Up, Up and Away!

Tackling the Brooklyn Bridge wallYesterday, I took the day off from WODing to play a bit.  The plan had been to go hiking, but because it looked like it might rain, my friend and I hit up Brooklyn Boulders for some indoor climbing instead.  I'm pretty sure that I had only attempted a climbing wall once before, and I'm pretty sure that was in high school.  So this was new territory for me.

We started the day with a bouldering class, where we learned the basics of how to climb the color-coded routes.  For the lower climbs (10-15 feet), you don't wear a harness; you either jump down or climb back down.  (Or fall.)  The floor is thickly padded.  

Amazingly enough, I was able to make it to the top of several of the easiest routes right off the bat.  I really enjoyed being able to use my strength in a different way, and getting to the top of something is pretty gratifying.

I was surprised by how mental climbing walls are.  Each route is like a puzzle, and figuring out your next move before your forearms give out can be pretty challenging.  It was awesome.

After messing around with the lower walls for a while, we got harnesses and tried the auto-belay routes, which were significantly higher.  The rope took some of the strain off because until you start to fall, it tugs you upward a bit.  And zipping back down was very fun.  I didn't make it all the way up on these routes, but that was totally mental.  Even with the harness, the height was somewhat freaky.  Next time, I'm getting all the way up for sure, though!

As the day went on, the gym filled up with people - including lots of little kids.  The kids were amazing.  They quite literally scampered up and down the walls, moving like little spiders, and nailing the harder climbs.  Clearly, human beings were born to climb.  Most of us have just forgotten how.

-Gym Belle-