try rockclimbing

So every time me and Dicky go to the rock climbing gym, I always hit the treadmill cause I’d rather log miles and I’m just too fearful to do the climbs. The last time I went, I almost made it to the very top of the boulder and got stuck, just one more long extended reach and i could have pulled myself over. But I froze, and the longer I froze, the more terrified I got, i was sweating so much cause I couldn’t go up, couldn’t get down, and I almost wanted to cry from my fright.

Yesterday I went, and just freaking started climbing. Didn’t worry about getting myself to the top. Just climbed as much as I could and if I got a bit nervous, got myself down and tried again. I think I just needed to get up and do it before fear set in and it made it alot easier!!

Now if I could just do that with my fear of swimming!

I went climbing this Thanksgiving weekend and I was definately still very frightful at being 90 feet off the ground, but after two or three climbs I was definately alot more comfortable climbing and hanging off the rope. I made it to the top again this time!

My boyfriend always had a fear of heights and sometimes I would laugh at him for it… but then I tried rockclimbing at Planite Granite recently and can no longer poke fun at him because I have realized that I too have a bit of a fear of heights. While bouldering up the 15 foot rock wall, I got stuck 3/4 of the way up and was afraid to go any higher but couldn’t get down either. I finally mustered up the courage to grab the last rock and hoist myself up over the wall while sweating bullets! Then we climbed the three story wall… three-four times the height but ten times the frieght (no intent to rhyme their). Even being strapped in to my harness and Dicky holding the rope tight, I almost wanted to cry after climbing halfway up and felt like a petrified cat caught in a tree. After what seemed like an eternity I pushed my fear aside and climbed up the rest of the way and touched the top and Dicky safely brought me back to solid ground. As fearful for my life as I was, it’s a nice feeling to be able to push aside that fear and just conquer a goal I was doubtful I could. I gues this is what you gain from trying new things… now to conquer that fear of swimming!

Pete is convinced I’ll like rockclimbing, and that I’ll be able to get over my fear of heights.