Climbing
Climbing and I have an interesting relationship. If I haven't climbed in a while it usually takes a bit of time for me to get back into the feel for climbing. Sometimes I can even tell the exact minute I turn back into a climber and stop being a fumbling pretend climber. I had that minute yesterday.
Up until then I've been doing bits of climbing but i've been holding off concentrating on my paddling, but now that my assessment is over and there is no water i've decided to turn back into a climber. For the last two weeks i've been stumbling up climbs, mostly following people and finding them rather difficult.
Yesterday I was still climbing on a top rope but half way during the day my brain switched to being a climber again. I was seconding liam up daffodills (it's a VS climb in the Gap of Dunloe) and there was a piece of gear completely stuck (I'll just say now before you jump to conclusions that it wasn't liam who put in the gear, we were climbing in order to remove the gear). I was hanging on the rope sitting in for a while trying to ease the nut of the crack, I had no luck and decided to move on. Before I tried removing the nut I was looking at the climb feeling a bit dubuous about getting to the top but after hanging there for a few mins by brain realised that the rope actually does hold me and climbing really isn't that bad. I knew exactly how and where to put my body to get to the top it was wonderful.
I'm a climber again, it's nice. I'm still fumbling my way up climbs after Liam but at least i'm getting to the top. To be fair to myself liam is climbing at a much harder grade that I am so I don't feel so bad about falling off and having to sit in.
Right I'm wrecked, time for bed I think.
Up until then I've been doing bits of climbing but i've been holding off concentrating on my paddling, but now that my assessment is over and there is no water i've decided to turn back into a climber. For the last two weeks i've been stumbling up climbs, mostly following people and finding them rather difficult.
Yesterday I was still climbing on a top rope but half way during the day my brain switched to being a climber again. I was seconding liam up daffodills (it's a VS climb in the Gap of Dunloe) and there was a piece of gear completely stuck (I'll just say now before you jump to conclusions that it wasn't liam who put in the gear, we were climbing in order to remove the gear). I was hanging on the rope sitting in for a while trying to ease the nut of the crack, I had no luck and decided to move on. Before I tried removing the nut I was looking at the climb feeling a bit dubuous about getting to the top but after hanging there for a few mins by brain realised that the rope actually does hold me and climbing really isn't that bad. I knew exactly how and where to put my body to get to the top it was wonderful.
I'm a climber again, it's nice. I'm still fumbling my way up climbs after Liam but at least i'm getting to the top. To be fair to myself liam is climbing at a much harder grade that I am so I don't feel so bad about falling off and having to sit in.
Right I'm wrecked, time for bed I think.