Thirty-eight done ... 14 to go...

What: #71 Rock climb outdoors

When: October 25th-26th
Where: Red River Gorge, KY - Muir Valley
Why: A bit over 2 years ago, as part of my inaugural list, I joined some co-workers to try climbing. These co-workers - now two of my dearest and closest friends thanks to our time spent getting to know each other during climbing and other fun outings that grew from it - have always encouraged me to improve and to push myself when I climb, and they knew that one day I'd need to try climbing outside of the gym. It wasn't really a lack of desire or any fear that kept me from doing it; more like the logistics. There are not too many locations in the Midwest that work for good climbing, so it was going to take a weekend trip to make it happen, and finally that weekend (scheduled months in advance!) was upon us.

Heading to Kentucky, I was excited to think about a chance to climb outside in the fresh air, among the amazing fall colors we've been blessed with this autumn, and with a guy I totally trust; this was very key. Zach (who we knew when he managed our climbing gym) has dedicated himself to climbing in "The Red" for the past few months and knows his way around the valley and the routes and has always been known for his hyper-safe ways, so this was the perfect person to be our guide. We met up at Miguel's Pizza (*the* place to hang out/camp/eat as a climber down there) and listened as he described the first place he wanted to take us, and it sounded perfect for my first climb.

As I took my first few moves, it was definitely different than climbing indoors; the texture is better, the options for where to place your feet are much more varied, and the time it takes for each move is longer as you try to discern the next placement for your hand. And I loved it! My first climb, "Casey" on the Animal Crackers wall, was an incredibly fun 5.8 with a hidden second-layer to climb over the top, and it was a blast! My next climb that evening - a 5.9 at The Boneyard - was really fun to watch my friends climb, but didn't play to my strength, which is more balance versus the ability to pull myself up the first 6-foot roof, and so I was too tired to do much else, and still getting used to grabbing for the plates on the wall and trusting that they won't crack off in my hand.

With two climbs under my belt (harness) that first evening, and a delicious dinner of pizza and Ale81, I woke up the next day ready to see what else I could do. Our first climb of the morning was on the Guide Wall - a 5.8 + route - and I loved it! This, however, is when I realized how cold the rock wall can be and how crazy it is to climb by relying on your finger strength when, in fact, you can't feel your fingertips. Yet, it hardly mattered because I was having such a blast! From that first route of the day, we did the next route on that same rock wall, starting with a tricky crack move, ending with the same amazing view. After this, we took a break to hike up to the top of another rock wall and see the panorama of that section of the valley; it was so beautiful!

Resting halfway - Amazing photo by Zach

My next two climbs really made me work on them. The 5.10a that I tried would have been a route I could have climbed in the gym, but I have a lot less fear of taking a fall in the gym, knowing it's a flat wall with only a few obstacles if I hit it. On the rock face, the idea of falling and cracking my knees into the rock wall or scraping my hands and legs against jagged edges of rock did not appeal to me, so I was much more cautious about reaching for a move and quickly wore myself out, taking breaks after every couple of moves. Then, on my final ascent, I pushed myself to get to the top of this route. The beginning was fun, the middle was tricky (climbing a crack that had me worried about taking a fall and getting my hand or foot stuck to cause some serious damage), and then the top was a great climb up a series of plates. The overhang - a spot I mentally trip up on even now in the gym - did cause me to pause, worried about swinging out if I fell, but I had great encouragement to just go for it, so I did, shook out, and kept going.

This whole weekend was a fantastic trip, with lots of laughter and good food, and I'm proud of the successes I had on my first outdoor climbing trip, and can't wait to do it again in the spring!