REFLECTIONS

WHAT I LEARNED IN THE PROCESS

PATIENCE

Learning new skills takes a long time. It takes forever to break down and understand. It takes a long time to set-up a new system. It takes even longer to become proficient at it. Organizing and mastering techniques is a slow process. Patience is required to make it worth it.

KEEPING CALM UNDER HIGH STRESS

Hanging out on the side of a cliff is no walk in the park. It is nerve-racking. Especially nerve-racking if you are guiding a client (or friend). You are required to be 100% self-sufficient. All confidence is placed on you to lead them safely up (and down) a cliff. I needed to learn to calm my nerves and perform exceptionally during these high-stress situations.

TIME MANAGEMENT

Multipitch climbing can suck away time like a black hole if the climbers are not careful. This is why there is the old adage "Speed is safety." Climbing outside inherently takes more time than climbing inside. However, while climbing multiple pitches, between equipment management and exchange, anchor building, climbing, belaying, route finding, and actual rope management, climbers can easily waste away time between pitches. I have had to learn to be self aware of the time I spent doing these activities and actively seek to cut those times down.

RISK MANAGEMENT

I fell between 20 and 30 feet on a climb in Spring Creek Canyon. (I fell from around the red circle in the picture to the left.) A couple days before that my partner belayed me improperly, and dropped me 20 feet before catching me. He sustained major burns on his hand. I have learned the mistakes of trusting too inexperienced belayers and climbers with my life. I have learned to put safety first so everyone returns home safely.

HAVING FUN!

Even though rock climbing demands serious attention, it is so fun! I get to lead people outside to climb! Making it a serious endeavor is easy, I learned to smile through the process.