The Adrenaline Rush

One of the things I seek out in life is new, exciting experiences. Every time I climb, I get that feeling that I am doing something new and exciting and I love the adrenaline rush it gives me as I move up the cliff. I have learned to turn fear into excitement!

The Challenge

I’m always looking for new challenges, and with climbing, there is a limitless lifetime of challenges awaiting me.

The Lifelong Pursuit

There will never be a time where I can say “I’ll never do anything harder than this,”, or “Well, this is all climbing has to offer…I climbed the best route.”

Solitude

Life gets busier and busier by the day. Climbing gives me the opportunity to retreat to places where few people ever go; where I am by myself on a cliff-side, experiencing the world as it was originally created, away from all the hustle and bustle of life.

Training

It’s rare that training for a sport is always enjoyable. However, in the case of climbing, the best training is climbing, climbing, and more climbing! In addition to simply climbing, learning various additional strength techniques is great fun to me, and  love how so many other exercises lend themselves to climbing, such as Yoga.

Community

Climbers have a unique community. Coming from all different walks of life, climbers share the unique bond of being climbers and no matter what can instantly connect. The sense of community among climbers is strong and is something to never be taken for granted. Through the climbing community you can build skill, learn about new areas,  and build a great network of friends.

Revitalizing and Recharging

There is nothing that I find to be more recharging and refreshing than getting out climbing. I think this is the greatest reason I love climbing. By stepping out into the wilderness and climbing my mind, soul, and body is refreshed more than it is anywhere else.

From the Secretary of the Interior Salazar:

Because the previous Administration failed to follow established administrative procedure before leaving office, its plan to intensify logging in western Oregon — known as the Western Oregon Plan Revisions (WOPR) — is legally indefensible and must be withdrawn, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar said today.Moreover, Assistant Secretary for Fish, Wildlife and Parks Thomas Strickland said that the federal government will ask the District Court to vacate the Fish and Wildlife Service’s 2008 revision of the critical habitat for the spotted owl, on which the WOPR was in part based, because Interior’s Inspector General determined that the decisionmaking process for the owl’s recovery plan was potentially jeopardized by improper political influence.

Great job Obama administration. We are excited to have these forests to enjoy for years to come! You can read more about this at the Care2Action site.

Now I’m trying to theorize why this topic has all of a sudden jumped in popularity. About 1 month ago, I started weekly posts on how the Climbing Experience applies to all of life. Then articles started appearing all over the place. Of course I’d like to think that people saw me as the trend setter! But, for a more realistic theory, I’d say that it’s because we’re in the middle of this recession and people are making big life decisions, people are feeling stressed out, and also because we’re halfway through the summer and people are really wishing they were outdoors on some adventure.

I’d love to hear people’s comments on why you think this topic has gained such momentum as of late. Comment below!

The climbing at Linville Gorge is phenomenal, and provides opportunities for beginners as well as advanced climbers.

We will be camping at the Table Rock area of Linville Gorge, along the Mountains to Sea Trail. The climbing will vary from single pitch top roping, to some guided multi pitch climbs to the top of Table Rock. There will be climbing for everyone, no matter your experience level.

Itinerary:

Thursday October 8:

Meet at Table Rock Parking Lot at 10:00am. We will set up camp and have a brief orientation for the trip. We will climb from noon until approximately 5:00pm

Friday October 9 and Saturday October 10:

Climbing at Table Rock and other locations in the Gorge

Sunday October 11:

Climbing at Table Rock until approximately 3:00PM, then returning to camp to pack up and depart for home.

For a climbingpacking list, please see the Forms and Resources section of the website.

To sign up for the trip, or for more information, please fill out the following form: