What do a handful of intrepid Seniors do on a wet and rainy February day? We plan an outing to the Toronto Climbing Academy to learn the ropes about wall climbing.
After the all important liability waivers were signed, we were taught how to put on our harnesses, and secure our climbing ropes.
We practiced proper belaying techniques to *spot* each other while climbing, and then we were finally allowed to try the auto belaying system – relying entirely on the equipment, rather than each other.
With sweaty hands and shaking limbs, we challenged the wall and ourselves. It turned out that the hardest lesson we had to learn was actually letting go of the wall so the belay system could gently drop us back to the ground.
The key word there is ‘gently’. Let’s just say my first couple of trips down the wall were less than graceful. I was grateful for the soft cushiony flooring.
Each of us at some point clung to the wall, unable to let go. One person in our group had to eventually climb back down because she simply couldn’t trust that the belay system would catch her.
With the gym virtually empty except for our small group, we were able to climb as often as we wanted, trying sections with different degrees of difficulty. We laughed, we gasped, we cheered one another – until we simply couldn’t climb anymore.
My hands and forearms ached from the death grip I had on each wall hold.
Would I do it again? You bet I would!
Great post! Climbing is for all ages.
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So I have learned!! 🙂
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[…] Joanne at My Life Lived Full […]
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Whaatttt? How did I miss this!!! SO fun! I tried it once too and the same thing was challenging for me, the trust on another human factor and even more so having to be the one responsible for another human being at the other end of the rope. Felt too much like parenting to me… haha.
Great job. Love the photos. You are a star!!!!
Peta
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hahahaha! … “felt too much like parenting to me” hahahaha!
Doing something new and unusual – especially when it scares me a little – makes me feel so alive. I suspect I’m an adrenaline junkie and I don’t understand why others don’t want to experience that same ‘high’ … pun not intended 😉
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Oooo, my respect for you have just reached new heights. You go, girl! ❤
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I figure that as long as I keep moving, maybe I can trick my body into believing it’s not getting older 😉
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Congratulations, Joanne! I’m impressed that you successfully embraced this challenge and would do it again. I would be the person who had to climb back down the wall because she did not trust the belay system. 😦
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Oh, you might surprise yourself! I’m not the kind of person who lets go of control very easily 🙂
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I love it: “Seniors” and “Wall-climbing” in the same breath!
Wallclimbing/Rockclimbing has been something I’ve been fascinated by for a long time – I’ve always wondered if I have enough upper body strength to do it, and so have never tried. Maybe it is time.
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There’s only one way to find out 😉
I don’t think I have much upper body strength and I definitely don’t have strong hands, but I still managed.
Having said that, my arms are still sore 😉
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The longing has been there for a while; you have just revitalised the desire. Now I just have to work up the courage to head down to The Wall! (and I have just the one in mind)
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Excellent! We require photographic evidence 😉
Have fun!
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Will do. Just found a place where some of my friend go which have auto belaying, so I can climb on my own
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ALRIGHT!! 🙂
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How exciting!! We have a climbing gym here. All the others in the family have done it. I’m not much interested in it. Our gym has a bouldering section, auto belay section, and then a regular belay section. I don’t know if mine have done the actual belay (2 person required) section. You are much braver than I. I beginning to feel like I need to up my game! 😉
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This was all pretty new to me even though my younger son had told me about his climbing gym.
It was a great experience and a lot of fun.
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That’s fantastic Joanne! This is how my climbing stint of 15 years began, someone taking me to an indoor climbing gym. Isn’t it empowering to get to the top of the wall? I love that your seniors group did this. Climb on my friend, climb on.
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I was thinking about you when we went to this gym. That’s so cool that this is how you started. I believe that’s how my younger son got started too. He’s been climbing a couple of times a week for the past year, and although I don’t understand all that he explains to me, I get the impression he’s working on some kind of certification to take his climbing outdoors this summer. Does this make sense to you?
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Yes it does and good for him to be taking the training. Climbing outdoors is very different. I use the analogy of figure skating and hockey. The basis is the same but significant differences. I hope he had a wonderful outdoor experience. You should try it with a guide Joanne. I think you would love it!
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You mean outdoors with a guide? That exists?!
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Absolutely! At least here in the Canadian Rockies. One more reason to come west perhaps? Should we have known each other ten years ago I could have taken you myself.
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I WILL go west one day and then we can go on all these great adventures together 🙂
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Sounds like a plan to me!
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So BRAVE of you and your friends!! I’ve always wondered if I’d try climbing, and I’ve always come to the conclusion: NO. But….. you may inspire me to try sometime…. xo
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I think we all have a different tolerance level for adventure and trying new things.
I thought I would like to try downhill skiing, but I’m still dragging my feet on that one.
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Joanne, this is awesome. Your group is so fun and lively and willing to take a risks. I admire that you all took on the wall climbing and want to do it again. Keep going, you’re a warrior!
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Thanks Mary. It was a good day, with good company doing something fun and challenging. Do they get any better than that? 🙂
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WOOT! Mountain climbing is, by far, the most impressive thing I’ve done in my life. I mean that, lol, shhh, don’t tell my kids. I’ve never since faced such an incredible physical challenge with such an amazing high. Whenever I climb a wall, those same feelings all come back. It’s powerful. I can’t do a mountain now, because of my hands, but I can do a wall on a good, low-inflammation day 🙂 I’m glad you did it!
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Thanks Joey! Quite frankly, I would have preferred to stay home that day – it was raining and messy outside – but I’m glad I went.
You hit the nail on the head. We can’t all do the same things – by either desire or ability – but the magic is in trying to climb our own ‘mountains’ in whatever form they take.
I don’t want to experience life from a TV or computer screen. As I get older, my abilities are declining, but like you with your good, low-inflammation days, there is still lots I can try 🙂
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Woohoo; awesome work. I love the family joke about helmets and waivers! I’m waaay too scared of heights to try any sort of climbing, but I used to take the boychild and his friends to an indoor climbing centre, and spent lots of time watching (and belaying) adolescent boys having the time of their lives.
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This is currently my younger son’s new passion. It’s an activity that certainly appeals to the adrenaline junkies who like the challenge, the physical effort, the sense of accomplishment.
You’re a good mom to have been the willing belayer! 🙂
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It was such a joy to see them so obviously enjoying a challenging, physical activity. There were one or two who had to be dragged screaming from their playstations — often the boys who ended up having the most fun climbing. 🙂
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It’s so much better to actually DO an activity, than to pretend with a video game!!
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Absolutely!! Though a know a couple of kids who’d fight that notion all the way.
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True! 🙂
Personally, I find the real world so much more interesting!
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Me too. I’m “better at it” too. I tried playing a few of the boy child’s computer games with him and I was totally hopeless. 😂
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hahaha!! Me too!
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Next stop – climbing the face of Half Dome!
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Yikes! I’ve seen pictures … double yikes!
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I love this. You guys are amazing!
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Thanks 🙂 I really love the adventurous spirit of this group.
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Like Teagan, my current weight would keep me from trying this. I tried to go up rope net a few years ago and about 8 feet from the top I was physically spent. I realized then how little upper body strength I had but I did belay going down and loved it.
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As you could see from the photos, I’m quite round and I worried about whether I could do it. The first couple of climbs were very short – ie on the first try I fell off on the 2 step – but each climb was a little higher until I was eventually getting to the top. Plus I was sticking to the easy climbs.
If rope net is what I think it is, I find it REALLY hard.
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I think the actual term is cargo net and it is really hard.
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Woo-hoo! You, go, Joanne! (I’m way too fat to trust any equipment to save me… particularly when I’m so clumsy that I’d be bound to fall. LOL) What a great group you found. Hugs!
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Oh God, Teagan … let’s talk about feeling a bit self-conscious of hauling my weight up the wall!
… and that’s why there is a belay system to catch you if you fall 🙂
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I’ve always been fascinated by wall climbing. I’ve never done it, and know of no place where one can do it, but your report on your adventure inspires me. I, of course being a klutz, would only climb about 5 feet high up the wall– but that’s not the point, is it? It’s just the doing that makes it worthwhile. You go girl!
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That’s exactly it, Ally. At the beginning, it was a big sense of accomplishment to go 5 feet. On my first try, I fell off the wall on my second step – not even 2 feet off the ground. Gradually I got higher and higher as my confidence grew.
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Good for you and your group for challenging yourselves. It looks like fun. I’m not sure I would be able to let go easily, I’ve watched others do it and I think that would be the hardest part. Way to find an exciting indoor activity.
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We’ve been having day after day of rain … and lots of it. I’m just grateful it’s not snow or we’d be shovelling for weeks.
Finding interesting indoor activities can be a bit of a challenge, so this was definitely a change of pace for all of us 🙂
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I am impressed and inspired. I am afraid of heights, but this seems like a great way to face the fear. I’m going up the next climbing wall I see.
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I’m not afraid of heights, but I was shaking. The fear of landing hard from a fall is very real!!
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Well done! This would be WAY beyond my comfort zone.
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There is a joke in our family about us being attracted to activities that require a waiver and a helmet. Although no helmet was required for this one, the harness was a substitute 🙂
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Bravo! 🙂
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Thank you. I was excited when I saw this activity on the Seniors’ calendar of events. It’s something that really appealed to me and I really enjoyed it 🙂
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As “they” say–you go, girl! Not a fan of heights, so this would be hard for me.
janet
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This would definitely be a nightmare for anyone with height issues!
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You are one awesome individual! Way to go!
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Thank you! If you like a challenge and trying something a bit different, I recommend it 🙂
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I would love to try it one day!
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What an awesome way to spend the day…I’d do it!
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I would do it again too 🙂 As with anything I guess, it really boils down to the company you’re with. I doubt this is something I could enjoy doing alone.
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I agree, sometimes doing things outside our comfort zone is better done with others…and then there are others that you want to do alone to save yourself the embarrassment of being clumsy or awkward. 😉
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Oh yes – I’m familiar with the clumsy and awkward part. If I hadn’t already known the organizer and a couple of the other participants, I might have been rather intimidated.
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Good to be around people who make you feel safe to do things you might not normally do. 😉
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YOUre a far braver woman than I!
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I do like a challenge 😉
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What a great group you have found, Joanne. Twenty-seven feet is pretty darn high. I think I might be fine if I didn’t look down. Hell, if I didn’t look up! 🙂
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I don’t know about anyone else, but I was just focused on finding the next place I was going to place my hand and foot 😉
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That looks like fun. I learned to rapel when I was in college, but I’ve never tried climbing. You look like an expert in that picture.
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Right on Joanne!
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I love this seniors’ club. They are proof that age is just a number 🙂
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Looks like you were having fun but with my fear of heights I’m not sure I could do!
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I agree, Kate. I fear of heights wouldn’t work very well here. Even without a fear of heights, it was SO HARD to let go for the belay down.
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Great stuff – that is a fun bunch you’ve managed to hook up with…you do all look quite fit in that photo too!
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This is a hardy bunch 🙂 They impress me with their energy and sense of adventure!
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I’m totally exhausted after reading this Joanne. I can’t imagine what I would feel like if I tried to climb it (although a Twinkie taped to the top of the wall could motivate me) 🤣🤣🤣
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hehehe!! Whatever works 😆
I admit it will be an early night to bed for me. I’m exhausted and fading fast!
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That looks like such fun!!! Good for you for trying something new and challenging yourselves. I was an avid rock climber in my earlier years and walking backward off the edge of a cliff to belay down never got easier. But I loved climbing! Great fun and such an accomplishment. You go, girl. 🙂
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It never got easier?! Wow. Maybe that just suggests you are wise enough to know you should be afraid 🙂
I bow to you in the knowledge how incredibly fit you had to have been. This is not easy!
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I was young! I started climbing at 16 and did it all summer every summer until I was about 22. Then life got in the way. The tallest climb was about 300 feet. The arms got a little tired 😀
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OMG! 300 feet! I was shaking at 30! You rock (no pun intended 😉)
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Looks like your seniors groups is achieving new heights. And I thought people learned how to climb walls when they became parents.
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I was waiting for someone to make that connection. I should have guessed it would be you 😆
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Well I kind of stole that quip from your title, so I did not have to climb very high for the line.
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Picture me giving you a standing ovation for going above and beyond. 🙂
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Picture me bowing my head in thanks 🤗
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Way to go Joanne!!!!
There’s a climbing gym quite close to where I live and you’re giving me ideas!
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Most excellent!! 🙂
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Go you! Great activity for a wet and rainy day.
Each year, we scheduled team building exercises with the AmeriCorps members on a ropes course at Salisbury University ~ “belay on” . . . “belay off.”
My favorite was being in the harness, pulled up-up-up into the air where I could release the “rip cord” and F~L~Y!
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Wow – that sounds pretty adventurous! You must be an adrenaline junkie too 🙂
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What a great outing! I’ve done that once but wasn’t able to get over my natural fear of falling. Like you said, maybe a second time would be less scary. Your group looks terrific!
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We had so much fun Janis … but each one of us had trouble overcoming the idea of letting go to ‘fall’ to the ground with the belay. I suspect it’s a human condition.
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Wow! What a energetic and daring bunch of ‘elderly’ people!
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This seniors’ club I belong to is full of amazing people – high energy, active, and adventurous. I’m lucky to have found them 🙂
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What a great adventure! Good for you all.
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Thank you! We had a blast 🙂
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No way could I do that now, my legs just won’t step very high any more. Figure it is probably a hip problem and darn annoying when trying to get over stiles!! Looks like a lot of fun.
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This is where I admit that on the first climb, I fell off on the 2nd step. The instructor was saying ‘straighten your leg, straighten your leg’ … but I just couldn’t. My legs and head weren’t talking to each other. It wasn’t an auspicious start 😉
It was fun … and scary at the same time!
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Yep. That happens to me. Everything needs a good oiling 😉
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hehehe! Isn’t that what the wine is for? 😉
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I’m obviously not drinking enough!!
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You and your group are astonishing! How did your arms and shoulders and back fare the next day?
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My back and shoulders were fine. Just my forearms and the outside leg muscles around the knees. I think it’s from the stress of over-gripping – both with my hands and feet.
I’m the kind of person who holds on to a pen like a life-preserver, so it’s no surprise that I over-grip when I’m doing something that feels scary.
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It sounds like fun! You look great up there.
I’ ve allowed my kids to do rope climbing courses, while I watched praying the belaying partner wouldn’t mess it up, but I’ve never had the nerve to do it myself.
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Actually, even worse is when you’re the one doing the belaying. I was so nervous that I would make a mistake and my partner would get hurt. I would hate to be the reason someone got hurt.
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Me too!
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That looks like so much fun, Joanne! I figured there had to be some place in Toronto for wall climbing. Glad to know the name of one such place.
I’d only want to go on a day when the place is not busy (aka empty). Do you need to go with a partner or can you go solo?
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Oh – good question. I don’t know.
If you’ve ever interested in going, let me know. I’ll happily partner with you 🙂
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Oh, you are so brave my friend. Years ago I thought about trying it but chicken out. I work with my hands (back then and now) and used the possibility of a hand or finger injury as my main excuse. I love to hike and I love to climb but rock climbing. I don’t have it in me! Kudos to you and your friends!
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I have to admit it was really hard. I was trying to hold on to those grips just way too hard and now my hands are aching. Maybe it won’t be quite so scary the next time I try it.
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WHAT..there will be a next time?
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hehehe! oh yes 🙂
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