I have always enjoyed participating in nature activities like canoeing, camping and exploring. One activity I have always wanted to try is rock climbing. During a past semester, UT Outdoors Program offered a rock climbing activity at Enchanted Rock. After reading about it, my boyfriend, David, and I signed up. At first I was hesitant to sign up due to a fear of heights, but I thought this would be a good opportunity to overcome my fear. I must have felt like Eddy Harris, when he decided to go down the Mississippi River in a canoe. I was the girl who almost fainted when going up the parachute ride at Six Flags Over Texas. Rock climbing is not an activity for someone with a fear of heights. We both thought it would be a wonderful experience that would add a little adventure to our life. Although I don't recall exactly when we went, I sure do remember how awfully hot it was that day.

The trip was to take all day, so we packed for everything we would possibly need: water, first aid kit, extra socks, sun block, and food. We left from the Recreation Center at seven in the morning. The sun was bright and we all could tell it was going to be a very hot day. During the bus ride, some went to sleep, and others got to know each other, but I, on the other hand, was deep in thought. I was severely nervous about rock climbing! Edith Cobb was right when she said imagination begins in childhood and develops into adulthood. I felt like a child again as I thought about all the movies that I saw involving rock climbing. My mind imagined all the things that could possibly go wrong. Wasn't Cliffhanger, with Sylvester Stallone, one of those movies? I think someone died in that movie rock climbing.

As we got nearer to our destination, I enquired about the light brown hill ahead of us. It seemed to spread out as far as the eye could see. Our instructor informed us that the hill was the Enchanted Rock. I was amazed at its enormity, for I didn't think rocks came in that size. It was almost like a mountain! Enchanted Rock was almost bare except for trees that were scattered near the base. Some scattered vegetation grew in the pools of soil that were deposited on the rocks over time. We were also informed that the rock extended far underground, even beneath some of the surrounding towns! The view was breathtaking. We could see everything clearly due to the bright sun that seemed to say, "Look at the possibilities of nature." We arrived at the parking lot where we were asked to take our belongings with us. We were quite a distance from our rock-climbing site and would have to do a little hiking. No one complained, however, since we were all excited to begin our new adventure. Little did we know that we were going to hike for over an hour before we could begin rock climbing! I didn't think we were ever going to get there. With each step, the sun got hotter and hotter, and our feet got more and more tired. Were we not going to need this energy for climbing? We climbed over small hills and rocks. Some of the rocks were loose and was dangerous to climb on. As we hiked, I began to notice that there were a lot more trees than I had previously thought. I'm not sure how they have survived since the entire underground area consists of rocks. We proceeded up a trail through some trees. With each tree, plant, or boulder that we passed, our hike became steeper and steeper. I felt sorry for David for he was carrying our cooler and rock climbing equipment. I could not believe how much hiking we were doing. I paid for rock climbing not hiking! I was starting to get in a bad mood when one of the girls lost her footing and hurt herself. We had to stop for a few minutes to patch up her minor wound. While waiting, I examined my surroundings. I noticed a bird across from us on the ground. It was too big to be a bird but it wasn't a chicken either. One of the guys tried to get near it and it ran off fast. Someone had said that it might be a roadrunner. I thought about the cartoon with the roadrunner and the coyote. I have never seen anything like it and it didn't look like the cartoon at all.

We finally arrived. It seemed like three hours, but David promised me it was only an hour or so. We put our stuff down and started to put our gear on. Everyone was ready to start climbing but me. I was ready to go to sleep! After complaining for a few minutes, however, I was ready to rock climb. I felt both excited and scared as I looked at the rock towering before me, with its creases here and loose rock everywhere. 'This is not going to happen any time soon,' I started thinking, 'maybe I made a big mistake.' I was one of the last people to attempt the climb. I had put it off as long as I could and hoped everyone would forget that I hadn't taken my turn. I thought that if I just sat down, closed my eyes and pretended to sleep, people would leave me alone. No chance! The instructor came over to me personally and checked my gear.

I had to forget all my common sense and remember to climb parallel to the rock - no matter which way it went. As the instructor explained what I was supposed to do, I looked at the rock in front of me, and suddenly everything that I was sure of in my life became unsure. There was no way I was going to climb up this rock! My heart beat faster and faster. Everyone started cheering me on. I knew I had to take a step. I couldn't give up now in front of everyone. David would bring this up every time he got the chance!

It took me forever just to take the first step. I thought my heart was going to explode! Everyone was so nice and patient, and they continued to cheer me on. I desperately looked around for a crease that I could use to pull my self up. At the same time, my mind was fighting with my body. I couldn't seem to get it through my head to keep my body parallel to the rock. This struggle made each step even harder. As I went up, though, rock climbing got easier. I just stopped thinking too hard and started climbing!

Even though I wasn't that far from the ground, I tried not to look down below me. Each step got easier, but I was still nervous. The instructor cheered me on and even demonstrated how easy this climb was by climbing next to me without the help of any gears. I'm sure this was all easy to him since he has probably been rock climbing for years. I was still so nervous, that I didn't stop to enjoy the view, which everyone pointed out later. My only goal was to get to the top and get back down.

I continued to struggle as I went. I was starting to get used to the idea of climbing parallel to the rock. I began to wonder how much time had passed. It seemed like it had been hours since I started the climb. Once in a while, I would catch a glimpse of the other climbers. I was happy to know that I was not the only one having a hard time climbing. Each time I looked for a crease and tested it, the rock seemed to taunt me. I put my fingers in the creases and pulled my self up, but as I pulled up, my body struggled to keep my movement controlled. I tried not to shake for fear of falling and having to start over again. With each step, however, I became more confident. I began to judge the creases by simply looking at them.

Step by step, the rock climbing got easier until I ran into a small problem. How am I supposed to climb over this part? (see picture above) I tried different approaches, but my legs just weren't long enough. I was ready to give up and say that nature had defeated me! My instructor ignored my complaints and insisted that I try to pull myself up. After fifteen minutes (David says thirty) or so, and a lot of encouragement from below, I slowly pulled myself up. Then, I lost my footing and scraped my back falling, so I had to try again. I pulled myself up with the rope. I looked up and saw the sun blaring through the clouds, as if to challenge me. I experimented with several ways of positioning myself. The instructor, who was at least 6 feet tall, went ahead of me and showed me where I could put my fingers and my feet in order to pull myself up. "You can do it!" David shouted from below. I cursed myself for being short. I felt that if I were just a little bit taller, I would be able to reach over the ridge easily. I don't know what I was thinking about at this point. All I remember is trying one more time and slowly feeling myself pull up.

Finally, by some miracle, I got myself over the ridge and was climbing up faster and faster. The hardest part was over, so now I could do anything from that point! I looked up and the clouds were white as snow and the sky bright blue. A breeze came through as if to pat me on the back for doing a great job. The sound of the trees blend with the claps of the supporters from below. At that moment, I felt one with nature. The sun and the rock, which taunted me a few minutes ago, now cheered with the others. The rock revealed its creases to me and helped to pull me up. The sun blazed brightly to guide me to the top.

Here (see picture above) I am coming back down. This was my favorite part because all I had to do was sit back and slowly let go. 'Thank you everyone for being so supportive!' I called out below. Notice how dark it has gotten :)

 This trip was very exciting for me. Looking back on it, I know I enjoyed every minute of it. It taught me never to give up. When faced with a problem, I think about how scared I felt and how much I wanted to give up but didn't. I triumphed over my fears and survived to tell about it. I hope to go rock climbing again soonÖ