BY: SYDNEY MCINNIS
Hidden in the depths of the Southern U.S. lies a rocky wonderland.
This wonderland exists in Alabama, a place that I considered to be fairly mysterious. The only thing I knew about it before February of this year was that Forrest Gump and Jenny fell in love there. Turns out that the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains envelop the north of the state, which makes it more of a tourist venue than I ever imagined – especially for rock climbers.
Atop the state’s third highest mountain – Chandler Mountain – sits a 40-acre boulder-filled nature park called Horse Pens 40. The size of the boulders, and the boulder field, are difficult to imagine until you’re standing in the middle of it all and you feel like a peanut. The walk from the campsites to the field is momentary, and getting from climbing route to climbing route usually requires squeezing between tight, cold panels of sandstone. Getting from lookout to lookout requires a colourful hike in either direction around the mountain, leading to marvellous views and even more moments that will make you feel so small compared to it all.
The rocks almost seem like they were created for bouldering, which is climbing without a harness or any ropes to secure you. In comparison to top roping or lead climbing, where you have a belayer, there’s a whole other factor added when bouldering – fear. To break your falls, which sometimes can be pretty far depending on how daring your attitude is, you can place crash pads underneath you and have friends spot you as well, but that’s not to say that the fall will feel good.
“This was my first outdoor bouldering experience. At first I thought these people were truly nuts, but after taking a couple of big falls, you realize spotters and crash mats are totally safe,” Farren Tropea, a second-year Nutrition student at the University of Guelph said. This ounce of fear acts as a little extra motivation to finish your climbs.
I love being around obsessive, spirited people, and from my experience, it seems that climbers typically fit into these categories with their nonsensical language and relentless motivation. When I was invited to go on this road trip to the southern states, despite my lack of outdoor bouldering experience, I couldn’t reject the offer solely based on the thought that the people I’d encounter would likely be so full of life. So, my best friend and I piled into a stuffed, green minivan with a handful of strangers from the University of Guelph Climbing Club and started our journey to the south at 6 a.m. We weren’t expecting much at all.
But I was hit by a huge learning curve. Upon arrival, the whole crew couldn’t wait to “send” one of the park’s classic routes, “Bumboy”. First and foremost, climbers have a set of jargon that I can’t compare to any other. I’ve put together a short, essential reference guide for non-climbers.
Considering my ultra-disconnected-ness from the culture, I spent a fair amount of time on my own appreciating the Alabama countryside’s beauty for what it is, while most of my peers spent every waking moment hugging the sandstone. Climbing trips demand for these folks to use their bodies an unusual amount, since climbing is the one and only priority.
I was familiar with the pain associated with stuffing your feet into tiny shoes and blistering all over your hands, but I didn’t realize what the pain would feel like after multiplying it by dozens of hours. No matter how much training you do on fingerboards, campus boards or on the wall before a climbing trip, you can’t possibly prepare for the effects of unforgiving natural rock.
“The main limiting factor for climbing that much was that the amount of skin on my fingers slowly went down and that made the rock hurt more and more to climb on,” recalled Brandon Vermeer, a University of Guelph Climbing Club member who joined us on the trip. “This really made the boulders to be more and more of a mental challenge, to push past the soreness of my fingers and keep putting in strong efforts on climbs.”
Certainly, climbing is demanding on the body, but it’s also a marathon for the mind – like a puzzle, except with a series of right answers rather than just one. There really is so much more to climbing than just athleticism. “There are so many aspects to climbing: body position and movement, mental game, strength, endurance. I enjoy working on a problem, trying it over and over, until you get the sequence just right, the perfect beta, and sending it feels easy,” said Cole Merrill, another University of Guelph Climbing Club member.
I was also lucky enough to learn that climbing fosters an environment for serious girl power. Of course, shapely men who do 100 push-ups just for fun surrounded us, but the climbing community, in a similar mentality to yoga practice, encourages a “do what’s comfortable for you” perspective. “Women are biologically more bottom heavy with less upper body strength. However, I feel like a rock star on crimpy vertical walls,” Tropea said. “There is no jealousy in rock climbing, only inspiring friends who teach, train and guide.”
Connect with the earth’s natural offerings. Cuddle rocks. Look in places you don’t think to look and maybe you, too, will find natural masterpieces and community like we did in the depths of America, surrounded by agriculture, trees and otherwise nothingness.
