Sometimes You Aren't Inspired

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Sometimes you aren’t inspired.

And currently, I haven’t been. I was hoping with all my new years goals and excitement for a brand new start, that I would stick to a strict posting schedule and just crank out the content for my existent (or more likely, nonexistent) readers. Instead, I’ve just been dealing with a whole lot of work stress and an abhorrent amount of rainfall which has kept me from being as adventurous as I would like.

When things in my 9-5 work grind get overwhelming, I tend to shut down. I shut down on friends, on work itself, family, and on creative endeavors. Quite frankly the only thing keeping me sane is that fact that I’ve been climbing about five times a week.

I have a blog post about my January trip to Pickett State Park just chilling in my drafts that is about ⅓ of the way finished, so hopefully someday that will see the light of day. But for now, I’m still on an accidental hiatus until the (excuse the somewhat gross cliche) creative juices start flowing.

Hopefully if weather cooperates, I’ll have a mini climbing weekend in Chattanooga that I can share with you, and possibly some small day hikes. But for now, I’m gonna keep trying to eat all the vegetables I can stand, drink some more water, take it easy on the Starbucks blonde espresso (cause that stuff is TIGHT), and go to bed at a reasonable hour. And hopefully real-life-not-so-fun work stuff dies down soon-ish (but it most likely won’t).

Later!

What I Wish I Knew When I First Started Climbing

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No one is judging you. We all started where you started.

And honestly, if someone is judging you, they are probably just a trash person to begin with. It’s your first time, You aren’t going to be a pro and no one thinks you should be. You do those 5.5 climbs on top rope and those v0 boulder problems for as long as you need. Everything is an accomplishment and you’re doing better than half the population who can’t leave their couch. With time, you’ll get stronger. Start where you start and don’t feel insecure about it.

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Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

The employees and members are happy to help you out 99% of the time. Not sure what the ratings mean? ASK. Don’t know how to do the next move on the boulder route you’ve been staring at for an hour? ASK. Don’t remember the belay method from the last time you climbed a month ago? ASK - especially when it's a safety concern.

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You’ll understand the lingo later on.

Google is your friend. I didn’t know what half the terms people were throwing around were when i first started, but now I’m just as annoying as they are…..
And if you want a handy cheat sheet I definitely looked at this one when I first started.

People are going to give you unwanted help.

I know I said you should ask if you need it, but sometimes half the fun of climbing is figuring it out for yourself. “Beta” - basically a term for “how to do the route” - is going to be spewed at you constantly. Especially if you are a lady climber. Feel free to tell them to cut it out and let you do it yourself!

Paired with this, if you're still a beginner, don't give advice to climbers who have clearly been climbing for a while. I said earlier that no one would be judging you...........but.............in this instance, they will. A fine line, I know, but you'll catch on!

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If you're hooked on climbing and decide to buy your own gear, make sure you buy shoes that are too small.

I didn’t believe what all the seasoned climbers told me and I bought shoes that felt awesome when I tried them on in the store………and just like they said, they are way too big and nearly impossible to climb in. $100 down the drain. Just deal with the discomfort, agony, and pain and then you’ll have the perfect shoes.

Along with that, if you’re still a beginner climber, all you need a harness, shoes, chalk bag, and a carabiner + ATC. Don’t start buying quickdraws, ropes, hand jammies, slings, etc. before you know how to use them. Get comfortable in the basics and then decide to grow your gear closet.

Those are just a few things that might help you out if you're brand new to climbing and worried about a scary gym atmosphere. If you have any climbing questions feel free to leave a comment or send me a message and I'd love to help you if I can! Happy climbing!

A Look Back at 2017

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**Photos and Video at the end of this post!**

Another year has come and gone, seemingly quicker than the ones that preceded. You hear older people tell you that time starts speeding up as you get older, and regardless of what you believe in the moment, their words will ring true once you gain a few more years experience.

2017 is being categorized as "terrible" by people who are solely looking at it from a political or social world view. And you know, I'd have to agree with you. But if you keep those sad glasses on to view the year, you're bound to come away with a lot of pent up aggression along with a fair amount of depression.

So instead, I challenge you to take a scroll back to January of 2017 in your phone's camera roll and take a good look at all the things you did, the people you saw, and places you went. I think you may be surprised at how good your year actually was.

I've put together the "highlights" from my year, below. I leave out a lot of the mundane things like the eight million photos of my cats, shared memes, and desk selfies at the office, because those aren't the things I will remember. The stuff I'll remember and look back on, are the experiences outside the 9-5 (well, for me it's 7-3 but that's beside the point) grind.

This year I:

Drank a WHOLE lot of coffee, worked at a climbing gym, became a better climber, became part of a new community, further healed from a breakup - which included quitting my job at the climbing gym, went to Colorado, traveled to North Carolina, started this blog, shot my first wedding and went on to shoot two more, hiked all around Tennessee, enjoyed as many waterfalls as I could, camped, hiked, did some yoga, learned to snowshoe, dealt with the most incredible amount of car trouble, saw a whole lot of amazing bands, witnessed a monumental solar eclipse, trail ran, upgraded my camera system - and took on a lot of debt, traveled to Boston and Maine, took public transit by myself, went to Arkansas, and climbed more and more and more.....

2017 wasn't bad. In fact, I went so many beautiful places with so many beautiful people that it was quite AMAZING - and I cannot wait to see what 2018 brings.

Dwell on the good things.

What Climbing Has Done For Me

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I am seriously blessed that rock climbing has become a part of my life.

I’ve never been an “active” or “athletic” person until the last five years of my life. I didn’t play organized sports, no gymnastics, or dance classes, I didn’t run, or even walk regularly. And as I’ve already discussed (link to blog post) I ended up finding a love for outdoor recreation as a way to get through some tough life altering relationship changes in the beginning of 2014.

Fast forward to today when I climb almost 4 days a week every week, averaging three hours in the gym each time. I’ve never really craved physical activity like I hear runners do, but after our local gym finally opened, I can say for certain that has changed. Friends of mine will attest that if we are on an out of town weekend trip, I frequently comment, “I NEED TO CLIMB SOMETHING”. I get feeling antsy and a little trapped if I’m not able to get on a wall of some sort. Becoming a climber has done me a whole lot of good in so many ways.

TIny speck of red hair = me. 

TIny speck of red hair = me. 

First of all, I’m not one to randomly introduce myself to a stranger, but the tight knit gym community in my town has really helped me with that. It’s a whole lot easier to meet someone when you’ve been helping each other work a boulder problem for the past hour. A common goal allows you to meet people without pressure. It’s nice that our community is small enough to let me refill my introverted “talk to people” tank, while also having private climb time when I need to be by myself.

I think it would be tough to identify another sport that is as uplifting and encouraging as climbing. I’ve never experienced such enthusiasm, motivation, and excitement from people as I strive to finish a v3 that’s been absolutely killing me. One time I asked a gym acquaintance to video me trying a problem I’d been throwing myself at for over two hours, and when I finally sent it, the entire boulder area applauded me because they knew how hard I’d been trying. That’s incredible to me.

The more I climb, the more confident I become, both mentally and physically.  I try harder problems that I would never have even glanced at a few months ago. I don’t worry about failing a route because I know it will just push me to get it later. You’re only competing against yourself anyway.

Physically, I’ve never really been proud of my body. I’ve never been severely overweight, but if you had looked at those average weight charts on a medical website, I was in the “overweight” category  (which honestly is so rude for those charts to say). Thankfully, due to some lifestyle changes along with pushing myself at the climbing gym, that is no longer the case, and I’m much more confident in my appearance. (Though to say I don’t still struggle, would be a total lie.) When I first started climbing, the gym was a huge room full of comparison. An average female climber is smaller, slighter, and a lot more toned that me. But I just don’t have that body type. Women in my family have big arms and big thighs, there’s not much you can do to change genetics. However, my arms and thighs house some powerful muscles now. These days I look at a person who would have been my “ideal” body type and I see that I climb stronger and better than them with MY body that looks MY way. (not that it’s about being better or feeling superior to others, but you see the point!)

I’ve also learned to listen to what my body is telling me.  If I’ve climbed hard a few days in a row and my  shoulder starts feeling whacky, I know you need to ease up. I can tell exactly when my skin is reaching its breaking point, and I know when it’s worthless to keep climbing because my energy level isn’t up to snuff. When one of my fingers’ joints starts getting twinge-y feeling, I know I have to let it rest. It’s been so cool to learn more about how my body works while climbing, and when to chill out to prevent any injuries.  

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And the last nugget of gold I’ve gleaned from climbing is that I’m an extremely good judge of character (woman’s intuition is probably the biggest factor in this…) when it comes to belay partners. I can watch someone and their attitude towards climbing and determine that I do not want them belaying me on lead, much less on top rope. You have to be able to trust your partner completely when your life is in their hands.

I could go on for ages about how much I love climbing, what it has done for me, and what i’m excited to accomplish, but these are the main things that stand out when i’m asked about why I love climbing. If you’ve ever been curious about the sport, and want to try something new, find a local gym and give it a go! I’d love to hear about how it changes you.

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