One of my many hobbies is rock
climbing. I would love to spend more of my time doing it like I used to. In the
post on passion I talked a bit about rock climbing but let’s see if I can
expound some more on it. Why do I choose
rock climbing, well I consider myself an athlete so I enjoy the challenge of it
both physically and mentally. It’s a challenge mentally for two different
reasons. One because each climb is like a puzzle, it’s not painted out for you
where the holds are. You have to find them in the sequence that works for you.
The second reason is because you need mental endurance. You need to stay
focused and determined to finish routes when you’re tired. The enjoyment of the
physical challenge comes from the tiredness you feel in your arms at the end of
the day. Barely being able to grab anything because your forearms are so worn
out and being able to look back at what you were able to finish… what an
awesome feeling.
One of the most rewarding things
about rock climbing for me is being able to stand, or hang, on top of a cliff
or spire and behold the vast expanse of the world below. Knowing that I took
the more challenging route, or in some cases only route, to that view. One of
my favorite climbs I’ve done was in Moab, Utah. The climb was called Kor-Ingals
on the Castleton Tower (one of those tall rock spires out in the desert). From
the start of the climb it’s just over 400 feet to the top split up into four
sections. The third of which being the most difficult because at the beginning the
corner you’ve been climbing in separates and creates a 3 foot gap with no holds
on either face. So for at least 20 feet you have to do what’s called a “lie
back”. Grabbing the edge of the wall on the gap side you put your feet against
the other wall spanning the gap and sort of walk your way up. It is a very
tiring technique and I was so happy to reach the top of that section. Then when
we reached the top I had a 360 degree view of the desert below and way off in
the distance, snow capped mountains. So, so beautiful.
400
Me and my family were into rock climbing while i was longer. Even though it's been years since I've done any climbing, it is still best best sport in my opinion. There are thousands of different places you can climb, and each is a new challenge to overcome.
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