i joined the climbing gym last nite. it's going to be a little bit larger than the chunk of budget that i've set aside for exercise and recreation, but i've been enjoying going so much that i've decided to commit to it and pick up the members' perks.

there's something really visceral and primitive that appeals to me about climbing. you start at the bottom and, for all practical purposes, claw your way to the top. it's also a hell of a workout that doesn't feel like a workout. don't get me wrong, it's really tough and my muscles today feel pretty tight, but i wasn't sitting in a gym like i have been for the past 2 years lifting weights. i was playing around on a big synthetic rock for 2 hours last nite, trying to "top out" on 4 different routes (i managed to finish 2 of them, my first 2 ever. i was pretty pumped). maybe i'll go back on sunday. i think i can beat those other 2 if my arms, fingers and hands are fresh...

for now, i'll be sticking to the indoor climbing thing. but maybe in the fall i'll be able to get out and get on a real rock, like this one. this is called bouldering. it's not rope climbing like you see where some guys shimmying his ass up a wall using nothing but a crack in the rock to climb up. bouldering is pretty much what it sounds like: climbing big rocks to get on top of them. (i think there's a competition this saturday at climb nashville. if you're around, you should check it out.

sidenote:
you know, the funny thing about this picture is that, while the guys underneath the climber are spotting him, they really look like they're chasing after him and he's scurrying up the boulder like some sort of mutant freak. you can almost hear them now, "curses!! foiled again!!"