After hearing my weekend exploits of windsurfing, mountain biking, cross country skiing, alpine skiing, kayaking, snowshoeing, and road biking, people tend to ask, " Is there something you don't do?"

 I used to have to pause and think about that answer, until Kim invited me to rock climb with her. It was late fall, and I had promised her I would cancel the wind clause until March. On the day in question, the wind was howling over 35 knots at nearby Rooster Rock, but the cold air temperature dampened my desire to sail. A 30 mile mountain bike ride on Saturday diminished my urge to do the same on Sunday. Kayaking would have been fun, except for the fall rains had not arrived yet, and there was no stretch of the river I could go on that I have not already paddled a number of times that summer and fall.

It was high noon on Sunday when Kim and I reached the rock climbing area on the Sandy River. A cold east wind was reminding me of the strong conditions at Rooster. Kim gave me the look that only meant one thing: "Shut up about the wind" as we hike up to the top of the rock wall to set ropes. Rock climbing presents a huge obstacle to me; that being, I am afraid of heights. Here we were, perched on a ledge, 50 feet above ground while Kim was setting carabineers, ropes, harnesses, and anchors. I would have offered to help, had the strong east wind not plastered me to the rock behind me. Oh, that rock was my friend, since it would have prevented me from plunging helplessly to the ground below. Kim asked me if I want to rappel down from up top, and I hurriedly said "no thanks."

 Along with the fear of heights, I had to deal with the pain and suffering of wearing rock climbing shoes. I can guarantee you, that after spending five minutes in a pair of rock climbing shoes you will want to slip into something more comfortable...like a ski boot. Kims size six shoe was the size of my big toe. I looked at Kim and sighed "Do I have to?" "Yes! she barked in a tone appropriate for a drill sergeant. That's the only way you can climb. And your big toe is going to be your most important muscle." Shit, I thought as I squeezed my entire foot inside this contraption, which suctioned itself onto my foot. The pain was tolerable until I put weight on my foot, when it escalated to excruciating.

After Kim mentioned the importance of wearing climbing shoes, she then briefed me on safety in Rock climbing. "Jill, for one, never let go of the fucking rope. Two, never let go of the fucking rope. three...if I say 'oh shit' that means give me tension...if I say 'fuck' that means give me some slack. Got it?" "Uh hug...On Belay" I as I winced in pain "Belay's On...just take the middle section of this wall" Believe me, Kim did mean wall. Instead of hand holds the size of a cheesehead at a Packer game, I am facing a sheer wall, with dimples the size of a golf ball. There are few handholds within arms length, and within minutes, it became apparent I have done no upper body workouts in years. I could hear Kim yell "Stick your toe in it!" All I was thinking was my toe was jammed in my shoe, and putting any more weight on it would cause me to scream loud enough for the windsurfers at Rooster Rock to hear. Instead, I made my first mistake as a rookie climber. Instead of putting my weight on my feet (because it hurt too damn much) I used my arms to shimmy up the rock. 20 feet later, I was sitting on a rock ledge, completely roped in and seeing the ground a bit farther below than I would have liked it to be. Standing up to assess what else I had to climb, I ended up slipping off the edge. "SHIT" I yelled as Kim pulled some tension for me on the rope. "Hey!, what profanity do I yell to get the hell down!" Kim started laughing as she brought me down, assuring me I did just fine.

 She is an experienced climber, and within minutes, I was watching her effortlessly scramble up the same wall that thoroughly kicked my ass. On the second climb up, Kim relented and let me climb in my sneakers. Despite her prediction that I would not be able to climb any higher than I would with actual climbing shoes, I was able to reach up to one ledge higher. Comfort did beat performance, particularly in this case. Still, after this day, anytime somebody asked me " Is there a sport you dont do?"

My first answer is Rock Climbing.