Outside Climbing by Moonlight Kicks Serious Ass

Tonight was my first bit of climbing outside. It was awesome. Just really easy stuff, nothing harder than a 5.4, I think. But its got me thinking about actually buying shoes and a harness and stuff. And Kyle maybe even has a harness that he'll give me! Sweet! Now my forearms hurt and my shoulders are all tight, and to be perfectly honest, I feel a little shaky, but its in that good I-just- worked-out sort of way. And it wasn't nearly as scary as I thought it would be. Before I got onto the rock, I got that little kick of adrenaline that I always got before a performance. Everything got all shaky for a minute and then Eric asked if I was ready (he was belaying me) and I was, so off I went! And all the shakiness was gone. And I finished both climbs! I wasn't quite sure what to do at the end of the climb. At the gym you just lean back and let your belayer let you down, but outside its a lot more scary because you can't always see the ground below you and you have to watch for rocks jutting out. But it was fun. I did the same thing...just leaned back and walked backward down the wall. What made it even cooler was that this was all at night! So everything was lit either by the full moon or by my headlamp. Sweet! Eric got some really cool pictures of us and the landscapes. Mine are ok, but nothing special I don't think. And besides, pictures don't really capture how cool it was to be out there on the rock in the moonlight. Everything look amazing and we didn't even need headlamps on the way back up. Eric and I were starving afterwards (of course) so we stopped and got some doughnuts. Now were home and tired, and I think its time to go to bed. But damn...what a cool night.