the Overlook

Like I said in my last post, I went sport climbing this week at the Overlook with Casey and Shawn. It looks amazing in the Fall! This time we were there in the day instead of the evening but it was freezing nonetheless. There was a very cold wind and I remembered why Spring always makes me so happy. I do love the colors and the feel of Autumn, in fact it's one of my favorite times of the year, it just hurt my fingers to climb when they were practically popsicles. It was an enjoyable afternoon though. This semester has been really relaxing, probably my easiest one ever! On Mondays and Wednesdays I get out of class at noon and I don't usually have obligations until 6:00 so I have plenty of time for homework and adventures. I love having the chance to get outside and enjoy nature!

Casey flashed (lead climbing without falling on the first try...just so we're clear on the climbing terminology :) ) this 5.12 b route called Dwarf Tossing. Climbing routes and boulder problems have funny names. But anyway, he did awesome!

Isn't the view cool?

I led a 5.10a route which is the hardest I've led so far! It was actually a pretty easy one, but fun.

It's such a relief when you finally clip into the chains at the top. Phew! I think the reason I like climbing so much is because of the sense of accomplishment it gives me. I never really felt that with any of the sports I played in middle school or high school. It's nice because it's just me conquering my fears and pushing myself to get stronger and better. I like knowing that I can do hard things that sometimes scare me out of my mind. That just reminded me of a talk I gave in Sacrament meeting a month or two ago about the scripture that says "if ye are prepared, ye shall not fear." I used a little climbing analogy and ever since then I am just finding all sorts of metaphors between climbing and life/the gospel. :)