Bouldering: Reaching for the Top

Enjoying the Journey Podcast Episode 1

By: Holly Darby

Listen on Spotify

Intro

My wife often tells me I get “too deep” with my thoughts anyway so why not just roll with it if it's who I am?! I just believe life has to be more than what it seems the moment you experience it. I trust that the surface level of experience is never the only level. Going beyond the surface is how you begin to find out who you really are and what you believe. You shouldn’t just take and hold to what others tell or show you about who you are and what you should believe. Even when you can't take something beyond the surface level or if you just aren't ready to or even if you don't really want to… instead of diving in, or rummaging through the mess underneath, you can take a step back instead. You can seperate yourself and give the experience space or a little room to breathe. When you do this you can see the full picture, or at least a little more of it. Both stepping back and diving in are equally as rewarding and transformative. If you don’t do those things and don't question the world around you, how can you say that you're living? I don’t know.

If you listened to my podcast intro you’d know that I lost my brother, Kyle, to a motorcycle accident on May 2, 2020. What you may not know is how traumatic an event this was for me, my parents, our family, his friends and military family, and everyone who ever met him. Kyle was 22 years old and a complete pain in the ass. But he was also my best friend and I love him with my whole soul. Throughout this series I am going to talk about him a lot because not only was my brother the bravest person I’ve ever known but also I want him to live forever through the stories of his life. These stories may not be from his perspective but they are still important to me. It’s the piece of him that still lives on even though he’s gone. I get to keep him forever in my mind and heart. All I really know is that if my little brother can't be on this physical plane with me anymore. There has to be more. There just has to be. And I’m going to find it. And I’m going to make it good. So welcome to my Journey.

Bouldering and what it means to me, episode dialog.

Bouldering is a form of rock climbing that uses no ropes. You are able to scale without a rope because it is a fairly short climb, usually only 10-15 feet off the ground. With this sport there is padding at the base of your climb so when you fall, not if but when, you're less likely to break something. Now let me tell you, I do not claim in any way, shape, or form that I know everything about this pastime. I’ve only ever done indoor bouldering at facilities near my home. I’ve never actually been free climbing, which is in my opinion the most extreme approach to the sport because it is outdoors on natural terrain. Keeping it safe, the facilities I frequent have about 2-3 feet of cushioned padding from the base of the wall to about 6 feet or more out and it is securely in place for the fall. Unlike free climbing where you have about a ½ a foot thick pad you bring yourself…. if any. Nonetheless, it is something that I thoroughly enjoy and was incredibly fortunate that I got to have one of my first adult experiences getting into the sport with my little brother!

Not only is this a physically intensive activity, (I mean, you are literally hauling ALL your body weight with just your frail fingertips and the tippy tops of your toes…well, okay.. you use more than just that but for purposes of dramatic effect.. just your fingers and toes!!). Anyway, not only is it a physically challenging activity, but it is also an INCREDIBLY mental sport.

I mean, you need to know what your own physical strengths and weaknesses are and be able to utilize that knowledge to get you from point a to point b. For example, I have no arm strength, literally none. In fact, I have noodles where my arms should be and if I tried to do a couple pull ups I would be sore for days. BUT my grip strength is decent and I’ve got a lot of power and strength in my legs. Knowing that when I look at my starting and ending points on the wall I have to ascend the wall in a way that caters to my own abilities!

Time to get deep!

If you think about it, this is something that is so applicable to everything you set out to achieve in your own life. Your skills and abilities today determine what level of difficulty for the route you can take. This is not that you can't work to improve and take more challenging routes. Also, the more difficult the route, when completed, the greater the reward. To improve your climb you can watch others take the route to get an idea of how you will approach it. Even with observing others' approach to the top you may not be able to make it up by following the exact same route as the person in front of you. You can still make it to the top, you just have an understanding of what you are truly capable of and be willing to push yourself. Okay I'm rambling a little but I just think that is such a neat metaphor. Long story short, push yourself but also be understanding, nurturing, and confident in your own strengths and weaknesses.

While writing this episode I was really interested in learning when this idea of scaling mountains and other intense terrain was transformed from survival into sport? Boy, was that the question!

ACCORDING TO WIKIPEDIA!!!! I learned that rock climbing as a whole became a sport somewhere in the 1800’s and that bouldering was used in the mid to late 1900’s as a training mechanism to help climbers scale larger undertakings. They used bouldering to build grip strength and practice uncommon explosive and dynamic maneuvers at a safe distance from the ground so they could be more confident and able to perform these maneuvers when at more extreme heights (where yes, they had ropes!). Bouldering and rock climbing weren't really practiced as separate disciplines. In the 1900’s, a man in France had an idea and the first rock climbing shoes were invented. Thus, the separation slowly began.

I was really expecting bouldering specifically to be something that was around for a lot longer than 70ish years. I was thinking while reading about how it was probably almost entered into the first olympics. Which “rock climbing” as a whole is recorded back as far as 200 BC but the separation of bouldering and rock climbing is way later in the history of the sport itself than I anticipated! But what does this mean and how could it apply to anything we know or do in our own lives? For me it says that it’s never too late to improve the way we practice things we’ve been doing our whole lives. I mean climbing and scaling things is in our nature and something that we as people have been doing for thousands of years, 200 b.c., BC?! And that's just the first record, not necessarily the first actual climb.

Recognizing and really focusing on the details and environment of your practice can be something we take from this also. Sometimes if you focus on improving the details, the rest will just fall into place. This also exemplifies the understanding that practice builds confidence and confidence can be what makes or breaks your ability and desire to keep going. Sometimes through practice we can create a whole new experience for ourselves and others to enjoy!

One final personal note I want to mention about indoor bouldering from my own experiences that I, again, find super applicable to every thing in your life is that you get taught how to properly fall. Before you can jump on the wall at these facilities they make you sign the waivers and all that, but then they either demonstrate themselves or show a video about getting down once you’ve gotten up the wall or lose your grip. Obviously, the goal is to be able to climb up then climb back down. This is not meant to be easy. Attainable, yes, but not easy. So for WHEN you fall, again not if but when, they give you pointers so when you flatten out you are less likely to hurt yourself. Now, of course this is for liability and safety reasons, but think about what this really means for you. It means you can fuck up and then get right back to trying again. No having to go home, no waiting to heal, no choosing whether or not you ever want to go back. It means you fuck up, take minimal time to get back up, look at your route to analyse what you need to adjust, then you can try again. Right then, right there. I just think it's so important to know how to fail correctly. An easier way besides just trial and error you can do that is by being taught by an instructor or a mentor. So don't be afraid to search for someone who knows what they're doing most of the time and ask for guidance!

Where is the joy?!

So where is the joy in today's podcast? Well today there is joy and excitement in that this is the first full episode!!! However, as it pertains to bouldering, I think the joy is in finding out what you are capable of. And I will tell you you are SO MUCH STRONGER than you will ever see yourself as. Of this I am sure. So keep your head up and keep climbing!

Get out there and enjoy your own journey!

If you haven't tried bouldering before, what are you doing?! Get on google. Find a place near you, try it out! I know you will get so much more from the experience than just a workout and some sore fingers. If you do go soon or if you've gone in the past I’d love to hear what you’ve learned from going beyond the surface level or even taking a step back and looking at the larger picture! You can visit my webpage at www.enjoyingthejourneypodcast.biz. If you go to the contact me page of the site you can share your thoughts and feelings with me and I would truly, TRULY love to hear from you.

You’ll also see my podcast schedule there on the homepage. I will be uploading 2 podcasts every month. One episode will be uploaded on the first of every month and centered around an intrinsic topic. The second upload will be on the 15th about an extrinsic topic. Our intrinsic focus will be on the internal self with things like forming good habits, self care, setting goals and boundaries and being motivated. The extrinsic episodes are going to be centered on the external self with activities and hobbies that are enjoyed by myself and others around me. These pastimes will have a focus on testing your abilities and character. Kind of like the episode correlating with this blog. Every once in a while I also plan to interview someone to learn about what they do and what brings them joy in their own journey! All of my episodes will relate their topic to a deeper understanding of the self in some way. I truly believe that in every experience you have or witness there is something that can be learned and applied to your regular everyday thoughts and beliefs, habits and routines/systems.

If you enjoy my content and want to support my blog, podcast and more works like this you can become a supporter at www.anchor.fm/enjoying-the-journey/support. It would really help me out!

With this in mind, I hope you know you’re all great and I can't wait to continue Enjoying the Journey with you!