Ok I don't really care if anyone reads this or not, I just HAD to type it in!

I started climbing again the start of this year. I used to climb in junior high since they had the walls in the gym and got into lead climbing a bit when I was there; I'd given it up until recently. I got my lead cert a month after I starting climbing again at a local gym and went onward from there. Just a quick explanation, top roping (what you do when you drop-in climb at a climbing gym) is when the rope runs from the belayer to the top of the climb through an anchor, then back down to the climber, so when you fall, its only a couple of inches. Lead climbing is the process of bringing the rope with you, and clipping draws/placing pro and clipping it as means of protection. I'm doing sport climbs atm, which means all the bolts are there, you just hang a draw and clip the draw so when you fall, your draw acts as your anchor like in a top rope situation to arrest your fall.

I started out leading open climbs and tried some routs and did a 5.9 lead climb (difficulties range from 5.1's to 5.15's, 5.1 being super easy, 5.15 being climbing up basically glass). It went ok'ish the first few times until one time I was up at my 3rd draw, going to clip it and being in a bad spot to clip, I blew it and fell off. I took a big fall from there and just about broke my bloody legs as I stopped literally half a foot off the ground! That turned me away from lead climbing for a while and any time I got on lead again, I would just shake a lot out of nervousness.

Well, a month later, a few easier lead climbs in, I'm back leading 5.9's again! And no close shaves with broken legs any more! I'm so stoked, I can't wait to try some of those 5.9 routes I'd always wanted to do and keep improving!

Well thats all for now... And well, yeah, more pictures... Sometime!