Rock climbing - A journey within my journey
This year, almost out of nowhere, I became a serious outdoor rock climber. My first time ever climbing was Summer of 2023 while on a cruise to Alaska. I signed up for it because it was the most active excursion that day, but I was terrified of it. I didn’t understand anything about it – especially the safety aspects – so I did the bare minimum almost as if I just wanted to be able to say I did it and be done. After all, it was cool just that climbed for the first time at almost 49 years old, and I could check it off my “do something scary” list.
But something nagged at me afterwards. I began to wonder how much I held back and whether rock climbing was really something I could do. Or did I just want the photo? Perhaps if I understood how it worked – the belay, the technique, and the repel – I might trust it enough to be able to try harder? Or perhaps the minute I faced the opportunity to do more, I’d panic and be done — but with no regrets? At no point did I ever think that I could fall so in love with the sport that it would change me (and my fitness routines). But that happened – or better yet, it’s happening.
Most of what I’ve written about in this blog has been a reflection on the past 10 years of this journey. The journey isn’t over – and it will go on as long as I do – but the past decade has given me lots to share in terms of lessons learned.
At the same time, I have the opportunity here to share the journey today in real time as I try to figure it out before you — where I may have less clarity since the lessons have yet to be learned or understood. Rock climbing is very much that space. I believe I’m at the early stages of this journey within my journey. So this will be a series of posts, but I’l start with what climbing means to me.
Something to learn . . .
At the start of this journey earlier this year, I was just learning the ropes (pun intended). I wasn’t good at climbing, and I most definitely was not good at the other details. Getting better at climbing involves reading the route, learning footwork, figuring out the right handholds and footholds, finding balance, getting stronger, and understanding the ropes, knots, gear, and safety. One of the underrated aspects of most sports is the education it takes to get good. Of course you can have fun without studying all of it, but once you get serious about it, there’s a lot to learn. I go climbing outdoors about once a month, but I spend the weeks between my climbs not just at the indoor climbing gym, but also reading, watching videos, and practicing skills I need beyond the physical ones. Tying knots is perhaps my biggest weakness, so I bought a rope for home and practice endlessly while watching the instruction on YouTube. I want to be more than just a casual climber who does this for more than just a day outside in nature — although that is one of the best parts!
One of the best parts of climbing -- being out in nature with views that you can only get by climbing the rock.
Something to train for . . .
As I mentioned, climbing requires strength and balance, so I get better at this by incorporating certain strength training and stretching routines at the gym. Pull-ups, overhead presses, weighted squats, calf raises, and box jumps are some of the many aspects of my workout that support climbing. Lots of balance drills too, both with weights and while stretching.
But it doesn’t stop at the gym. At home, in between zoom meetings, I’ll hang by my fingers in the doorway hoping that one day, the tips of my fingers will be enough to do pull-ups on that ledge. I already do finger pull-ups from my knuckles on the top of the door (or on devices at the gym), but someday, with enough patience and perseverance, they will be from the very tips of my fingers. I also work on various balance techniques both at home and at the gym, and I climb lots of stairs!
And of course, I joined a climbing gym. I spend about three days a week there practicing my technique and measuring my progress. I’ve also found myself going to the gym even more than those days I set aside for it, but one lesson I already learned is that too much is not good either. The body needs to rest and recover from the stress of climbing, and I’ve overworked it a couple times already. That just leads to muscle or tendon strains that end up needing extra rest, so I’m learning to be careful and patient with it despite my desires to practice all the time. It’s not easy to stay away, but not doing so only sets me back. And if I’m honest with myself, it also goes against my philosophy of diversity in my workouts.
Something I am getting better at . . .
All of the work I have been putting in —the gym, the indoor climbing wall, the YouTube videos, and the reading — is paying off. Most days I spend climbing outdoors are much improved from the time before. Some of that improvement is from strength, but most of it comes from seeing the route better and having greater confidence to make moves on the rock that I would never have tried before. But honestly, the biggest improvements so far have simply been the result of figuring out the simple steps that I would have missed before. Finding that place where my mind is so narrowly focused on what the next move is but is also open enough to see it free from tunnel vision is where it all happens. Sometimes, a simple step sideways or down on the rock that I never would have noticed early on is what can get me through a harder route. That’s just where I am now, but let’s be clear, I’m still at a relatively beginner level — or an advanced beginner one . . .
Something I could not have done before . . .
In so many ways, my body could not have climbed before this journey. Besides not having the strength, conditioning, or balance, my body shape – even just a few years ago – could not have handled the routes I do now on small footholds while pressed up against the rock over 200 feet above ground. My focus over these past ten years was always on the process and never about reaching a “goal” in terms of weight, but the weight loss has been one of the biggest rewards. It’s opened up my world to activities that I was just unable to do before – like running, skydiving, and climbing. In fact, during my first time climbing in Alaska, I even asked my guide if the rope would hold me. Her response was that it holds people much heavier, and at that moment, I realized I was no longer as big as I thought.
A less obvious benefit of the process has been that I heal faster – something that really matters with climbing. I’ve walked away from a day with injuries I thought might take weeks to heal, only to find that I was all better after a few days. So far, nothing has set me back like so many of these injuries would have in the past – and the injuries probably would have been much worse and more frequent.
Something to achieve . . .
There’s almost no end to the heights that can be climbed — both literally and figuratively. That doesn’t mean I’ll ever free solo El Capitan, but it does mean that, in this moment, I have no idea how high I can reach. It’s too early to set goals of climbing anything beyond the next level I haven’t yet achieved, but I can dream — something easily fed by my algorithm on Instagram and TikTok. Some reels are scary and entertaining but fall into the “hell no, I won’t do that!” category. Most are inspiring — and possibly still scary — but they go in the “I totally want to do that!” bucket. I imagine myself someday being able to climb to much higher peaks on much harder routes all around the world. But I’ve also got those routes much closer to home — at The Gunks. Close in distance, but a long way to go until I get there!
Something to make sacrifices for . . .
Work permitting, I plan to climb much more next summer, so I gave up my golf club membership. No, I’m not quitting golf, but between climbing and training for the 2025 New York Marathon, sacrifices must be made to the time spent on other hobbies.
Climbing has meant setting new priorities in terms of my fitness hobbies.
Something to fail big at . . .
There are few days that I go climbing where my guide doesn’t save my life at least once. Falling is part of the experience, and although I strive to climb every route perfectly without any slip-ups, if I really want to challenge myself, then I have to fall. If I don’t — at least from time to time — then I should be trying something harder. As I mentioned, I’ve already had my share of injuries out there, but the cuts and bruises heal, as does my ego. There has yet to be a fall, slip, or crash into the rock where I didn’t get up and think I can’t wait to go back for more.
I try to control my expectations when I go climbing, but it’s hard. I want to do more and more each time, but there have been days where I just didn’t have it. Those are the hardest to deal with but the ones that I ultimately learned the most from.
Something to shop for . . .
Whatever the sport, getting gear is so much fun! Climbing is no exception. I had to go out and buy the basics this year — shoes, harness, helmet, carabiners, belay device, and a chalk bag. I’ve already bought more than one of several of those. I mean really, I need a separate harness, chalk bag, belay device, and shoes for my indoor backback, right? Oh yeah, I bought multiple climbing backpacks too! And I can’t forget the clothes — that’s the best part! My favorite brands are Rab and Arcteryx.
Something that makes me a better version of me . . .
Perhaps the most surprising aspect of what I am learning through climbing is that the sport makes me better in nearly all aspects of life. When I climb, I turn my mind off to everything but what is right in front of me. If you let your focus slip for a moment, it could open up a flood of thoughts that get in the way of making it up the rock. There are even times I can hear my guide snapping pictures from above, but I have no interest in looking up to pose for them. Looking up to the top won’t help me with my next move. Nor will looking down. That’s not to say I don’t pause to take in the view from time to time — especially when giving my arms a needed rest.
My first time out, midway through the climb I took a peek at the ground, and I had no idea I had climbed as high as I did. That time, it frightened me and I had to suck it up and get through to the end. That fear has gone away now, but the lesson I learned about focusing on the climb has not. And that lesson translates to work and life. It is about always being in the moment. Whatever task I do in life, I do it better when I do it with my everything. It does no good, whether with work, family, friends, or sports to let the outside enter your space. Every move in life is like that next step on the ledge where anything that distracts from it makes the move less effective, less powerful, and less successful.
The result of staying in the moment is a sense of calm — even in the midst of chaos. On the rock, I might be at a moment where I am at my limit. My legs and arms can begin to tremble from the strain and the confusion of not finding the right move. I might be holding on with the tips of my fingers and toes looking for the next spot to move, and those moments take everything I have to get through it. But when the move is all that I am focusing on, nothing else gets in the way — not even panic. All of that applies to my job too. Whether I am deposing a witness, preparing for trial, or in a meeting, anything that I might let seep in from the outside makes my work suffer. But when I keep it all separate — even during the most stressful moments in life — I can nail it. And at no expense to the outside stuff because I do exactly the same when I turn to that as well. I don’t think about work when I am caring for loved ones or building relationships with friends. If I did, the work, the caring, and the relationships would all suffer.
This is not to say that I am perfect at this. After all, I’m human. But I am a better person when I succeed at doing this than I am when I fail at it. Climbing teaches me to be better at it. And if you think I’m making this up, check out this post on Instagam that I found shortly after writing this . . .
For the record, this one falls into the "I totally want to do that!" bucket.
Embracing the Journey
So, as I continue the early stages of climbing, all I know right now is that I see so many parallels to the way my larger journey began. The parallels right now are very much rooted in what I don’t yet know.
What’s next?
How much will I improve?
What are my limits — both physically and mentally?
How will this change my lifestyle?
Will I ever get good at the things I am so bad at right now?
How long will this last?
I don’t yet know whether climbing will continue to parallel my journey. I just know that my larger journey has thus far been a success, and so has the climbing one! No matter how good or bad I was out on the rock, I have yet to say I failed to “Win the Day” out there.
A day outside on the rock is a great way to Win the Day!
Aaron