On The Rocks

Not really, I went to a climbing gym. I had a good time. I didn’t take a buddy and haven’t taken their belay (sp?) course so top rope climbing was right out. The had this large wall that was probably 25 feet high for aadvanced climbers where you clip yourself in as you go. The recommended I try the bouldering course, I think that was a good idea for today.
Basically a third of their gym doesn’t require any kind of rope or harness a good start for a beginner like me and a good place to go if you just want to kill 30-45 minutes. I had fun and my grip got a good workout. Toward the end I was getting more confident and doing some better holds than the obvious ones where there is an actual grip for you to grab. I can’d do any of the large bubble type ones or the little tiny ones but I did a couple that were like smoothed blocks coming out of the wall, likea tactical pullup type thing.
I didn’t realize it for the first half an hour I was there but they had the courses mapped out and graded. The V1 courses (one being the lowest) were very easy but a good place for me to get started. I could do most of the V2 courses although I may have been cheating on a couple. I grabbed a couple unmarked holds or a couple holds without my color on them. I couldn’t always make the leap four feet to the next one. So I did it anyway. I tried a couple V3s but usually go hung up on some grip I couldn’t manage.
It was interesting to watch the experienced people; light, strong and quick versus the newbies; light, weak and feeble. I fell into a different catagory all together; heavy, strong anf slow. I would hang off two hand holds with my feet in the air for a while, I just had no idea where to go. I would like to do some more of this kind of thing in future. I’m considering a pai of climbing shoes. They would quickly pay for themselves versus renting.
For the first half an hour I climbed a lot and the gym was mostly quiet. Then it started to get busy and I was getting tired so I slowed down a bit. It was then that I realized there were marked courses. I started to move around more and try different areas of the walls an play with my grip more. I learned a lot too. At one point I was hanging off the wall by my right arm trying to find a position for my left and couldn’t. I could see someone waitingfor my area so I just dropped. The next time I grabbed the wall, something felt wrong. Turns out I ripped a couple layers of skin off between the last two knuckles of my pinky. Didn’f hurt but felt really weird. I decided to call it a day there.

So I end my weekend, not quite as sunburnt and exhausted as I expected but I got some good workouts in and feel good, refreshed actually. I guess everybody IS working for the weekend or at least I am.