8/6/2023 A Gym is not just a Gym in the Northwest

For exercise in Portland they don’t just play football, baseball, and  basketball.  The do things such as bouldering, trapeze, silks, rock climbing, ice pick climbing, steeple chase in addition to track, and back country skiing.

The gym my two daughters and grandson attend has free weights, exercise machines, and numerous bouldering walls that are 20’ high and have various levels of difficulty.

Needless to say the three of them wanted to get me on the bouldering walls.  So here I am at 66 years old swinging 10’ off the ground by one hand because I loss my footing on one of the bouldering holds.  At what age do you get common sense enough to say “I don’t think this is a good idea?”  Obviously it must be older than 66 ;-).  

First, my Grandson (4 years old) wants me to follow him sideways from hold to hold in what he calls the “Train”.  That was tiring but easy enough because we were no move that 4’ off the ground, but after the 30th time? :-) 

Then Stacey and Andrea wanted me to try some of the harder, more vertical stuff.  Yup, let’s see if we can wear the old man out :-).  First, I had to watch a safety video (safety video, Hmmm, Not such a good sign) of how to fall.  Bend your legs, tuck you arms to your chest, fall backwards, and roll to almost a complete backward summersault.  WAIT, WHAT?  Oh and do that all in one motion.  Now practice!

Well I did it in broken increments.  Fall (got that one down pat).  Oh then bend my knees, Oh that’s right I am suppose to fall backwards,  really, my hands are suppose to be tucked to my chest, they went out to break my fall..  Last I don’t quite bend into an easy flowing backward summersault anymore :-)

They said:  Good Enough, now let’s get you on the wall.  OH BOY!!

The climbing holds are colored to go from easy to difficult using the colors of the rainbow. 

Do I remember the colors of the rainbow??  I know there was yellow, red, maybe green, maybe orange. Does that mean white is the easiest??

The end of the day, it was fun.  I did not get hurt.  And it was a good workout.

The Gyms in the Northwest are very different than the Rec Centers back home in Ohio.  Not just free weights, jogging tracks, and machines.

Here is a picture of me, and my two daughters Andrea, and Stacey on one of the Bouldering walls.