How Rock Climbing Changed My Life
February 6, 2020
Written By Laina Marble, Rock Wall Employee
There are a lot of conveniences in life—getting into a car and easily traveling miles by the press of a pedal, having boxes of whatever gizmo you desire by clicking “confirm purchase,” and whipping out your phone to brush up on a fact that is right on the tip of your tongue. Climbing though, is not a convenience.
Climbing and Theology
The start of my relationship with climbing began in 2014 when a group of friends and I were looking for something to do with our “free day” in the middle of a conference. Walking aimlessly around downtown Chattanooga, we all were taken in by the flashy colors of a climbing gym and decided to give it a whirl. Each of us had no clue what we were in for and had much more of a dressed-up attire than a ready-to-climb look going for us. Powered by a pair of rental shoes and a harness I fumbled my way to the first auto-belay that I saw and easily shimmied my way up, grabbing whatever color I desired all the way to the top. I struck up a conversation with a young boy and his dad that clearly knew what they were doing and very clearly could tell I did not. They were the first to help me learn some basics and belay me up a wall. My interaction with them was my first taste of climbing hospitality and a big part of the reason I decided to stay back to learn more about this weird sport while most of the group took off to go shopping.
Climbing allowed movement that I never had utilized before in such a productive way (aside from trying to impress my brother as a little girl to keep up with him as we were climbing trees). I was quickly enticed to climb every route that I could to experience different holds that required something new from me. The conference we were at was a Christian New Year’s conference, and we had spent the two previous days talking all sorts of theology and life application. I run off analogies. So, while I was plugged into an auto belay, I realized that often times I had looked at different commands from God as obstacles to dodge around. But, when grabbing these strange little colored holds I realized that His commands were so much more than that—they were truths that I could cling to in obedience to bring myself closer to His heavenly face.
A Deeper Understanding of Climbing
Flash forward a bit to 2016. I nearly trip over myself and life choices and fall into a gap year program. Not truly realizing what I had signed up for, I found enough satisfaction in knowing that I would no longer be living in my mother’s house to not really care what else was in store. I quickly found that climbing had shown its face once again. I hastily had committed myself to a 9-month wilderness discipleship program at a camp in the hill country of Texas. Still being a newbie to the sport of climbing, I was terrified at how small personal harness’s looked. But, I noticed a stunning limestone wall that had a vast variety of routes to play on. Climbing outside became a game changer and added beauty to the sport. It taught me to look for holds that may have been unseen at first glance and to strive for a sense of accomplishment using an element that was simply its constant self. Walls began to have character, and I started to understand how I could adapt to this new season and grow as a climber and person. Again, the comparison to Christ was so clear. I needed to have patience to continue to work on the little foot slips and to not argue with where the Lord had placed me. There was a growing sense of transcendentalism in my relationship with climbing, and it was fueled by C.S. Lewis and getting to see those pretty little routes day in and day out.
Climbing is My Community
When looking for a college I had a few little details that I knew would seal the deal—and having a climbing wall was at the top of my list. It is a place to go when you just want to do something, where you can simply be with people, and a target for when I want to get my mind off of the frustrations of everything else and get frustrated at something that is just screwed into a wall minding its own business. Liberty’s rock wall has given me a sense of home and friendship on this campus. Through climbing at the wall, I’ve met a remarkable group of people that enjoy throwing on a pair of smelly shoes and supporting one another. There are a variety of people that come in and out of this tiny part of campus that have inspired me, challenged me, and given me so many new perspectives. At times I neglect my efforts to practice and improve my climbing, and I become fearful to return, afraid that I have lost too much and that I’ll disappoint myself when I come back after taking a month (or two) off. I had a moment at Liberty’s wall after one of these sabbaticals and realized that no matter how annoying it was that I was falling off V3’s I needed to assess myself if I was ever going to improve. Some days I put on a harness, and it feels like it’s my first time all over again. But, I never regret climbing, and there is always a takeaway—there is always a fear factor that gives me courage to push through the things that matter.
I could step into a climbing gym anywhere in the world and know that I will meet an incredible person and quickly make a connection. The first time I traveled out of the US was to climb with a crew in Morocco, and the sport allowed me to feel welcomed into the country. Hearing about other’s adventures gives me hope for the future after college because I know I will have my place on a wall wherever Christ takes me.
My relationship with rock climbing seemed to start out as an accident. We had passed by each other a few times, got familiar with seeing one another, and then became friends. I have experienced some of my scariest moments while climbing but also some of the greatest. The sport has allowed me to challenge myself in a holistic manner—to meet, love and be impressed by people unlike me, grow roots into drifting thoughts of Christ, and bring structure. Most inconveniences in life we avoid; we become trained to look for quick satisfaction and we’re constantly reminded that its now or never so buy it, spend it, eat it now. Climbing slows it all down. It entangles you into hours of working a problem, sitting on the benches at the wall talking beta with the people near you, and enjoying the days where you top out on the routes that you’ve spent weeks working.
I will always be appreciative for the inconvenience of rock climbing and how it has changed my life in a terrific callused-hand kind of way.