This year has been a big year for me in the sport of climbing. About 12 months ago I started bouldering at a gym near ARI, in March I got to go see the Bouldering World Cup in Saitama, Japan, in April I did a little climbing at Railay Beach in Thailand, in June I went bouldering at the famous Shiobara boulders near Nikko National Park, in November I led my first sport climbing routes at Reimer's Ranch in Travis county, in December I led my first trad climbing routes at Enchanted Rock SP, and last week I got to lead part of a trad route in Zion National Park before heading to the Ouray Ice Festival in Colorado where I took an ice climbing clinic and got to do some climbs in the gorge where I met Steve House a climbing legend.
I have wanted to be a good climber for a while now, it's been and off and on kind of thing throughout college. I would get really excited and climb a lot at the gym, maybe go outside a few times, get pretty strong, then stop climbing only to pick it up again from the beginning a while later.
I can give you all kinds of reasons why, but I guess I just wasn't that into it. Now though, I am not just climbing (pulling myself up a wall) but moving forward in technique and learning how to climb in the traditional sense and protecting myself as I move up the wall which makes everything a little more real. I started trying this type of climbing to improve my outdoor resume but have found that I really enjoy the challenge and the exposure. Now it is not a matter of how difficult the actual moves are, now I get to think about where I will stand to place gear, or how I can get to the next bolt on the wall. It has added a whole new dimension that forces me to climb within my limits in order to safely protect a fall.
Over the next few months I hope to do a lot more climbing and I will keep you updated on those exploits as I move along in the sport. I hope you are all well.
Peace, Love, and Goof Food.
Mike
