I don’t know if you guys have done this before but there is this thing called bouldering. It’s a form of rock climbing where you have no ropes attached. IT sounds crazy just reading that line and let me tell you, I really thought that I was going to die. My friend and I got to this place, we enter and I take a look around. It’s called Rock Out and it’s a pretty decent size. You sign a waiver, you tell them your size shoes and you go from there. Of course every sport comes with an instructional video. So we watched it and once it was over we went to the other side of the gym where there was all the easy stuff ready for us to do. 

Now these set ups are all over the place and they are anywhere from easy to hard. So I take a look around and with some encouragement I give the wall a try. You guys it is slightly terrifying. Its anywhere from fifteen to twenty feet off the ground and you have to be able to either climb down or jump down. Definitely not easy. 

The first few times I got up the wall I climbed my way back down. It was terrifying to say the least and I really thought that I wouldn't be able to jump down...ever. As we progressed it got a little easier. Then we decided to switch walls. On the other side the wall is leaning a little bit outwards. So I give it a go. I get half way up when I abort and fall on the mat. It was the angle of the wall that was throwing me off. So my friend showed me how to distribute my body weight so that I have an easier time getting up. 

With that in mind I went ahead and tried again. This time I got to the top but I had to jump down because the climb back down was worse than going up. Let’s just say that it was a rough time. I had to take a minute to breathe because it was a lot for me to handle. The instructors at the gym were probably having a riot. It’s all a mental game and yes, it is scary for me but I also knew that the more we did the wall, the more I would build up on my fear and get over it. 

Eventually though I did have to call it quits and it was mostly because of the way my hands were feeling. They were sore and every time I would start a climb the pain would travel up my arm. So I told my friend I needed to stop but if he wanted to keep going he could. 

So I can say that I learned something new about myself. Heights are still a factor and they are something I am afraid of but, I can also conquer those fears and take control. It was fun to experience a new form of exercise and I can say that it was worth the climb. 

Have you guys ever done bouldering before?