Rock climbing

My husband introduced me to rock climbing and I love the activity.  Without wishing to wax lyrical about it, it exerts both the body and mind, and requires participants to be very aware of their physical abilities.  Each route is a problem which each individual has to solve according to what their bodies are able to do.  I am much shorter than my husband, for example, but we do the same climbs as we are climbing partners.  I would approach a route in a manner that suits me- e.g. I can't reach as high as as he can- and he does it in his own way but we get to the same destination.  Same route, different challenges, different solutions.  And it is lovely to be up high.

We haven't had much of a chance to climb since we had Baby.  However, we have been taking him to the wall off and on since he started walking.  We didn't tend to climb very much on these trips as Baby required a lot of attention.  However, he is becoming a more capable climber as he is getting older and it is a joy to watch him solve the problems according to what his body allows him to do.  He loves it, so he is always willing to go to the indoor wall with us.  We take him to a friendly indoor wall in Greenwich, The Reach, which has a decent number of climbs with auto-belay, and ample bouldering.  This means that my husband and I can take turns helping Baby while the other works on the auto-belayed climbs or does some bouldering.  It is a way to get back in to climbing.  For me it is certainly a chance to relearn what my 'new' body can do.  My body shape and weight has changed significantly since I had Baby and it feels a bit strange to be climbing again.  The auto belays mean that I can practice without having to worry about boring my climbing partner while I take time to work out what I can and cannot yet do.  The cafe serves the best flapjack in the world, according to Baby, and is a great place for the family to get together for a snack, talk about climbing, and watch the other climbers do their stuff.  There are usually people of all ages at the climbing wall, and there is a sense of inclusiveness and laid back chill.  It is really excellent- in the words of Bill and Ted- to have an activity that the family can engage in together, and a friendly place in which to do it.   

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