Skip to main content

it's just rough.... it don't mean you can't scale it

Two weeks ago, I had another session of rock climbing. That session was by far the toughest rock climb I have ever done thus far. I scaled only one route, of which took me almost an hour to scale. By the time I got down after the successful climb, every limb on my body just went as soft as bean curd. I had no strength for any other climbs after that.

Finishing the climb was definitely one of the best feelings at that point in time. Especially the fact that I took almost an hour to climb it. But that climb was one of the best climbs I have done so far not because of me finishing the climb or me doing anything magnificent to scale the route. The best part of that climb was the people on the ground.

I think there were at least three parts of the route where I really struggled and simply wanted to shout down to my belayer, "bring me back down!". Honest to heart, I really felt like giving up. At the third point when it got so tough, my fingers, toes, forearms and thighs were burning from the strain and all the lactic acids building up from all the energy expended.

As I struggled up the route, I could hear voices of all my climbing buddies encouraging me to push on the route. It was an amazing feeling! Having a few people behind you pushing and really garnering you on is one good feeling.

It's like being really down and out, feeling hopeless, and suddenly you find a pair of hands reaching out to you reassuring you that you are not alone and that you are doing fine. It's like having a Powerbar when you most need it and you find a hand passing you that needed Powerbar.

When I came back down after the climb, I was really exhausted and tired but I learned something more then climbing. No one person can handle everything on his or her own. Even the most skilled climber requires a trustworthy belayer. Like any world champion, there's always a strong team behind him or her.

Other key learning point - rock climbing routes range from easy ones to really tough ones. But at the end of the day, it's just a rough route and it doesn't mean you can't scale it. You probably just need more time and concentration.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

hiatus!

After having been online on the ~Path of Time~ since 2006..... it is going to be hard, painful and sad. As of today, I will officially stop writing on the ~Path of Time~. For those who have continued to read my posts, I thank you very much for taking timeout to read my posts. I am not sure if all my writings were great but I'll be happy to know even if it was only one post that reached your heart. I may one day pick up from where I left off here but only time will tell. Who knows I might even start afresh? Until next time.......... time stops ticking for the ~Path of Time~
Post a Comment
Read more

one foot in the past, another in the future........ what about the present?

All of us go through a cycle, what we commonly call - the past, present and the future. It can probably be summed up by this simple phrase: " we come from the past to be in the present and look forward to the future ". Now, what I want you to do is take a step back, or just give your mind a minute or two to digest the above mentioned phrase. Ask yourself if it applies to you. Really ask yourself; and I mean REALLY ask yourself in the most honest of manner, whether it really applies to you. You may find it difficult to arrive at a 'yes' and even if you do, you probably find yourself in a paralysis state of mind trying to justify the 'yes'. If you really ponder about it, you are likely to find that most of us would find this phrase more relevant instead: " we come from the past and look forward to the future " You will find many of us either hang on to the past or look far too forward into the future, or likely for some to even be dwelling too much in ...
Post a Comment
Read more

my first tow truck ride

It was like every other Saturday morning for me yesterday. Woke up early to get breakfast, get ready for my weekly rock climbing sessions. I felt pretty good yesterday since I managed to sleep the night before so I was feeling very energized and upbeat about my climb session. I might have spoke too soon though because my car decided to pull a fast one on me. I found it surprising because I always went on preventive maintenance for my car so I really wasn't expecting any breakdowns especially I didn't hear any sound symptoms, neither did I saw any signs of an impending breakdown. After all, it is only logical that mechanical parts would give out some form of symptoms to let you know it's about to go. I was actually driving myself to rock climbing, feeling all geared up and gung-ho about it. As I approached an uphill climb and right bend, I realised I was losing compression and the car was starting not respond to my pedal work on the accelerator. To make matters worse because...
2 comments
Read more