Is fun supposed to be this painful?

I know what you're thinking. Othercat has gone and tried some kind of fetish oriented activity and enjoyed a good spanking. All I can say is "Get your minds out of the gutter!"

What really happened was much simpler, and a lot less lewd. Sassinak and the GreenHedonist twisted my arm and made me come to the climbing gym. If you've never tried rock climbing, Joe Rockhead's is the place to be. They have taken an old warehouse and outfitted the place with extra spongy flooring and a number of walls with handholds and footholds. The routes on the walls are arranged by varying degrees of difficulty. One corner of the place has a bunch of routes that are rated 5.3 to 5.7 or so. These are the beginner's walls, and they're also where I started. Sass and GH smiled and patted me on the head like a good little boy, and figured these walls were made for me.

Of course Sass and GH didn't climb these walls. They went onto the more difficult 5.8 to 5.10 walls just to make me feel inadequate. I was content with the beginners routes. Even with the easier routes, I got a pretty good workout. It's pretty hard scampering up the wall using your own strength if you ask me. I found my shoulders were aching pretty quickly after trying a few climbs. To add insult to injury, the shoes that you use for climbing are pretty horrific. The ideal situation is having a very tight fitting, rubber soled shoe that basically turns your lower extremity from an articulated appendage into a claw. It's reminiscent of the foot binding that was practiced in the Chinese court during the 19th century.

Despite all the inherent pain associated with the sport, I can say that it's worth trying. I definitely see how well some people stay in shape after watching a few of the old hands at the gym make short work of routes that even Sass and GH won't go near. These guys (and gals) are in terrific shape, and it's almost like watching a kind of vertical ballet when they hoist themselves aloft with what appears to be a minimum of effort. Where I was hesitant and painstakingly slow on the kiddy routes, these people could race up the walls and even maneuver across the ceilings using only their arms and legs to do so.

It's probably much more fun than being spanked, though if I ever try that, I'll be sure to fill you in.