Climbing 101

We love rock climbing.  We did a LOT of climbing when we lived up in Idaho, but for some reason have found it much more difficult to get around to it here.  Last summer I think we only went once.  Sad.

We are getting back into it now though, thanks in part to my friend and former college roommate Kristi, and her husband Ski.

Last time we went, a little visitor came by to check Spencer out.

 Can you see the squirrel by his left foot?

Spencer is the brave one of the bunch, and usually takes on the responsibility of leading out the climbs.  For you non-climbers out there, let me give you a quick lesson.

We do two types of climbing (though there are more) - top-roping and lead climbing.  Top-roping is the safest form of rock climbing.  You place the rope at the top of the climb, get everything hooked up and secure, and then climb from the bottom up to the top.  While one person is climbing, another is "belaying," or holding on to the other end of the rope.  That way, if the climber falls, the belayer holds tight to the rope and the climber can safely dangle next to the cliff.

Sometimes the only way to access the top of a climb is by climbing up the cliff.  If there is no way to walk around safely to place ropes before climbing, bolts may be added to the cliff face for climbers to use for lead climbing, aka sport climbing.

Lead climbing is a little more dangerous, so we have a helmet when we lead climb.  Instead of initially placing the rope at the top of the climb, a climber will place the rope onto pre-drilled bolts as he/she climbs up the cliff.  If the climber falls just short of placing the rope into the bolt, he will fall until the rope catches the previous bolt and the rope takes all the slack.  You MUST pay close attention when belaying a lead climb so if the climber falls you can immediately pull the rope tight and take up as much slack as possible.  That will prevent the climber from falling as far.

Here's a shot of Spencer and me just before his attempt to lead climb a route we had never done before, and which was near the top of his ability level.

 The gloves are a tad big for me!

And here is Spencer climbing the new route, with me intently belaying.  Good thing too, because he fell not too long after the picture was taken!

 Don't worry though, he only fell a few feet before stopping.  It was his first real fall during a lead climb.  Pretty exciting!

Perhaps more exciting was the hike back to the picnic area when Spencer almost walked right into a rattlesnake.

Thank goodness for that warning rattle!  He was able to jump out of the way just in time.

After this particular day of climbing, we planned to stay for a while at a nearby picnic site and eat tin foil dinners with our friends.  When the sun started setting, the temperature dropped considerably, and I did not come prepared.  The only thing I could find to keep me warm was a scarf we had in the trunk of the car.

"I'm cold!"

We are planning a trip to City of Rocks next weekend for some more climbing and camping.  Should be fun!  I just hope I remember to pack a jacket next time...