Wandering Mind

I love the smell of chalk on my hands. I just bought my one year climbing pass and I went out on my first bouldering excursion here at the Gunks. For anyone who doesn’t know, bouldering is rock climbing that stays close to the ground so if you fall it’s safe or at least non-lethal, while rock climbing is going higher and using ropes and gear for protection to keep from hitting the ground (oh, and the chalk is put on the hands to keep from slipping). It felt good to be on rock again, it’s been over a year. I was happy that my hands and feet remembered what they are supposed to do, whether or not they have the strength and calluses to do it (which they don’t). I just climbed around a bit to strengthen the hands and rough up the finger tips, successfully I might add as I could feel my heartbeat in my fingertips hiking out and they are currently hypersensitive to temperature (another sign of good, rough rock). I wasn’t thinking, though, and brought my “good” climbing shoes which are screamin’ tight. Not the best shoes to break my feet back into climbing. Even in my prime I couldn’t wear them more than 20 minutes and they’ve shrunk and my feet have spread.

It was a little bit of a let down just because I haven’t climbed in so long and I need to get my body back into climbing condition which doesn’t happen instantly. I think part of me was hoping I would just hop on the rock and cruise. It would be like taking a year off from yoga and then coming back to the mat and not being able to touch your toes in utanasana. It’s frustrating for the ego but it won’t take long, just patience. I think the thing that scares me the most is getting back into placing pro (short for “protection” which is gear placed in cracks in the rock that a climber attaches her/his rope to in order to prevent sudden contact with the ground) and learning to trust it. It’s not something you want to screw up two hundred feet in the air. But it really is all practice and patience. I’ve been there before and I’ll be there again. My goal is going to be similar to my yoga. Do something every day, no matter what. Even if it’s only bouldering for 5 minutes, just get my hands and feet on the rock, it’s only five minutes from my house so no excuses. I’m also checking into splitting up the blog so I can have yoga, climbing or both so people don’t have to read what doesn’t interest them.