be a skilled rock climber

Rob and I went buildering in downtown Rockford like I said.
But apparently there’s some real boulders at Rock Cut state park. It’s a ten minute drive and I’m completely out of gas and I need an oil change.
So hopefully we can find a way to get down there sometime. I wanna climb something real so bad.
GAH!!

i need to go climbing.

i think rob an i might go buildering downtown soon.

gah…save me from flatland

Me and my buddy Rob have had the itch for several weeks. No not that itc…the itch to get out on a crag and utterly destroy it. Well since we live in Rockford, crags are as scarce as fresh air. So we’ve been walking around the church, scouting places around the building where we can at least get ourselves off the ground some how. Our first ‘problem’ we’re working out is getting on top of the archway over the main entrance. We worked out the first few moves last night but had to cut out session short, due to onlookers. It’s pretty sweet so far.
This is pretty much the rough beta:
It starts with a decent hold on top of the door frame with one foot on top of the door handle. But you have to be leaning back at a good 45-50 degree angle in order to throw your left hand to the top of the first, short awning. From there it’s simply a matter of pulling yourself to the top of that first awning(That’s as far as we I got up before people started coming out of the church).Then, this is where it starts getting fun. about 5 feet away from the awning, there’s one of the huge support pillars that hold up the main awning. On the top, there’s two ledges, one about 2 inches wide and one is a steep sloper that’s about 6 inches wide. The 6 incher is the one you should try for, while having at least one foot land on the 2 inch. So once you jump over the gap onto the pillar, the dangerous part start. Now you’re about 12ft. off the ground. Under the awning(now right above your head) there’s giant beams that are about 5 inches wide and a foot tall, with rounded edges and glossy paint. Not the great quality hold, especially the next few moves. Next you have to grab the top of one of the beams and get off the pillar having both hand on the same side of the pillar. You have to be facing inside the awning (back towards the parking lot, looking across the awning). Now there’s a pretty decent throw to a crimper-lip at the bottom of the awnings arch. From there it’s just a matter of pulling yourself up. Then that it. It’s actually seems like it’s gonna be pretty easy.I’m thinking the crux would have to be down-climbing the whole thing while not getting caught. f anyone sees me, I’m busted. If I fall and get hurt, I’m busted. If I break something on the church, I’m busted. I’m pretty sure me and Rob are gonna try this some dark night when no one’s at the church. It’ll probably be later in the year and we’ll probably be out past curfew. I gotta get some batteries for my camera so we can doc the whole thing. Maybe when we do it, I’ll send it into Urban Climber and see if I can’t win the best letter and get a sweet pair of shoes.

I’m not sure how to tell when I can cross this one off. I don’t think there’s really a line between
‘beginner’ and ‘skilled’. I guess I’ll make my own line.
I’ll say that when I redpoint of 5.12, I’ll consider myself skilled.
Gosh….that’s a ways away…

something about a pool room, bouldering, deep water soloing, and it all being year round and private….......Lord, please.

I just subscribed to 3 climbing podcasts. Some sick vids! It’s great to watch the worlds best climbers climbing the hardest routes and problems in the world.
AND!!!! I just found out that there is a store in Utica that sells climbing equipment! It’s called Starved Rock Outfitters. The sell hiking and backpacking and rock climbing and general outdoorsy equipment. Who knew there was a store like that around? Not me. But I think I’m gonna check it out for a possible summer job.

I want so badly to climb or do something on rock or a wall or WHATER and just build up my grip and mobility, that I started traversing my basement wall. Not the easiest of funnest thing in the world. There’s about an inch and half ledge all along the top of the wall by the ceiling and a few weird features that stick out the wall (one is just a bent metal rod). Ever since I saw my basement, I wanted to buy and install holds so I could traverse. But I’m poor and Master’s probably wouldn’t let me put hold in so I have to make do.
Yesterday I put on my climbing shoes for the first time in a long time. It felt so good. I started going back and forth on the wall and eventually figured out the rout I need to take to actually make it all along the wall. It’s not easy or pretty but it’s definitely doable and challenging. My hands are always at the same level. My feet are either all the way at the bottom of the wall, about 2 inches off the ground or they’re way up, about a foot and a half or 2 feet below my hands and my head would hit the ceiling if I didn’t tilt my neck. It’s really not pretty but it’s a good workout and helps with mobility.

I just need some rock….

I can’t believe I’ve never written any entries on this one. Crazy…
Well anyway, I FINALLY got my free issue of Urban Climber zine. What’s stupidly ironic is that it’s December’s issue which I flipped through when I was in Barnes in Chicago. I didn’t read many of the articles then, mostly looked at pictures. So it’s still cool that I have my own issue now so I can read it. I’m actually going to pay for the full subscription. I’ve made the financial decision to invest in this, not only for myself but for others.
So anyway, I was flipping through it a little bit ago while I have some down time here at Target Leadership Conference, and I realized something about my desire to rock climb. I don’t want to be a skilled rock climber just so I can destroy the walls at a gym or compete with other people or even look good on a rock. I was reading about all these people who find a slab or boulder and decide that they want to make it their goal to send this earth formation. That’s why I want to be a skilled rock climber. Because right now, I’m only good enough to practice. All I can do is climb beginner routes doing beginner moves (all static mind you. I can’t even dyno!). But I want to be skilled enough to where I can find a rock or boulder or slab or brick wall or whatever and make it my goal to send that sucker or even just mess around on it. I just want to see something cool and have fun on it!
I read a cool quote in UCzine. It said, “Climbing is about failure”. It was such a beautiful quote. It went on to say that for a climber ”...there is only the rabid desire to surpass what the climber was only a moment ago”. That’s so true. I want to a climber that sets goal that are impossible at the moment, and every attempt is not an attempt to scale to wall, but rather to surpass the last attempt. Finishing a climb that has beaten you over and over is only the first step beyond one failure, setting yourself up for the next. I say this as if I know what I’m talking about. Really I have no idea. I can’t even climb a 5.10 without a take or fall. But I guess right now, that it my failure. When I can successfully climb a 5.10 consistently, that isn’t success. It’s the sign that I move on to something else impossible.
Man! I just want to climb all the time. I want to be around climbing all the time! I can’t believe I live in Illinois, an hour away from the nearest gym. I think In the summer I’m gonna start going to Starved Rock and Mattheisen and finding some rock that, although is brutal sandstone, is still climbable. Heck I’ll make my own crash pad if I have to. I’ll go off the trails for sure. Heck yeah. I’m seriously tired of wanting to climb and not being able to. I’ll climb sandstone if I have to, even if it means having to dust off each potential hold and still get sand in my eyes. There’s rock just waiting to be climbed. Sure it’s probably against Starved Rock rules but what are they gonna do? Ask me to leave? Fine me? Pssshh. Small price to pay. Seriously. I’m gonna climb. I’m gonna fail. I’m going to ‘surpass what I was a moment ago’.

Dang!