anchors.  She showed me the knots to use and the correct way of situating the ropes so that the only stress would be from our weight down below, not from any side pulling.  We had 3 different pieces of protection (a rock, a tree, and the root of another tree just in case) along with multiple carabiners set in such a way that if one did fail, the other couldn't possibly.  I felt comfortable when I finally roped in at the bottom of the cliff.  That's saying a lot, considering my mind set towards high places and my even more "keep it safe" mentality I have since Alex' birth.  For instance, I don't drive nearly as fast as I used to.  Anyway, great job Ellen on getting the setup correct and giving me confidence in it.

Allenbrook is a perfect place to learn to climb.  The anchoring is excellent and straightforward, and while there are just a few climbs, to choose from, they range significantly in difficultyand aren't overly high (about the height of what I am used to in the indoor gyms).  My first climb was on a 5.5/5.6 which had small shelfs all the way up.  Basically, a ladder.  It can be climbed in boots, to be honest.  First timers would have little problem getting up it. Great places for your feet, so balance was not an issue.  There are a couple of routes that were pretty easy on it.  However, one got me way out and away from the belay anchor (top of the rope).  Although, it wasn't that tough a position, my mind played tricks on me and I got very tense.  I actually harkend back (to people still say harkened?) to my first night in the gym.  Same feeling.  Luckily, I had two things in my favor.  Good belay and support down below me (thanks for talking me through it, B and E) and I kept enough of my cool just long enough to traverse to get underneath the rope.  If I had fallen, I would have simply swung across the rock face and probably gotten a scraped knee and a bruised ego.  

With some confidence from earlier climbs, I tried something harder.  In the frames on the right, I am on a slightly overhangy route.  I'm guessing this if 5.8+.  There were much more challenging routes with huge overhangs, that I probably won't be ready for for years.  However, I was really happy to make this climb.  I didn't think I had it in me.

Funny, but outside, the holds just aren't as good as those found in the indoor gym (on the easier routes I do)!  I didn't have a single pocket in which to put my hand!  There were no outcroppings of stone that looked like mushrooms, and nothing was color coded for my climbing pleasure.  Climbing inside can make you soft!  All I had were these stupid, flat ledges. Anway, early fear let go to a sense of accomplishment by the end of the day.  I think that's why I like climbing so much.  I'm facing a fear, while strengthening the mind and body.  Plus, I would have kicked myself if I hadn't gone outside.  It was beautiful out there.

It's funny, but the scariest part of the whole day, as I look back, was taking the "long way around" to the bottom of the bluff.  It was wet and mossy and I wasn't tied in to a rope.  Climbing on the exposed surface with the right shoes and a chalk bag was the easy part!

A final word of caution about outdoor climbing:  Please go with experienced climbers until you feel confident doing it yourself.  The best rule is that at least two people know how to do the setup so that there are checks and balances.  While Allenbrook is a relatively easy place to climb your first time, it can still be extremely hazardous.  Find experieced climbers with good equipment and a sense for safety first.  While I watched intently every step of the setup for Sunday's climb, I would be foolhardy to think I could now set up a belay station myself without supervision.  Climbing can be hazardous if not done correctly and with the upmost caution.  OK - now no one can sue me.  Right?

Jeff/Becky - thanks again for getting me turned on to something I had always wanted to try!  It's been really good for me.