Soaring to New Heights
Adrenaline. It is the reason a lot of us will participate in a variety of sports.
…The priceless feeling and euphoria that comes after scoring the game winning goal.
….The satisfaction upon completing a perfect dive or gymnastics routine.
…The thrilling high speed turn in a motorcycle race.
While I do play team sports, I have always tended to prefer individual sports. However, I have found that some of these sports I have tried in the past have been a little anti-climatic.
Last summer, a friend of mine who has made it to the top of my hypothetical "Friends Likely To Accidently Kill Themselves Before Thirty" list invited me to go outdoor rock climbing at Rattlesnake Point near Milton. I had to think about it. He assured me he had the necessary knowledge and equipment to prevent me from becoming a more mangled or less intact version of myself. As a friend of his since high school, seeing his various errors in judgment for over a decade made me somewhat skeptical of his claims. However, having nothing to do on a Saturday and being a little short on excuses I decided to take him up on his offer.
Going rock climbing for the first time in itself is a nerve wracking experience before one even hits the
cliffs. There is a lot of set up. This causes a lot of nervous anticipation. There are many safety checks. This causes a lot of nervous anticipation. There is the moment before you climb where you look up at a sixty foot cliff and then look at the jagged rock just below you. This causes a HUGE amount of nervous anticipation.
Part of the reason I elected to go is that I love to try out new sports. I'm not particularly good at anything but my passable athleticness allows me to at least give most sports a try!
The thrill of climbing was second to none. Despite the fact you are wearing a safety harness, there is the constant gut wrenching feeling associated with the fact you could fall at any moment. There is the sense of self-satisfaction of pushing your muscles to the ultimate level of fatigue. Then there is the immense pride you feel when you reach the summit of the climb!
Yet unlike any sport, the attempt and (usually) failure of a conquest provides an unimaginable surge of adrenline in rock climbing. There is no more exhilarating feeling than lunging for a far away hand hold, and then dropping a few feet and being suspended fifty 
feet in the air merely a few seconds after failing to grasp a distant piece of rock.
Joshua Cohen's Leverage is a book that can certainly be described as intense. However, during one of the more relaxed portions of the novel a group of gymnasts set out on a rock climbing adventure of their own. It is here that Kurt, a football player who has tagged along for the ride, experiences climbing for the first time. His experience parallels what is described above as at first this mentally and physically tough chracter is apprehensive, but eventually is able to overcome his fears and step up to the challenge. Unfortunately, for Kurt and his friend Danny their lives involve a lot more anxiety provoking and disturbing situtations unrelated to the eustress associated with rock climbing. If you are looking for a book that will capture your attention and make your heart stop in anticipation in fear of what might happen next, then Leverage could be the book for you this summer.
I would not encourage the majority of teenagers to try rock climbing just yet (if you do please seek out the necessary training, follow all safety measures and discuss the idea with your paren'ts). Yet I would encourage everyone to find something that challenges them this summer, whether it be through a physical pursuit or via a challenging read that will take you into a world you had little knowledge of previously!
Hope everyone has a rockin' summer!
12 thoughts on “Soaring to New Heights”
I want to go skydiving, but the contract saying the instructor is not responsible for your death freaks me out.
Having any near death experience is pretty freaky. It’s just as they say – fear is an option; danger is real. But, nonetheless, it sounds fun to do.
I was really miffed when I found out I couldn’t go camping at Rattlesnake, I was so excited to rock-climb and camp out there.
I love these sorts of activities and would love to try (and once in New Zealand came very close to) bungee jumping.
Having been raised with older brothers I was pretty much born into the risk-filled and substantially dangerous lifestyle, but I wouldn’t rather have anything else in my life. I live for adrenaline and excitement!
@Jessica: It is disappointing that they only have group camping at Rattlesnake. I would love to camp there myself as this amazing park is really close to Toronto. I guess that is why they limit camping there (because everyone would want to go!)?
@Captain Awesome: You would be surprised how standard this is on a lot of sport contracts as I think even playing ball hockey I have to sign my life away each season. Interestingly enough I was in the Dominican just a week ago and went out paddle boating into the sea. We went behind a man made island and all of a sudden the clouds got darker and the waves picked up and we couldn’t get back due to the very limited power of a paddle boat (the waves were pushing against us out into the sea). Therefore, we almost got stuck at sea on what most would consider a sport less risky than badminton! Fortunately we were able to shout at one of those wind sailing boats which eventually was able to bring us in (although even this took about 1 1/2 hours as we almost got them stuck out in the Caribbean Sea as well lol)
I’ve only been rockclimbing twice, both of which were in an indoor building, and that was enough to scare me out of it for life. I like adrenaline as much as the next person, but I prefer to not take the risk of death. Yep, horror movies and Stephen King are more my style. The most dangerous thing I’m planning on doing this summer is jumping of a 10-foot diving board at the outdoor pool in the Beaches.
I totally agree with you, I did rope clibing indoors and once rope wall climbing outdoors and I’ve been kind of scarred. Even though I know I’m strapped in, whenever I look down I can’t go on. However, I love rollecoasters (mostly because once you get to the top a second later you are already at the bottom)
Indoor climbing is a much safer alternative and something I love to do as well. If anyone is interested in pursuing climbing it is probably best to start indoors, mind you there is still a level of risk involved so being afraid is not unwarranted!
I love rollercoasters myself…so much so that eventually I became somewhat accustomed to their high speeds after going to Canada’s Wonderland ~15 times one summer. I’m going to Darien Lake this summer and I can’t wait!!!
I’m pretty much have the opposite view of everybody else when it comes to rock-climbing. I hate the challenge of trying to figure out how to maneuver up rocks, and I more enjoy just letting go and being gently let down by the harness I’m wearing. It doesn’t scare me in the least.
I have tried rock climbing before. Last month, I went for a hike in the woods with a few friends near a lake. It seems like a simple activity but it’s great to be in a different environment. I definitely want to go skydiving, bungee jumping, and zip lining.
Zip lining is on my to-do list as well. I may try to go before summer ends. I wouldn’t mind trying bungee jumping as well (I regret not going on one of my many trips to Canada’s Wonderland). Skydiving is a maybe, but only because of the cost…it is a little expensive to throw yourself out of a plane these days lol!
I hate adrenaline to be honest. I always feel like that I’m going to puke out my insides any moment and that I’m just waiting for the blow… Plus, I’m scared of a LOT of things. I would seriously never even consider rock climbing and skydiving. I’m just afraid of the chance I might fall, as well as the rushing movement of free falling and the sudden upward tug of being pulled up by the harness.
This summer I did the obstacle course at Blue Mountain. It is basically up in the trees and you climb from post to post and do the zip line. Being terrified of heights I decided to battle my fears by going on this adventure. I was SCARED but it was so worth it. I definitely recommend it to adrenaline lovers!!!