But this entry isn't about my history of rock climbing. It's about how climbing has come back around in my life to provide a new sense of purpose for me. Being in Korea has become difficult at times in many ways. Being in a big, loud clty of 12 million, with no right of personal space can really start to bug anyone who wasn't raised in a big city. And the one thing in particular that has been getting to me is homesickness. I have found myself thinking about and spending excessive time planning what Rebs and I will be doing when we go home. For a while, I was daydreaming alot about what it would be like, who we'd talk to and what we'd talk about, what we'd eat -- basically all the things I have been missing. That only made me miss home even more and not really want to be in the situation I am in. In short, wishing for home was only making my present life suck.
This is where climbing comes in. Rebs and I have been privileged to find a climbing gym that is within a 15 minute walk from where we live. We usually train there twice a week, and then go out on real rock for the weekend. It has generally been our routine, but a few months ago, we started getting off track. Rebs started working ridiculous hours for summer camp, and I hurt my finger by jamming it into a kid in the dark in a haunted house. The owner of the gym, Mr. Cheung, who is a great motivator when I'm training in the gym, was also in Pakistan on an expedition during this time. So we started to slack off bit by bit. Then, about 2 weeks ago, I realized much of what I had gained over the winter and spring had gone away.
Two weeks ago, with the combination of homesickness and the realization of how unsatisfied I was with my climbing skills, I decided I needed to get back on track with climbing. I needed climbing to help take my mind off the things back home I've been missing. I need climbing to help lift my spirits, give me something to work towards, something that is pure and clean and good for me. I feel like climbing, in the right context, can be just that.
Last week, we went to Ganhyeon, the sport climbing crag of our choice thus far in Korea. It's relatively close and the climbing is all sport, from easy up to moderately difficult. I climbed poorly, which pushed me over the edge of mediocrity. I decided to go on a caffeine fast to help me in my training. If you didn't know, caffeine is toxic. If you had too much of it at once, it could kill you (though it would have to be alot). I didn't realize how many of my snacky foods had chocolate in them. So all last week, my diet changed drastically. And every time I craved coffee or chocolate or something similar, it reminded me why I was doing it, spurring me on to train hard. It kept me focused on my goal, which was to climb this 5.11d called "Honeymoon". I told myself that I wouldn't have any caffeine until I successfully redpointed (lead the climb without sitting or falling on the rope). Well this weekend, Rebs and I went again to Ganhyeon. Today was our second day of climbing and I was determined to give "Honeymoon" my best. We warmed up early, before the sun hit the rock so it would still be cool. Rebs tried her problem first, but had to take a sit, so I took a turn on Honeymoon and I got it. It was a really ugly climb. Much of the way through, I was surprised that I was still holding on to the rock because my arms were so tired. I was constantly showing my "Elvis leg" as the Koreans call it, which is where your legs shake uncontrollably. But somehow I managed to get to the top. This is the hardest grade I have ever climbed. It's just so rewarding of a feeling when you accomplish a goal. And it's great at taking my mind off the difficult things in life. Here's a picture of me working on Honeymoon a few months ago.
Now... what are you working towards? What's your goal?
