I r spider munkey agin

[kickaha]

Went rock climbing last night with some folks from work at a local indoor climbing center. It's been, what, three years since my first shoulder surgery? I tried climbing as a recovery therapy afterwards, but I realized that I was strengthening the muscles that were compensating for the lack of motion range, instead of breaking up the scar tissue and increasing that motion range.

Well, I've got darned near 100% range of motion back (only a few Rice Krispies points left!), and the folks at work (including my new manager) have been bugging me to join them, so... last night I went. Took a basic climbing class to refresh my memory on the proper belay techniques, and had a blast. Decided to see how fast I could make it up a 30' 5.5 route, and it was well under a minute. Keen. (Yeah, that's a beginner's route, but still... it felt good to be able to just clamber up it.)

I was worried that my shoulder would get fatigued, and that I'd have problems with my upper back muscles. Nope. My hands. Last climb of the night, I literally had both hands just go limp all of a sudden as they gave out. Done. Finis. Trying to get around an overhang, no less, about 15' up, and... whoops. Left hand went, and I found myself swinging out with just my right fingertips hanging on. Got back in, snagged a hold with my left hand, and... couldn't grip it. Could. Not. Hold. On. May as well have been a flipper on the end of my arm for all of the gripping power it had.

Interesting sensation, to have your brain simultaneously screaming at you "OMGWE'REGONNAFALLWE'REGONNAFALL!" and calmly thinking "Well this stinks. If I could just get to that green hold up *there*..."

Then the right hand went, and I was at the mercy of the rope. A couple more tries, and I realized that not only could I not get a firm climbing grip, I wasn't able to get a grip at *all* with either hand... as in, I couldn't make a fist. Fatigue had set in.

Still, it felt good to get back on the wall. And now I have an overhang to conquer.

Comments

[georgmi.livejournal.com]

I was at the mercy of the rope

Wuss. A real man would've FALLEN TO HIS DEATH.

[kickaha.livejournal.com]

Yeah, climbing with ropes and safety gear is kind of new for me - I've only ever done it a couple times before, down at UNC. Prior to that, it was freeclimbing in the Cascades in high school. What is now Pinnacles State Park is just down the road from where I grew up - deck shoes were as equipment-conscious as we got.

Learning to trust the rope is, I suspect, a lot harder when you've done climbing before, and letting go, slipping, or making a sloppy move is REALLY BAD. Getting over that was probably the biggest win last night.

[georgmi.livejournal.com]

I actually got started not by climbing, but with rappelling, so "trust the rope" is pretty much second nature to me. Assuming, of course, that it's my rope, and I tied it in myself (or trust the person who did--a short list, that). Not that I've done much actual climbing; as with most things, I've done enough to get the theory and feel like I can basically handle myself, not enough to be very good at it. There's a vertical gym down the street from the house; next time I'm unemployed, I'll probably join.

Dad (who has climbed most of the places in Washington where you can drive a piton) tells a story about a climb at Pinnacles, which I will not here relate because both our wives read your blog, and neither of us would ever be allowed out of the house with a rope again. It involves a hat.