The rush of rock climbing

There's nothing like choosing an experience from RedBalloon that teaches you a lot about yourself. When I was invited onto the #RedBalloonMums campaign, my first thought was, ROCK CLIMBING!

See, when I was pregnant last year I battled with a lot of "stuff", and all I wanted was to go and climb a cliff. The urge to do this was like the strongest craving (even worse than wanting to eat ice-cream all day and all night). I read up on it and it turns out there's this theory where taking on physical challenges - specifically those with immediate outcomes of accomplishment, like rock climbing and running - can help combat anxiety and depression. It made perfect sense, those were the exact things I was trying to get a grip on... only it was a bit hard to go rock climbing with a baby on board.

My baby girl is seven months old now, and the craving for adventure has only got stronger over time. So when #RedBalloonMums came calling I immediately searched their site for the best climbing experiences.

The weekend before last was The Day. It was the first time I'd left my baby for a whole day, so I was nervous about that - although at least it distracted me from my nerves of the climb! Once I got over that I had to face up to the big challenge...

The first hurdle for me to cross was putting my trust in strangers (not my strong point). The guide had a system in place where we didn't have to just trust one person belaying (holding the ropes), as there was another backing them up, which was intended to help the nerves of those trust issues... but really made me nervous of having to trust two strangers. When I got the highest was when I had the most trust in the main person on the ropes - it's so important to have good back-up before you can think about the task at hand.

"Just let the belayer know you're about to fall," the guide suggested, and we all laughed. It sounded silly to say you know you're about to fall. But he was serious: "It's true, you'll know you're going to fall. Most of the time it happens because you've talked yourself into it."

So, up I went. It's madness, really, trying to defy gravity and all your logic is saying this is impossible. But you keep going because you can see rocks to grab and the adrenalin starts to rush and you peek down and see you're getting higher and you get a little bit addicted to that feeling. You think, maybe just a bit higher, maybe just one more step, and then that feels so good you try again for another.

Then you reach a point where you're sure you can't go any further. There is nothing around to grab onto. Nothing. My heart raced and I'd hang there like some sort of spiderwoman, convincing myself I could go further - then I'd reach around the rocks with my hands and feet and find a spot I didn't know was grab-on-able.

(Not my best angle)

(Warning: life metaphor ahead.) The thing is you need to have a vague plan of what's coming up so you head in the right direction, but you can't think too far ahead. You really just have to focus on the next step and trust that the one after that will work itself out. Stay on track but don't get too far ahead of yourself (another of my not-so-strong points).

But I think the hardest part is actually after you reach a really stable point. It's hard to let go of that stability to the uncertainty of the next, perhaps treacherous step that might just be your undoing. (Again with the metaphors!) My big mistake was reaching those points and stopping to feel comfortable for a little while. I just couldn't get going again, couldn't convince myself to step off. The guide laughingly asked me at one point if I have commitment issues, because I'd try to step up but wouldn't fully commit myself to it. No, actually, I have issues with UNcommitting!

"I'm going to fall," I called out below. So yes, the guide was correct in his earlier prediction.

On my next attempt, I got higher. So high I was only a couple of body lengths from the top, but the same thing happened again. I found a spot that was relatively comfortable and couldn't get my head or my body to go up any more. I was happy to have gone further than before each time, but I never did reach the top and that frustrated me.

You wouldn't believe the rush of this adventure. Each climb, I was so focused and so filled with adrenalin that by the time I hit the ground again I was shaking all over. For 24 hours afterwards my head was scattered and I was sore and exhausted. Perhaps the emotion from the build up of this craving and the meaning it held for me to do this rock climbing played a big part in that feeling, and I guess it was a real life lesson for me.

I want to do more rock climbing. I want to work hard to prove that I have it in me to get better and better - and maybe even reach the top next time.

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Want to learn more about yourself through an amazing experience?

RedBalloon have an offer for readers of this blog:

Spend $129 or more on any RedBalloon experience, and receive $30 off.  To redeem, visit www.redballoon.com.au and enter the promotional code REDMUM04 at the checkout to receive your discount.

Terms and Conditions: Offer valid until 31/12/13. Promotional Code can only be used once per person. All purchases are subject to RedBalloon T&Cs, for full details see: www.redballoon.com.au/help/terms-conditions

Thanks to the team at Digital Parents Collective for inviting me to be a part of the RedBalloon Experience program. I will be sharing my awesome experiences with you over the next few months. As always, all opinions are my own however the experiences are complimentary.