Rock climbing has always fascinated me. Since I was a kid, I used to see those rock climbers making their way up, taking all the risks to reach the top. The thrill, excitement, challenge and at the end of the day the feeling of accomplishment after reaching the top was so appealing that it must have got imprinted in my brain in such a way that when I was a ten year old kid, I already knew that I want to be one of those people.
Unlike, many others who wanted to be a fighter pilot, a submariner or an astronaut and later on drifted away for many reasons, I stuck with my mission.
I knew it is not going to be an easy task. Climbing is a sport that requires both courage and fitness. Now I had no problem with the first part. I fell in love with rock climbing long ago and found it quite thrilling. But it is the second part that worried me at the beginning. I was a bit over weight and knew this is going to make it difficult for me to achieve my goal. But I never gave up.
I became a scout when I was 12 and took some training courses with my instructor about climbing and hiking. I learned about the basic techniques and gears that are needed for rock climbing. Understanding my passion about climbing, one of my uncles told me to go visit a climbing gym that was about 10 miles away from my place.
I used to go to that gym every Sunday to see how the climbers are doing it. For the first couple of months, my only job was to observe the climbers closely and get used to with the climbing gears. I also attended several training sessions there that really helped me as a beginner.
On the third month, I finally got the chance to do my first climbing. It was nothing notable as I was a beginner but still, the first time is always special if it is your passion. At first I suffered a bit due to my over weight and lack of experience but I kept on visiting the gym. Amazingly within a few months, I lost significant weight and also gathered enough experience in climbing.
At the age of 15, I was already climbing shoulder to shoulder with others and my muscles were starting to get all stretched. I stayed indoor for more than a couple of years. Unlike some of my other mates from the gym, I wanted to go easy. The first time I went outdoor for climbing was with a team of ten climbers including two of our instructors. We went to a nearby forest where there were some cliffs and that was our first serious outdoor mission.
Although me and some other climbers were a little tensed about it since this was our first time climbing outside, once we got started, it seemed we have just entered a different dimension. Each and every one of us was completely focused on what we were doing and our instructors were always there to help us out by guiding through.
I was so fond of that place and started joining the outdoor climbing team more often. Within a year, I broke the local record for climbing the tallest cliff within the shortest time. So far I have visited Alberta, Newfoundland, Quebec, Kentucky, British Columbia Michigan, Wyoming and Ontario for rock climbing.
In my twelve years of climbing, I have faced several minor and two major accidents where in both cases I broke my left leg. I had to wait for months before I could return to those rocks and not for once I ever thought of giving up on it after those accidents. I think, climbing had not only made me fit, full of energy, but also has strengthen my nerves. So I always love challenges and difficulties and one way or another find a way to make it work.