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Monkey
Buisiness
11.04.02
Ahhhh.
Without an expedition for another month,
I finally have a little time to relax
and soak in my surroundings this past
weekend. Specifically, I got to know the
granite walls that surround me here in
Yosemite Valley a bit better - I went
climbing.
 Living
next to the infamous Res(idence) 4 that
is always bustling with a transient climber
crowd, my desire to climb walls has grown
from a fascination of the terminology
to a true desire to see just how one climbs
a vertical wall. I had been warned of
the addiction of climbing - once one starts,
it is hard to stop. Personal testimonies
poured in from climber friends whom claimed
the sport had taken months, if not years
of their life without them fully realizing
it until their climbing binge was over.
I
was not concerned about being addicted
to climbing. For one, to really get into
the sport would require money for shoes,
harness, dynamic and static ropes, carabiners,
stoppers, and helmet. Unless if the definition
of volunteer gets changed to she's-doing-a-great-job-so-let's-actually-pay-her,
I won't be able to become addicted anytime
soon. Therein lies one of the fundamental
problem of climbing - it is not a sport
that one can just pick up half-heartedly
and do. Either you're in our out. You've
got to have a chunk of change to do it
and some sort of rock or climbing gym
nearby.
As you would expect in most in most first-timers,
I was a bit timid of not having the upper
body strength (all the rock pumping with
Kristen while hiking on our last expedition
failed to produce much of a difference)
and falling. I think a song once went
"I have no fear of falling, just
the pain when I hit the ground" which
pretty much sums up my negligible fear
of heights. I perhaps was most intimidated
to go out with friends for the first time,
as many of them more years of climbing
under their belt than I had walking under
mine.
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All
of these fears were calmed, as I enjoyed
my first lesson through the Mountain School
in Yosemite. Instructor Kevin taught us
all about proper knots, how to make am
anchor and most importantly, how to belay
another so they wouldn't fall. A great
day out, I found an immediate attraction
to climbing and perhaps started a healthy
addiction for the new sport. Living in
Yosemite for a year, it would prove to
be foolish not go climbing, as
people flock from around the world just
to scramble up these granite walls. I
might just have to invest in some of the
necessary equipment with the little money
I have.
Although
this is my journal, it is also a one-sided
dialogue in with the WildLink teachers
and students, and yes, this journal
entry does have a point. Thanks to a recent
boost from the Yosemite Fund, WildLink
will continue to expand on our outreach
activities including climbing days at
central valley gyms. This spring a series
of climbing dates will be set up at climbing
gyms in the central valley, for WildLink
participants to learn the ropes (sorry,
couldn't help the p un)
from climbing legend Royal Robbins. The
program will be free of charge, and we'll
also coordinate free transportation to
the gyms.
The
purpose behind these days (besides fun)
is to give students yet another opportunity
to experience nature in another way they
might not have been able to without the
proper funding. As much as Yosemite is
yours to hike and backpack in, it is also
yours to climb. We all own the trees,
the dirt and the rocks that make
up our national parks - they are here
for us to enjoy them. I'm looking forward
to learning from Royal, and to have the
opportunity to catch up with students
a few months from now. Maybe by then I'll
know a thing or two about climbing to
teach myself!
Jocelyn
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