Wall climbing!

[pegkerr]

I went out tonight with a new friend, Sanjuanita, to try the climbing wall at a local sporting goods store. We chose to do it because it was our first time going out to do something together, and we decided to make a big deal out of doing something that neither one of us have ever done before. I have been thinking a lot lately about being stuck, about ruts, and what I need to do to try to break out of them. Sanjuanita was game, so we met and paid the fee, only $3 a climb to the ceiling, if you also got their special members card, which Sanjuanita had already.

I watched a kid swarming up the wall for about ten minutes before Sanjuanita arrived. He made it look easy. So we paid the fee and signed the intimidating and stupidly insane-to-sign waiver (no, we will not sue the store in case of injury even if the store is determined to be negligient. I asked the hunky young man acting as the rope monitor, "You won't drop the rope, will you?" He thought about it for a moment and said, "Naahhh.")

Not knowing any better, we each paid for two climbs. The wall was two stories high. I went first.

Omigosh. This was the right thing to pick to do. It was safe, I know, but still waaayyyy outside my normal thing-to-do and comfort level. I realized, belatedly, only when I was harnessed up and went to stand at the easiest face, that the wall sloped back toward you the farther you climbed, so that you weren't climbing at a 90 degree angle. I started up.

I am sure it was most amusing for the onlookers. I was noisy, I realized later. My arms got tired very quickly, and I would yelp when my weight shifted unexpectedly and transferred to the rope. And I would make loud "gggrrrrraaarrrghhh!" sounds as I struggled to hoist myself up. I should have been using my legs more, I realized, but I difficulty levering myself up. I am no lightweight. "Sanjuanita!" I cried, stuck at one point, my arms cramping, "I should have done more weight-lifting!"

I got halfway up and got stuck. I couldn't pull myself up because my arms cramped every time I tried. So I pushed away from the wall and hung from the harness and told the monitor to lower me to the ground. ("Whhhheeeeeeeeee!!!!!!")

When I got safely to the ground, I was sweating and trembling and laughing. I scrambled out of the harness and Sanjuanita took her turn.

She got about as far as me, halfway up. She was troubled by her shoes, which were apparently not quite fitting right. So she was lowered to the ground and after a kid went (scrambling right up, the show-off), I tried again.

I got a little higher, about ten minutes of climbing, and although I pushed off the wall several times and tried shaking out my hands as I hung in the harness, my arms cramped every time I tried tackling the wall again. So I got lowered again, still shy of the goal.

Sanjuanita looked at me and looked at the wall and laughed. "I'm not going to try again tonight."

I nodded, entirely understanding.

"But we'll come back."

I grinned at her as I scrambled out of the harness again and reached for my own shoes. "Yes, we'll come back."

"It might take us three or four more tries to get to the top."

I looked back at the wall. "It might."

"But we'll get there."

"Definitely."

Sanjuanita looked at the wall, too, and a little grin curled the corner of her mouth. "And then maybe we go bungee jumping."

We laughed, and adjourned to Baker Square for pie.

Help the two of us think of things to do if we get together again on future Friday nights (after we conquer the wall). Something to give us new experiences, stretch us a bit. Ideas? Leave them in a comment. Thanks.

Here were some ideas we already had:

Take an art class, something we've never done before. Watercolors. Scrapbooking. Photography.

Take a cake decorating class.

Take an auto repair class.

Go salsa dancing.

Go line dancing.

Go to movies, some genre that we usually never see (although I still draw the line at horror movies; I won't see 'em.)

Try a restaurant or cuisine we've never tried before.

Thoughts?

Comments

[jbru.livejournal.com]

Good for you! I've been wanting to climb the wall at REI for a while, but everytime I stop by to give it a try, they aren't doing climbing. Drat. One of these days.

Your other ideas sound like they'll keep you busy for a while. How about a class in doing something with a computer your haven't before? (Photoshop?)

Or a class in starting your own business? Heck, any sort of class could be fun.

You might try joining a performing troupe of some sort. Acting, singing, dancing. Anything in front of an audience.

[tassie-gal.livejournal.com]

TRY FENCING!! (Sorry had to get my 2 pence in).

[mark356.livejournal.com]

Ooh, take a watercolor class! You'll have lots of fun, I promise; whenever you learn another art form, it's so great to learn the techniques of that particular art form and learn to apply what you already know about other forms to it. And best comes to best, you'll eventually be able to create really stunning and very valuable (not just monetarily) gifts.

And what a fabulous story of rock-climbing! It sounds like it was quite an effort, but I am envious of you.

[vass]

Go to an open mic night.
Go to a school play or concert your own kids aren't performing in.
Go carolling.
Buy a kids' chemistry set and play with that, if it's been a while since you learned chemistry.
Buy an electronics kit and make (say) a crystal set.
Go volunteering somewhere they don't mind if you just drop in instead of making a regular commitment.
Do a first aid course.

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

I tried this once, at a company outing. It's something that I'm naturally good at, because I weigh so little. I climed up my first wall quickly and easily. But on my second attempt, my arms gave out halfways up and I couldn't do it. I remember my arms shaking from the strain. The trick, I learned, is to climb with your legs. Don't pull yourself up; push yourself up. Use your legs to climb, and use your arms just to hold on.

It would have been nice if someone explained that to me beforehand.

I haven't done it again since that time, but I'm interested.

B

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

We have a friend in Mpls who took fencing classes. The school was on Chicago and 42nd, I think.

B

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

"Try a restaurant or cuisine we've never tried before."

That might be hard in Minnepolis.

B

[bethynyc.livejournal.com]

Great idea! Always good to try something new, and doing it with a friend to encourage you is twice as good!

You have excellent ideas there--wish I could add to them!

[callunav.livejournal.com]

My thoughts:

You rock.


Suggestions....Yours and everyone else's here are great. I'd push the auto repair class closer to the front of the line, if it were me, because I've always wanted to be able to give a mechanic a straight look and say, "No, it doesn't need X. I know because I was under there and looking at it yesterday. What it needs is Y, which I can't do. Are you going to do it, or shall I go somewhere else?" It's a little fantasy I have.

If you haven't already, taking a class to learn some American Sign Language might really really suit you. Maybe I'm just projecting because that and SOME kind of dance are at the top of my list. But it's something that takes your use of language and turns it inside out, and makes it a right-braing activity as much as it is left. You're a dancer - you would understand about using your whole body for expression. And, of course, it's terribly handy useful - not only is it a good thing to know when you end up interacting with someone for whom it's a their native language, but if you can teach (and teaching, quite different from learning, is a good way to cement your learning) your family members and/or friends a little bit, it's awfully convenient in crowded shopping malls or quiet libraries.

And I think everyone should take First Aid/CPR, but that may just be because I used to teach it. It's quick, and it's accessible - by which I mean that it's made easy to learn, but also that generally it's not too hard to find a class - and it makes you...well, it made *me*...feel infinitely more prepared in life.

Anyhow, I'm really glad you're doing this, I'm really impressed you went for a second try, and I'm really glad you have someone to do things with who sounds like so much fun. And I'm really going to stop saying 'really,' now.

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

Re, restaurants or cuisines: If you haven't had Ethiopian, you should try it. It is really different and awesome.

I found this page on the web that listed ine in MPLS.

http://twincities.citysearch.com/roundup/37932

[wilfulcait.livejournal.com]

I'd second fencing. Fun, fun, fun.

How about learning to make beads with a torch (lampworking)? It's fun, not expensive, you could either take a class or teach yourself out of a book like I did. Fire, bright colors, gooey stuff, and at the end, beads.

[tanaise.livejournal.com]

Ethiopean food is lovely, I recommend it highly (the bread feels like foam! And tastes sour, but in a good way).

I'd suggest trying a Bellydancing class, cause that was my braveness of the fall, and I really like it.

[kristenj.livejournal.com]

I've been thinking about this. (I blame elisem entirely!) What book did you use to teach yourself?

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

I climbed it a few years ago with Lisa F. The thing I h-h-hated about it was the kid on the other end of rope yanking on it when he thought I should be climbing faster. I nearly yelled at him, "STOP THAT!!" But it was my first time and I thought also maybe he was supposed to do that for some reason. I'm convinced now that he was bored and trying to rush me.

K. [I think Lisa still goes regularly, though I have only been the once]

[dd-b.livejournal.com]

Fencing can be loads of fun, but it takes awhile to *get* anywhere at it so it might not be the first choice for a night out. And there is inded a place at forty-mumble and Chicago, the Minnesota Sword Club. I've never fenced there (or anywhere for 20 years, come to that).

Ditto learning to play bridge.

Photography is always worthwhile :-).

Jumping out of airplanes is reported by many to be fun but is likely to be too expensive I would guess.

Make jam. Or jelly, more trouble and less good to eat but prettier. Also makes good christmas presents.

Learn to frame pictures (mat cutting and frame choice and frame assembly and all that).

Any kind of practical class -- I think auto mechanics was mentioned, there's also home electrical and plumbing that's handy to know.

Paintball!

[kokopoko.livejournal.com]

Congrats!!! Find a pottery place that lets you make stuff on the wheel with instruction. My daughter and I love it.

[morganmalfoy.livejournal.com]

Find out if there are parks you've never been to and go to them. I also like the pottery idea, those places are really fun, and also going to bead shops can be really fun--earrings are kind of complicated and don't take too many beads.

On the rock climbing, I second the not climbing with your arms, your legs will do more. Also, stay tight to the wall--this is where kids, who have shorter arms and legs, actually have to climb better. It's tempting to kind of lean back in the harness and look around, but staying close to the wall is less energy. Don't grip too hard, because those hand muscles will tire quickly, those aren't muscles you use very often. Third, since you know you aren't going to fall, don't be afraid to kind of jump to the next hold. If you slip, you're not going anywhere.

Have fun!!!

-M

[cakmpls.livejournal.com]

For you, maybe, but I'll bet not for pegkerr. I think our family eats out more than hers does, and there are still many, many restaurants and several cuisines that we haven't tried.

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

But in Minneapolis? We just don't have the exotic here.

B

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

We haven't had good Ethniopian in the Twin Cities in a while. Right now I'd recommend Dashen, on Lake near Haiwatha.

B

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

Paintball is surprisingly fun.

B

[cakmpls.livejournal.com]

It sounds challenging, and fun to share with someone else of like interests and similar ability! I hope you have lots of good adventures.

Once upon a time in my youth I tried a bit of rock climbing, with real rocks and no ropes. It was exhilarating. Probably stupid, too, though the places I climbed were merely steep, not 90 degrees. At least at REI you don't have to worry about rattlesnakes lurking on the ledge were you put your hand without being able to see ...

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

Well, I don't claim to live there or anything.

[cakmpls.livejournal.com]

She didn't say anything about "exotic." She said "haven't tried before."

[amethistdolphin.livejournal.com]

the radical sports are always a good choice for something you havent done before. They are fun, test your limits and the adrenaline rush! Oh my god!

I love wall climbing, though I joined the mountaineering club because of a boy (is there a better reason?) and you know what? the best thing I have ever done for a boy. Nothing came out of my crush but I met the most amazing group of people I have ever met, had the best time and conquered my fear of heights! Maybe once you have conquered the wall, you could try a real rock face. Its something else and your girls might like it too. As your friend has said, bungee jumping is cool, a little more expensive but sky diving is fun as well.

Another suggestion is rappelling. Great fun specially if you liked the ´going down´ part of the climbing. Rappelling in water falls is cool as well. canoeing, rafting?

some kind of arts and crafts is always fun... or how about something more to the unusual? something like tarot or palm reading (for you to learn, not to go get a reading?) maybe a project like that will interest you...

either way.. good luck and I loved reading about your wall climbing adventure!

[skg.livejournal.com]

Not sure if they have it near you, but here in NY there is a place you can take trapeze lessons. I really want to try it--it looks so fascinating, and there is a big giant net in case you fall (in addition to the safety straps/harness).

But...I'm sure I would be terrified if I got up on the platform!!

[mayakda.livejournal.com]

I had a similar experience at Hershey park. There was a rock climbing wall. I couldn't get but half way up before my hind-brain started screaming at me.
But it was fun to have tried.