climbing rocks

I have a week membership to the local rock climbing gym. I got it with a belaying* lesson I took on Wednesday.

It's an awful lot of fun- like the tree climbing I used to do as a kid, but of course in a different sense of space and much, much taller. There's whole other vocabulary associated with it, which is exciting in a way. Always fun to be let in on the secret. I'm decent, I guess. J says I have good form, really using my feet (monkey). My current challenge is a 5-9^. I'd like to be climbing at a 5-10 by December of this year. J says a month of practice would bring me there, but I don't want to get my hopes up. Humility is a great learning tool. (is it full of myself to say that?)

Since I am just beginning, belaying is actually fun. We were going to climb outdoor yesterday, but J opted for in and blamed it on the weather, quickly glossing over the fact that I have no experience and his life would be in my hands. Very valid point and one I take seriously. Like lifeguarding, it's repetitive but you remain attentive by reminding yourself you can't predict when an accident will happen and every life is precious. He said he'd be able to tell me when he was about to fall, but yesterday there was a slippery hold and it was unexpected. He didn't drop an inch and his praise was better than any wall I mastered myself.

The plan is to prep for Thailand so I can hit Railay Beach, a popular spot. Ko Phi Phi has great rock face as well. We plan to do outdoor next weekend so I have a little experience there.

I'm about to head back again. There's a 5.9 route I reached the top of yesterday but with two rests because my forearms were tired. There's an autobelay device right in front of it so I can do it alone. How perfect! Climbing rocks.
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* Belaying (top rope) is when you are the functional bottom of a pully system for the climber. They are at one end of the rope, it's fed through a wheel at the top and you are at the other end, controlling the slack. If they drop, you need to be ready to stop the flow of the rope and keep them suspended.

^ The difficulty of a route is measured on a 5.N system. Starts with 5.5 and goes to 5.15. Difficulty can be based on the shape of the holds (the smaller, the harder), how far apart they are, overhangs, body positioning etc.