3 Things My Rock Climbing Experience Taught Me

I went on a rock climbing date with my husband recently and it was an amazing experience. My husband and I are now prioritizing a monthly date which is very exciting. Until recently we have gone on a date maybe once or twice a year, usually on our wedding anniversary and Valentine’s Day. It has not been enough. I suggested adventure dates to my husband and he agreed.

Rock climbing was top of my list for our first adventure date. I booked with Adventure Sports & Tours 4U. I found them on the Hyperli app with a great special of R699 for two people including refreshments.

We left at 4am to get to the meeting point at Boyes Drive, Lakeside, by 6am. It is best to get started at sunrise so that it is not too hot when climbing.

The drive was fantastic, my husband and I got some quiet one on one time, and there was hardly any traffic since it was so early.

The first thing we had to do was a short hike up the mountain to the rock climbing site. While I do a lot of walking, I usually walk on the beach which is flat. I wouldn’t actually even call what we did I hike, it was more like a scramble straight up the mountain. I was so out of breathe and panting like crazy when we got to the top that I thought I wouldn’t be able to manage rock climbing.

Thankfully after sitting for a few minutes I recovered quickly and made a mental note to vary my exercise routine a bit in future, especially since we are planning more outdoor adventures.

Haadin and Moosa, our guides, taught us about rock climbing safety, the different types of rock climbing (we did sports climbing), and how to tie the correct figure 8 knot. My husband went first, he didn’t get very far, but it quickly became clear that he was not really motivated to climb.

I wasn’t sure I would get very far, but I managed to climb all the way to the top. It was an amazing feeling achieving that goal. When I reached the top Haadin told me to put my legs out straight and lean back on the rope. The he told me to let go of the rope, put my arms out and look down for a photo.

I struggled to let go of the rope, and I struggled even more to put my arms out and look down. Haadin called up to me to think of my blog, I need a photo for my blog. I managed to do it but while it felt like I was holding my arms out wide, when I looked at the photo my arms were hardly out at all.

Coming down was not too bad, holding onto the rope made me feel safe.

3 Things I Learned Rock Climbing

It Is Way More Mental Than Physical

I was worried about the physical side of climbing up the mountain, however, one of he first things that Haadin explained to us is that it is more about your mental state and determination than it is about physical strength. He explained the technique for climbing up, which is to use your legs to push yourself up rather than you arms to pull yourself up and this is exactly what I managed to do.

The rest was all about determination. When I got myself into a position I had to push myself up with my legs not always being able to see where I would be able to place my hands next.

The trickiest part for me was not getting up. It was when I reached the top and had to let go of the rope for the photo. Logically I knew that holding onto the rope was not going to save me anyway if the rope broke but holding onto it felt safe. Letting go of the rope felt so intensely scary that I nearly couldn’t do it.

It Fed My Soul

I’ve been a mother for over a decade now, and it is amazing how life has changed since becoming a mom. The majority of my time is taken up with picking up after kids, making endless sandwiches with the crusts cut off, being class mom, lifting my kids to playdates and birthday parties.

I don’t spend money on myself, other than the absolute necessities, and I don’t go out for the day to do fun things that I want to do. I never realized the extent of this until we went rock climbing. For the first time in a decade I went out on a day trip to do something that I really wanted to do.

On the way home I felt amazing, I could feel that this trip had truly fed my soul, not as a mother, or as a wife, but me, as a person.

It Nurtured Our Relationship

Sneaking out of the house together at 4am making sure not to wake our kids as we left for our adventure was awesome. Doing something together outdoors was a lovely experience. Yes we’ve been on dates before, but it has mostly only been going out for an early dinner before coming home to our kids.

There was a feeling of togetherness that I have not felt in a long time, not since we were dating pre-kids. For the first time in so long we did something exciting together. After the rock climbing we did not rush home to our kids like we usually do if we are out without them. We first took a drive and stopped at a few places to look at some motorbikes since my husband is interested in buying one. Then we went for lunch before heading home.

Some of the special moments that stood out for me were simple ones, talking and laughing in the car together on the drive home. It was lovely to be able to talk about things we wanted to talk about, without children interrupting or driving the direction of a conversation.

I’ve learned that we need to do much more of this, things that we can do together that bring us closer together and create special memories as a couple, not just as parents.

Adventure Sports & Tours 4U

I’m so glad that I found Adventure Sports & Tours 4U on Hyperli – Haadin and Moosa were amazing guides. They were professional and lots of fun. It also helps that they have fantastic pricing making it much more affordable for us.

They offer a variety of activities including sandboarding and canyoning (kloofing) which are next on our list of things to do.