Because it's there

Mostly for lack of other activity options, my teammates and I started climbing a few weeks ago. Disc was canceled and we had no other shoes but kleats, so we had to figure out what we could do sans trainers. We headed to PowerUp, and have gone back twice since then (a couple of others went on their own for "secret training sessions").

Yesterday was my third time there, and I was beginning to understand why Marie is a hardcore climber. At first, it was just an alternative workout, but last night, I began to see that it was possible for me to love it, too. I was hanging on that pesky Wall 4, on my third attempt to finish it, and it hit me: It's really about challenging yourself. True, I raced with a Man-Who-Shall-Remain-Unnamed (haha) and that was fun. But there's something to be said about climbing alone, just you, the wall, and some seemingly impossible-to-grasp rocks. It's about tapping into yourself and finding the determination to finish something you started, no matter how difficult or daunting or painful.

Papa G asked why we do it, and I answered that it's a lot like climbing Mt. Everest--because it's there. Personally, I've realized: It's because I can, if only I try hard enough.