Immersion Experience Rough Draft
I start to climb, around there are echoes of other voices and activity going on around me, below me. I grasp new hand holds shift my feet and rise slowly higher and higher with each move. I reach for a difficult hold, not quite within my grasp, I jump, I miss, I’m falling. The feel of free fall for those few seconds is gut wrenching, until the rope stops my dissent. My partner on the other side of the rope slowly lowers me the rest of the way down. My second attempt at getting to the top of this wall, but not the last.
Before I experienced climbing for the first time, it always seemed like the largest hurtle to me being able to do it was my lack of physical skill. I knew with certainty that I would not be able to make it to the top of any wall for quite some time and a lot of practice. What I found was that I was completely wrong. My biggest hindrance in getting up to the top was not knowing where to put my feet next, and making it to the top was not the issue, but rather mastering more and more difficult or longer routes. What I thought would be a slow struggle of endurance became a fun puzzle of what my next move would be.
Another hurtle was dealing with the thought of falling. Climbing that high in the air means that eventually you will need to come down and that means there comes a point where you fall accidentally or another point where you choose to let go and trust that your partner will get you safely back to the ground.
Some of the fear I have was eased by the training I underwent when I first started rock climbing. They trained me on how the equipment works and the double checks that should happen before you climb to make sure all knots are tight and all gear is I working order.
The atmosphere was also much more positive than what I expected and more group oriented. When climbing on a lead rope you always have a partner on the ground holding the rope in case you fall and to lower you down at the end of a climb. Even while not climbing or belaying I was involved in helping my friends by pointing out the best foot holds and suggesting their next move. As I watched this was something that was happening all around me, friends offering encouragement and support to those climbing.