What I have been up to

[Walter45Auto]

Cool pics. There's a place in Mineral Wells state park that I've always enjoyed hiking to and watching the rock climbers. I've never joined their ranks, and I'm clumsy enough I probably would end up hurt or dead if I did.

[fightingquaker13]

Cool pics. There's a place in Mineral Wells state park that I've always enjoyed hiking to and watching the rock climbers. I've never joined their ranks, and I'm clumsy enough I probably would end up hurt or dead if I did.

Its a blast Walter, and a great way to keep in shape and develop situational awareness as you literally bond with every square inch of rock looking for a toe hold. You learn to pay attention, improvise, adapt and overcome. In my case, you also learn to get over a child hood phobia about hights. Being 400 feet up at the sharp end of the rope is the best way I've found to not just spank, but kick the living crap out of your inner child (again I reccomend Outward Bound for all dads as its where I learned that lesson). Climbing is fun, a great workout, and very safe IF you treat it like shooting and check, double check and then triple check your gear before you do anything. One of my favorite college stories had to do with the dorm mate (next door) from hell. This girl was so neurotic she would make Woody Allen look normal. She ironed her sheets for god's sake. She lived next door to me and complained to our RA that I made too much noise when I grabbed my uniform off the hangers at 5 am and the metal hangers hit the cinder block wall. I finally had it. I arranged a "party" for our floor and made sure she, not me, got good and drunk. I then, at about 1 am strapped on my harness and rope, had my roomie (also sober) belay me. I exited my 8th floor window, shuffled across a four inch ledge to her window, knocked, and fell backwards. The screams were priceless. Yes I'm an A hole, but for gods sake she reported me for letting my hangers hit the wall, and I did climb up and give her a kiss. It was cease fire in our relationship. It also taught me about victory through superior fire power. Oddly enough, we acutally dated for a few weeks after that. I won't even pretend to understand how that happened.
FQ13

[JC5123]

Its a blast Walter, and a great way to keep in shape and develop situational awareness as you literally bond with every square inch of rock looking for a toe hold. You learn to pay attention, improvise, adapt and overcome. In my case, you also learn to get over a child hood phobia about hights. Being 400 feet up at the sharp end of the rope is the best way I've found to not just spank, but kick the living crap out of your inner child (again I reccomend Outward Bound for all dads as its where I learned that lesson). Climbing is fun, a great workout, and very safe IF you treat it like shooting and check, double check and then triple check your gear before you do anything. One of my favorite college stories had to do with the dorm mate (next door) from hell. This girl was so neurotic she would make Woody Allen look normal. She ironed her sheets for god's sake. She lived next door to me and complained to our RA that I made too much noise when I grabbed my uniform off the hangers at 5 am and the metal hangers hit the cinder block wall. I finally had it. I arranged a "party" for our floor and made sure she, not me, got good and drunk. I then, at about 1 am strapped on my harness and rope, had my roomie (also sober) belay me. I exited my 8th floor window, shuffled across a four inch ledge to her window, knocked, and fell backwards. The screams were priceless. Yes I'm an A hole, but for gods sake she reported me for letting my hangers hit the wall, and I did climb up and give her a kiss. It was cease fire in our relationship. It also taught me about victory through superior fire power. Oddly enough, we acutally dated for a few weeks after that. I won't even pretend to understand how that happened.
FQ13

It's altitude sickness. I've had it myself!