Going Vertical

Thirty feet sounds a lot higher when you’re standing at the bottom of a vertical wall.  It sounds even higher when you've tried to climb that vertical wall.  Granted, I wasn't trying to climb all the way up, but still, it’s a long way to the top.  It may take more work than I’m generally inclined to want to put into gym class, but I have never been more excited for PE.

I’m not saying that I didn't enjoy swimming last semester, because I did, but I couldn't say that I actually looked forward to jumping into the freezing water.  If we had been competitive swimmers, we probably would have complained about how hot it was, but we weren't, and it was cold enough that if we weren't doing a lot of swimming or moving, I would end class starting to lose feeling in my fingers.  I’m not kidding.

The closest I've ever been to really being excited about gym was my sophomore year of high school when I did my mandatory semester of project adventure.  We did the ropes course and went hiking and cross country skiing.  If an activity involves dirt under my fingernails, mud under my shoes, and good old blood, sweat, and tears, I’m there.  Okay, maybe subtract the blood and tears part.

Anyway, I showed up at my first basic rock climbing (or b-rock, as the instructors seem to call it) class last Monday.  We signed the release waiving our right to sue Cornell for injury due to lightning, drowning, falling rocks, etc. and then walked over to the wall.  Like I said, looks a lot bigger when you’re standing at the bottom of it.  It spans the entire width of Bartels Hall, a building that contains a basketball court/arena, practice space for the soccer team, and the wrestling gym with room to spare.  According to Cornell Outdoor Education’s website, it’s the largest “indoor natural rock climbing wall in North America.”  Well, then.  Makes me glad I came to Cornell.

Cornell’s climbing wall has both natural rock holds and some sort of composite concrete holds (like the colorful ones on a lot of indoor rock walls – a lot easier to use than the natural holds).  If you stay below ten feet, you’re allowed to climb unroped, which is referred to as bouldering.  That’s how we began our adventures climbing.

It was incredibly fun, and as an added bonus, I got to use some arm muscles that I didn't even know existed.  Like those ones along your elbows.  Someone tell me what those are for in normal life.

When you sign up for basic rock climbing, you also get a climbing pass and shoe rental for the semester, so I have one thing to say to the Lindseth climbing wall: I will be back.