For years now Ben and I have been looking forward to when the kids would be old enough for climbing and rappelling. My Dad took us all the time when we were kids. I think I started rappelling when I was seven years old! Dad made sure that we learned everything the right way and he was really strict about all of the safety rules, but we always had a blast! As we got older we got to go to a lot of fun places with really good rocks, Ben even spent a month in Yosemite when he was 18. Yesterday we went to a spot where we did a lot of learning and practicing as kids. We had so much stinkin fun! We hiked in for about an hour, we ate lunch on a big rock, and then we started climbing. I remember this crack (pictured above) being so much bigger! We used to climb up inside of it and come out on the top of the rock.
Let me tell you, for four years old, this kid rocked it! Maddie was like a little lizard climbing up those rocks (which were pretty big for her). The hike was a pretty long way for her short little legs too, but she didn't complain once. The kids did so well! I think Maddie and Tim may be part lizard! My Molly liked the rappelling back down the best.
Molly stood back for a while when we first got there. Ben and I decided to just let her warm up to it all on her own so we didn't push at all. After she watched the rest of us all having so much fun she wanted to get in on it. Ben let her pick our next spot and before we knew it she was climbing to the top! I think she's hooked now! I was so proud of her, rappelling can be pretty scary for beginners, and she did great. By the end of the day I think she was climbing, just so that she could rappel back down, that has always been my favorite part too.
Tim was a wild man! I should have known that he would be, you know he lacks the natural fear of heights that most people have, and sometimes that can be a mixed blessing! He couldn't get enough, which got Ben really excited, he's looking forward to having his very own rock climbing buddy.
Yesterday was just what we needed after such a heartbreaking week. It's so exciting to finally be ready as a family for trips like this! We have a lot more trips planned! Poor ole Mama is going to need a few more practice trips before we hit any big rocks though, you know somehow getting my behind up those rocks wasn't as easy as it was when I was 19.....now don't get me wrong, I DID IT, and I can prove it, but it required a lot more effort for this body (that's what three kids and 11 years'll get you!) than it used to! I'm going to practice more, and you never know......we might even make it out to Yosemite one of these days, after we get our little Bulgarian rock climbers home, you just never know!
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Misty