It's a Completely Different World

I'm in the middle of packing for my trip to the Gunks tomorrow & I can't help but feel nervous and panicked...  Do I have everything?  Am I ready to trad lead in the Gunks? I don't think I can fully explain it to someone who has never rock climbed before, but this nervousness and panicking is actually part of the allure of rock climbing. It's the build up before the main event...sort of like foreplay.

So many questions swirling through my head -- Do I remember how to build a belay anchor? What if I can't complete my lead? What if I get my period? (yes, I'm expecting my period this weekend. Ugh... guys have it easy!) Do I trust my partner(s) with my life? Literally. 

 

As my co-worker commented to me before I left the office today: "It's a completely different world."  We were discussing why I had taken tomorrow off from work & when I explained what my long weekend was going to entail, she literally shrugged her shoulders in horror.  Her big plans for the weekend include getting a manicure. Don't get me wrong, I used to enjoy a weekly manicure myself before I started getting serious about rock climbing (hence the name of my blog). But, with the polish lasting a mere few hours before getting jacked up from a climb, I only indulge in this now when I really need it or when I want to feel girly for something.  I didn't even bother getting a manicure for my last internet date & he noticed. He actually remarked on how "short & unpainted" my nails were. Oh, boys.

I'm bringing very few comforts with me. My iPhone will be my biggest comfort by far, complete with a new mophie juice pack air (+100% battery life) & an external battery charger to juice up both in the tent at night.  The mophie was a last minute purchase feeding into my fear of running out of battery life during this trip.  I'll be using my phone all weekend as my camera, watch, alarm clock, compass, GPS, radio, portal to my Facebook addiction & guidebook mid-climb (I'll be taking pictures of each climb description from the guidebook prior to each ascent & referring to them if needed).  If I run out of battery life during this trip, I think my world will promptly end.