The closest gym to the house we’re renting in a suburb of Portland is a Boulder gym, a climbing gym. It is at the major intersection closest to our house and often puts clever messages on it’s sign board. You can’t miss it. I’ve been intrigued by it for over a year. My daughter had begged more than once for us to try it out. I have repeatedly said, “someday…”
A friend once invited me to join her there. I had a conflict. It didn’t happen.
Part of my hesitation came from my commitment to CrossFit and the financial investment that comes with that commitment. I didn’t want to throw away 2 years of life giving training to start over with something new. And I didn’t think I could afford to do both. So… someday remained my answer.
Then I made the hard decision last month, after a year at a new Crossfit box to leave that box and try out a box closer to home, right behind the Boulder gym, actually. Definitely easy to miss. I missed it for a while year. I didn’t sign on to a full membership right away because I knew I was going to be away a lot this summer. So I purchased a 10 class pass. I’ve had some great workouts there. I like the coaches a lot. But they are a super small gym (which I prefer) and have very few classes. I’m finding it hard to get there consistently. Even though it is SUPER close to home.
I arrived in South Dakota for a week of vacation after weeks of no meaningful exercise whatsoever. I brought running gear hoping to at least get a few runs in. I did manage to run once (twice if you count portions of our first lap around Bear Lodge). And we hiked a lot. It was a good week for physical exercise and fresh air.
Kev expressed as we parked outside what I then knew as Devil’s Tower that he felt no need to climb the tower. I didn’t even know that was a possibility. But something tugged in me when I looked at it and thought about climbing it. The tugging continued throughout our two loops around it. The climbing skills needed are WAY beyond me. But a spark of inspiration took hold.
Before our tour loop was through I told Kev that I had decided to try out the Boulder gym when we got home and if I like it, to join that gym, leaving CrossFit behind for the next year. I also told him I was inspired to take a family hike once a week in the coming year. I am excited about these new commitments.
The truth is that of all outdoor activities, rock climbing is the only one that holds any appeal for me. I don’t know if I will be any good at it. And I have a significant amount of fear about the coming down part of climbing (even more than falling, I fear the process of descent). But for years I’ve been intrigued. And someday has arrived.
I’m not surprised that I feel this pull. Of the four elements, earth has always been mine. Mountains, not oceans, take my breath away. And there’s just something about rocks. Our tour guide told us “Natives believe rock holds the wisdom of the universe.” And I wrote that down. Because it seemed so right.
A lot of people throughout history have looked at Bear Lodge and been inspired to climb. Or at least a lot of people of European descent. Natives find different inspiration at Bear Lodge. It is a sacred site for them, a place at the base of which they hang prayer bundles, prayers for others, never for the themselves. And at the base of which they hold rituals. There is a climbing ban at Devil’s Tower/Bear Lodge in the month of June because many rituals take place around the solstice. And thus climbing during this time is as disrespectful as it would be to climb the walls of a sanctuary, or the cross at the front of a sanctuary during Sunday worship. I think native peoples would feel best were climbing to cease completely. But accommodations have been made to allow climbing 24 hours a day most of the year.
It occurred to me that my inspiration to climb is perhaps a byproduct of my cultural formation and location. I want to honor this inspiration, but I also want to learn from those who are differently inspired. How can a climb be a form of worship and deeper connection to the gift of this creation rather than simply a challenge to conquer? I’m excited to find out.
We have a rock climbing gym in Franklin Square now, Anna and I went during their open house, no I did not climb, but she did and I have great videos.