Rock climbing is a great way to escape the rat race, live on the edge and get a heck of a view. Alas, your rock climbing experiences can fade with time. The best way to prevent this is to keep a rock climbing journal.
Rock climbing Journals
Take a minute to give some consideration to your most recent rock climbing experience. What sticks out in your mind? Did you go bouldering at Joshua Tree for the weekend? Now think about the first time you ever went rock climbing. Undoubtedly, you remember few things about the geography, people you went with and the particular rock climbing routes. The experiences youve forgotten are lost to time. If you keep a rock climbing journal, this wont be the case.
There are famous instances of people keeping journals throughout time. Of course, Anne Franks Diary is the best example. In her diary, Anne kept a running commentary of the two years her family spent hiding from the Nazis. While your rock climbing experiences better be more lighthearted, keeping a journal will let you remember them as the years pass.
A good rock climbing journal combines a number of characteristics. First, it should be compact so you dont have to take up unnecessary space for other things. Second, it should have a case to protect it from the elements and so on. Third, the journal should contain blank areas to write your notes. Fourth, the journal should contain cue spaces to remind you to keep notes on specific things. Cues should include:
1. Who you went rock climbing with,
2. The nature and quality of the rock,
3. Who you met and contact information for them,
4. The geographic and weather conditions,
5. Any unique things that occurred while rock climbing,
6. The routes you took up the ice and alternatives.
7. The equipment you needed to make the climb, and
8. Any inside information provided by locals or other climbers you met.
At the end of the rock climbing trip, you should be able to get the following from your journal:
1. Contact information for other climbers you met,
2. Enough detail to provide you or a friend with a route guide if you climb the location a second time.
3. Memories to reflect upon years later, and
4. Something to pass on to your friends, children and grandchildren.
To get the most out of your rock climbing journal, you should write in it just before you climb and when you return. It is always interesting to see the different impressions you have before and after a climb. Was it harder than you thought or easier?
Rock climbing is a great way to commune with nature and spend a weekend. Make sure to preserve the experience with your rock climbing journal.