l'Escalade !!

Meet Thaïs.  (Tah-ees)

She is one of my coworkers and she's the bomb.  She recently got into l'escalade (rock climbing) and is trying to get each of us to try it out.  Tuesday night was my turn.  

Let's get one thing clear: I'm not what you might call an "athletic" person.  I've played soccer a lot.  Volleyball.  Swimming.  I'll even play a little two on two basketball during family events, usually to the dismay of whoever ends up on my team.  In spite of knowing how to play all these sports and others (surprise, Michael knows how to play football and baseball too) I'm just not coordinated enough (or don't care enough) to spend tons of time perfecting technique. So you can imagine the terror going through my mind as I contemplated climbing a steep, artificial cliff with nothing but my own coordination and muscle power.

This is the exact image that ran through my head...but with rocks...

Needless to say, I was hesitant; but I was also excited to be hanging out with coworkers after work, cause that means I have friends, right? *cue needy, desperate Michael*

Well we got there and Tacy (this was when she was here) took lots of pictures of me learning how to tie the right knot and use the belay correctly, which were tasks I'd never performed in French, so I felt pretty conflicted about whether I'd understood everything the right way :/ 

We started on an easier wall (3's and 4's), and it turned out well.  In fact, Thaïs forbade me (her words, not mine) from using any 3's right after, cause they weren't "challenging" enough. (Never mind that I was sweating bullets and praying that my forearms wouldn't fall off)    

Butt shot

Well after a few goes on that easier wall, "we" decided to go try a harder wall, with 5a's and 6's...umm.  How did we jump from 3 to 6? *nervous laughter*

I feel like this sums it up nicely.

Thank goodness for belays, cause I definitely needed one.  Although, coupled with my fear of falling, and in contrast to the relief of having a belay, was the fact that Thaïs weighs like 20 pounds less than me, which means that my free falling could literally just pick her up and we'd crash in midair...except that she's ripped like nobody's business and could bench press me.



Overall, in spite of my bruised fingers, sore forearms, and broken spirits *violin music playing*, it was wonderful! And I enjoyed seeing a different side of Paris - the athletic, outdoorsy side that some Americans wouldn't think exists among the oh là-là's and the baguettes. 

I'll probably go again, even if it means falling a lot.  That's how we learn, I suppose.