Climbing is center-stage in my life right now, and has been for some time. I'd like to take a few minutes to reflect on some of the reasons why.
I climb for clarity. No matter how hectic things are in my life, climbing allows me to see things more clearly. Climbing condenses the fog of life into crystal clear droplets on a cool glass surface, allowing me to view each drop with an new-found sense of awareness. I have not found anything before or since that does this for me as well as climbing. It may be that spending so much time focusing on precise hand-foot placement, and split-second risk assessment has rewired my brain in a way that makes me better at assessing challenges in my day-to-day life. It's easy to think of climbing solely within the context of itself, but I feel the greatest impact climbing for me has been on my life outside of climbing.
I climb for nature. I remember the first time I set foot in The Red River Gorge. It was life-changing in more ways than one. First of all, whether you climb or not, it's a hell of a beautiful place to behold. It's a vertical playground situated in a what is essentially a jungle. Over the past four years is has come to feel like a second home to me. With each climbing destination I visit, no matter how much climbing I do there, I leave feeling deeply refreshed simply by spending some quality time with good old Mother Nature.
I climb for my friends. On the surface climbing can seem like a very self-oriented activity; my goals, my hardest grade, my sore fingers. But for me climbing has always been centered around spending quality time with friends. I am forever grateful to the friends who introduced me to it and were patient while I flailed on their warm-ups, and I am grateful for all of my current climbing partners who never fail to encourage and inspire my climbing. I enjoy belaying and watching you all climb almost as much as I like climbing myself. You have taught me a lot; thank you.
I climb for fitness. Since I started climbing I continue to become a fitter, healthier person. I was a runner in high school, and I ran simply for running's sake. I still enjoy running, but now it has become something I use to make myself a better climber. When I work out at home, the sole motivator for me is that it will make me a better climber. The best thing is, climbing is so much fun, I don't even think of it as working out. And as it turns out, all of these other forms of exercise I participate in feel more fun because the end goal of all of them is to make me better at climbing (aka - having fun).
I climb for a challenge. As a climber, I can always be pushing myself. The goal is ever-evolving. To me this is one of the best things about climbing. It is a constant challenge that will rise up to meet you at every turn. The tricky crux move that will throw you off the wall a ten times in a row, is the same move that will guide you through on the eleventh try, and send you out the other end as a better climber and a better person.
I climb for trust. There is something powerful about being a hundred feet up, attached to another human by a 10mm strand of fabric. The trust I put in my belayer, as well as the trust I am responsible for fostering as a belayer, are central to my climbing experience. I know that while I'm ten feet above my last draw, scrambling to get the next clip, I have a friend who is completely focused on keeping me alive.
Above all else I climb for fun. Climbing is this wonderful never-ending mind and body puzzle that has a lifetime of lessons and experiences wrapped up into one simple activity. The beauty of climbing for me is in the simplification of complexity; the organization of chaos; the fun!
