The Way of the Monkey

Last week began with the first niggling’s of injury, turns out I have a mild case of medial epicondylosis more commonly known as golfers elbow (more on this very soon). This really sucks! Though it has coincided well with three days of top rope guiding and a weekend away in Geelong to see my brother off travelling.

The week-end away in G-Town was great, parties, bonfires delicious food and good friends. Oh man the cook up on Friday night; Reece D’s own line caught Tuna fresh outta Portland pan seared with lemon and saffron. Nicko’s premium lamb cutlets cooked in rosemary and garlic and I smashed out roast potatoes and pumpkin, hummus, yogurt, kalamata olives, pita’s roast almonds and dates. Put away of course with plenty of good xxxx and vino. Sat night was a boys night with three different types of meat (some dumpster swag of-course) and Texas Hold ‘em.

Six days of rest and rehab exercises with no pain meant I felt good to climb again. I needed easy climbing with not too much serious pulling so soloing on the watchtower faces was the name of the game.

Lately I have been all about the science, quantifying my climbing setting measurable bench marks and pushing a little bit more each time. It has been great, but injury takes you a step back from that and today was such a natural days climbing, putting a smile on my face for its simplicity, significance (not all things are measurable) and freeness (new word TM by me).

Solo rock climbing, that is climbing without a rope is complete commitment. A feeling so often taken away from us by laws and rules that govern our society. Literally taking your life into your hands. At times it may be a little scary but more often it is a complete liberation. Engaging yourself with the rock, feeling its texture, warmth and toughness on your hands and allowing yourself to find the positions allowing you to move upwards. There is no pausing for gear, no hassle of ropes, no partners just you and stone.

BULLETS FROM UNDERNEATH WATCHTOWER
FACES, ONCE A SHOOTING RANGE.

When you can remove yourself from the thoughts and chat that usually accompany normal existence and just focus on movement and climbing, everything feels natural and is meant to be. When you can remove conscious decision from you, movement and climbing, and allow yourself to be subconsciously climbing it is a state of meditation. The flow and liquid kinetics of your mind, body and rock are no longer separate but one unit, perhaps just nature itself. Nothing else I have ever done has given me a this feeling, like moving beyond our normal understanding of time and place.

Whilst walking back down after one of these rare moments today I started thinking on it. Our conscious minds are really our only barrier to taking seemingly impossible dreams and making them real. The lizards I saw on the face today, didn’t think about climbing they just did, the rock doesn’t think about forming it just does, and as I released my conscious mind I just climbed. Can and cannot are not realities of the earth but restrictions put in place by our own conscious thought. So often the first and biggest barrier towards reaching our goals is only ourselves. Today Kerryn (she didn’t transcend time and space, she’s not into that) who currently has pneumonia could easily have used this as an excuse to do nothing and feel sorry for herself, despite of her sickness she chose to come climbing. You must willingly allow yourself the opportunity to experience, without engaging into something you are just making excuses.

Like a wondering Buddhist monk seeking enlightenment, perhaps gaining strength and power through knowledge and understanding rather than campusing and dead hangs is the key to climbing like a monkey. After all I doubt a monkey thinks so much about the next move, he just makes it.