We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths. |
| I had passed by Mission Cliffs many times and was always intrigued by indoor rock climbing. What better opportunity to check out 23,000 square feet of climbing terrain, a 50 foot lead wall, 2,000 square feet of bouldering and over 100 top and lead ropes? This was it! To prep Chris, I told him we’d need workout gear. I can’t have Chris climbing in a tie and dress shoes. The venue was close enough that we could walk. We pretty much got directly under the sign before Chris had the faintest idea of what we were doing. Perfect! |  |
Entering Mission Cliffs we were met with an towering wall of brightly colored hand holds. When you start climbing, you grab on to anything that will get you up the wall, but as you become more skilled, routes are identified by colored tape, which can make the degree of difficulty increase dramatically. In many ways it’s like a playground for adults and we were ready to join in!
 | For us beginners, there’s a mandatory tutorial where the instructor shows you the ‘ropes’ and the almighty importance of the belay. Rock climbing requires trust, partnership and communication, important tenants for any relationship! We started on the ‘baby wall’ and moved our way up. |
The climbs quickly got harder and required more strategy and skill. I don’t consider myself afraid of heights, but at one point I looked down and my legs began to shake. "Just keep going" became the motto for the morning. We mastered a few difficult climbs (for us) and felt pretty good doing it. There were some really impressive climbers there and I can see how people thrive on such a mental and physical challenge.
With fresh blisters on our hands we wrapped up our session and headed to a local cafe for some sustenance. We found a little spot in the Mission with great sandwiches and fresh smoothies — the perfect post-climb meal!
This proved to be an excellent choice for a Mystery Date and something I’d do again. Who knows, maybe we’ll make our way to Pinnacles National Park someday!
With fresh blisters on our hands we wrapped up our session and headed to a local cafe for some sustenance. We found a little spot in the Mission with great sandwiches and fresh smoothies — the perfect post-climb meal!
This proved to be an excellent choice for a Mystery Date and something I’d do again. Who knows, maybe we’ll make our way to Pinnacles National Park someday!
