ROCK CLIMBING MAY 2013

On 11^th May a group of us took a break from our study and headed out to Long Beach. As the name suggests, this is a beach of some dimension, visible on the map below:

We made our way to a steep basalt outcrop, the perfect place for outdoor rock climbing. Through that morning the weather was surprisingly good and the autumn sun kept us cosy. All of us split up into pairs, each pair consisting of the person climbing and the person belaying. If you haven't heard of belaying before, have a read about it here.

Each person in the pair took turns to climb and to belay on various routes up the outcrop. For beginners like your's truly, it was a real learning experience. It was my first time doing this activity and I quickly picked up a few things including:

1. Coming down is scarier than going up.
2. Having chalk on your hands gives you super powers.
3. Belaying isn't as complicated as it looks.

Now I leave you with these photos, courtesy of Jess Hinojosa, because they say a picture speaks a thousand words. In this case the first word must be FUN!