Rock Climbing

David got to go rock climbing at work earlier this summer and loved it, which was surprising to me because he is afraid of heights. He likes to tell me that looking down from a tall height just makes his stomach clench and I keep telling him that's what being afraid of heights means. So don't tell him I told ya'll that he's afraid of heights. Anyway he thought it would be a great, relatively inexpensive family hobby. I thought that the boys were still too young. So part two of our "second to last weekend of summer" activity was to go rock climbing at the Quarry. After our picnic and hike, we went home for Matthew and Lucas to take a nap and as soon as the woke up we raced down to Provo. Well I was wrong about the boys being too young. They loved it and Jacob especially surprised us. Adam is my brave boy and Jacob is my drama and thus cautious boy. However Jacob just scrambled up the walls like a mountain goat and Adam did also until about 15 feet up and then he won't budge. I think we've discovered that he's a bit afraid of heights. Really I tried everything to get Adam to go higher and then David tried. We were just so surprised when he told us no. Adam is one tough kid but he couldn't make himself go higer. But he is only 5 and as long as we didn't try to make him go higher than what he wanted to go he just kept climbing and rappelling down and then climbing back up to where he was comfortable. I know it looks like Adam is belaying Jacob but really I am and also I must say those harness are really not the best look for my backside.

Here's Jacob at the very top. He reached the top of all the easy climbs and also one of the harder ones. He was really proud of himself and I loved giving him a chance to try something new and succeed at it, teaching him that he can do anything he sets his mind to even if it's hard. It was really fun seeing Jacob so proud of his accomplishments.

Here's Matthew rock climbing. It was so cute and he was so proud of himself.

Lastly here's proof that I participated. It was a lot of fun and even I was a bit scared to look down knowing that only that harness was holding me there. The boys climbed for three hours! David and I only got to climb twice because the boys aren't old enough to belay. I thought they were going to be so sore the next day but they weren't. I was and I only climbed twice! We took them again on Labor Day and again they climbed forever. Matthew and Lucas didn't do as good that time. Lucas is getting old enough that he doesn't like being strapped in the stroller just to watch. He wants to move. If David was in town for any length of time these days we'd take the boys to rock climb up the canyon but we might have to wait for Spring.