I went rock climbing last night with a friend who kindly offered to play tutor. It was decided that we would be doing "bouldering" from the various types of rock climbing. Bouldering is quite fascinating since it is done without any ropes holding you safe and thus gives such an adrenaline rush. I stood in amazement as I watched the regular climbers scale the heights with seemingly no effort. They did not even flinch!

Not surprisingly, I had high expectations of myself when I made my first attempt. I was convinced it would be easy as it looked. However, I could not have been further from the truth. Climbing required a sharp eye - looking for place to grip and gain a foothold. It also required planning - organizing the route to take to get to the top in the least strenuous manner. I got the hang of it after repeated tries and much despair. However, I never seemed to get it done the way I plan it out in my head, which was of course very frustrating to say the least. It required fast thinking and decision making which was quite hard to do when I was dangling in the air and doubting the grip my trembling hands had on the holds.

An hour and half later I was in a slump, tired and worn out. My arms and legs were in cramps as I had stressed myself with more exercise than I have had in recent weeks. My fingers, hand and arms are still tense. Nevertheless, I enjoyed rock climbing so much that I have decided to try and make it a regular activity!