Day 6 - Belay Rock Climbing

I started out rock climbing about half a year ago. Conveniently enough for me, there was a rock climbing facility 2 miles away from where I go to school. I went climbing there nearly once a week until I felt my wallet was drained well past my budget. However, my love for climbing never ceased.

About a month ago, I wanted to get back into rock climbing, but didn't want to dedicate myself to climbing at a gym. I figured if I save up enough money to buy my own gear I can start trying out outdoor climbing. Although my enthusiasm had set my goals high, I felt untrained to switch to the outdoors any time soon. That is when I made a plan that will help me make the transition from indoor to outdoor climbing. The first step was learning how to belay, one of the most crucial things about outdoor climbing.

After taking a crash course in belaying from the facility, I felt prepared to take the facility's belay test. I went to take the test with a friend, who was there both for support and as the climber I'll be belaying. I taught him a few terminology that he, as the climber, would need to know when being belayed then we preceded with climbing. Now the thing to note about my friend is that he is heavier than me. With along comes my history as a runner I have the body of a light weight. 

What caught me nearly off guard was my friend's unexpected fall. I tried to position myself low on the ground and grab the rope with two hands. However, this was not enough to slow him down and ended up yanking me up in the air. I thought to myself that this for sure was an automatic fail. To my surprised, the tester told me I passed the test and am now qualified to belay at any of their climbing facilities.

I couldn't be more grateful for my friend to help me with this test, as well as accomplish a fear of mine. I was pretty comfortable with taking the test up until I arrived to the facility. My stomach felt like it had rocks in it and I was more than tempted to excuse myself from leaving. If it wasn't for the challenge, I probably would have. I have not only bested my fear for the test, but also passed it. 

I also am able to take away a lesson from this challenge in overcoming my fears. The more I thought about my fear, the more nerve whacking it became. Once I started to do the very thing that caused me fear, everything started to feel very relaxed. My first step for going into outdoor climbing has been completed.