Summer fun activity #19
(The number is random)
However, today we (not me) went climbing at a local sports centre. Smallsteps has been here before, but it was the first time for us and while I wasn't climbing today, I bought a 3x card for both Smallsteps and myself that has to be used in the next 6 weeks, so will be up that wall next time.
We have been climbing together on a couple other occasions at another place where it is more aimed at kids, but this place was more "serious" in terms of the walls, which were all proper climbing walls, with bouldering as well.
While I wasn't climbing, I was full of (unwanted) advice and the amount of times I heard "you do it then" come out of their mouths was incredible. For the record, I have climbed many times before and while I am no pro, I do have a few tips that might be useful to try like, use your legs.
Smallsteps was smashing it.
After a reserved start, I convinced her to give the negative walls a go, where they go past vertical. And while she was dubious to begin with, she quickly got into it and was plotting her path, thinking through which way to go, taking backsteps to take a different approach and a times, just hanging freely, which she was calling a "rest" stop.
That wouldn't be a rest for me.
But she rounded a corner onto a second wall and path and then got up to the top, which made her pretty happy. She was annoyed at first that I was saying on some of them "why didn't you keep going?" because she felt I was only happy when she got to the top. But I told her that is not the case at all - I am happy when she tries. Sometimes she gives in a little too early, knowing she can go a bit further.
Once she started putting in that little bit more grit, she started to enjoy the climb more also, because it was a challenge to get those few higher. And she is pretty agile once she gets going and brave enough to make some leaps for holds that are out of her reach. Being short and petite is an advantage in getting up, but so too is having a long reach, which she doesn't have.
But they both had fun climbing and we will go again when I am more up for it. At least, Smallsteps and I will make a few more trips there to use our passes.
And since it poured down all day, this was a positive activity to get out of the house and be active, without having to get cold and wet. Of course, while I didn't climb the activity level for me was pretty low, but I went to the gym once we got home again to make up for it. And anyway, tomorrow it is prepping for painting the basement floor - and I will likely be doing that work alone.
We all have our walls to climb.
Or floor.
Taraz
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