Into the Water
About two weeks ago, I went rock climbing for the first time in a long time. I forgot how much I enjoyed it. It's a challenging sport, requiring a lot of strength I haven't built yet, but there's something else about it I find thought-provoking and a little bit fascinating. It's one of the only sports I can think of where you give your life entirely into the hands of another person. Of course, it's possible to climb without that risky element, but as far as beginners go, if you choose to climb without a belayer, you're either taking a much bigger risk or limiting yourself -- either by how high you can climb or by how many routes you're able to do. Having someone to catch you when you might not have the strength to continue is possibly part of why the rock climbing community is so supportive and helpful -- these are people who have to learn to trust, and have to be worthy of trust, each time they get on the wall. The stakes for rock climbers are pretty high, ...