At 58 my unconventional habit makes me feel like a kid again

‘That,’ I said to myself, ‘looks similar the cleanable climbing tree.’

It was tall, steadfast and afloat successful leaf, with sturdy looking branches evenly spaced each the mode up the trunk. The bark was smooth, but that didn’t fuss me. 

It looked truthful cleanable that I conscionable had to ascent it.

So up I went, 1 manus and ft aft the other. I made it astir 25 feet (or conscionable implicit 7 metres) and stopped erstwhile the operation looked a spot thin.

As I perched myself connected 2 branches and looked down, I could spot I was beauteous precocious up. It was exhilarating being swayed by the wind, not to notation hidden from show by the leafage.

It mightiness dependable similar I’m recalling a infinitesimal from my youth, but this really happened conscionable a twelvemonth agone – erstwhile I was 57.

I’m 58 and I’ve been recreationally climbing trees for implicit 10 years. But my passionateness started agelong earlier that.

From arsenic aboriginal arsenic 8 years old, I was fascinated with the big Sycamore histrion on the green, up the roadworthy from my location successful Ashtead, Surrey. It was the tallest tree there. I was truthful arrogant of myself the archetypal clip I got to the apical and backmost down erstwhile I was astir 10.

Then determination was the adjacent willow tree wherever my champion person and I would climb, beryllium and chat astatine the top. Or the galore amusive times climbing trees successful Oxshott Woods connected the weekends.

But it wasn’t conscionable trees I was climbing – I loved rocks and walls too.

I’d ascent rocks connected holidays by the oversea – the champion were astatine Polperro Harbour and sometimes I’d ascent implicit walls and research bare buildings.

But astir age 13, the histrion climbing stopped.

I became much funny successful things similar roller skating, drawing, and hanging retired with my friends. I each but forgot astir it for the adjacent 30 years, minus climbing the play structures regular successful the escapade playground of a erstwhile job.

Then, astir retired of the bluish – aged 42 – I started stone climbing.

I was astatine a friend’s location 1 nighttime and her caller lodger, Sam, talked astir going to the section climbing wall. I was truly funny and asked if I could spell with him adjacent time.

The archetypal time, I felt truly tense due to the fact that it each looked truly precocious and steep – but Sam tied maine onto a apical rope, which is wherever the enactment is attached astatine the apical of the route, truthful if you autumn disconnected you don’t autumn down.

I felt excited and tense arsenic I started to climb. I gripped the holds with my hands and pulled with my arms, which rapidly tired. I kept focused by looking up, breathing steadily, feeling tense yet determined to get to the top.

When I did, I felt a unreserved of adrenaline – and ohio my, what a feeling that was! I did 3 much routes that nighttime and my forearms were burning from holding connected truthful tight.

That was it, though. After that precise archetypal time, I was hooked.

From then, I climbed each week and soon started regularly climbing extracurricular successful Cheddar Gorge.

I adjacent went connected an outdoor sport climbing vacation connected the Costa Blanca successful Spain the pursuing year, wherever my assurance truly grew, due to the fact that we had an teacher and went climbing astatine tons of antithetic crags.

Then for immoderate unusual reason, a twelvemonth oregon truthful later, I developed an aggravated fearfulness of falling.

Thankfully, I was offered a solution focussed, little therapy from a friend that aims to clear ‘negative’ emotions , trauma and limiting beliefs.

I didn’t deliberation astir whether it had worked, I conscionable realised 1 time a fewer weeks aboriginal portion climbing that I’d not thought astir falling and my assurance had travel back. I truly couldn’t explicate what happened, I conscionable knew the fearfulness had gone!

Several years aboriginal I started bouldering, which is climbing short, challenging ‘problems’ adjacent to the crushed without a rope, and with clang mats.

One twelvemonth I went connected vacation to Fontainebleau successful France – arguably the champion spot for bouldering successful the world, with thousands upon thousands of boulders hidden successful the wood that spreads for miles around.

I emotion the situation of moving retired a problem, the movement, equilibrium and effort required and past the bushed achy feeling aft successful the evening.

This rekindled the impulse to ascent trees again and – having gained assurance and strength  – I was definite climbing trees would beryllium beauteous easy.

So retired walking with a person 1 time successful Leigh Woods connected the borderline of Bristol astir 2013, I saw a histrion and got the impulse to effort and ascent it. I managed to propulsion myself up onto the archetypal subdivision and started climbing, cautiously and slowly.

My person thought I was huffy and was disquieted I was going to fall.

Then the doubts kicked in, arsenic it was each a spot antithetic with nary enactment oregon clang mat. I moved overmuch much gingerly and past decided to travel down. 

Inside my head, I was softly freaking retired and I told my person however tense I was feeling. She reassured maine and I managed to ascent down. Yet that acquisition didn’t halt maine and definite enough, I soon spotted different histrion to climb, and another.

I’ve now been climbing trees regularly for the past six years.

Climbing trees to prime fruit is fun, though precarious erstwhile you’re stretching for effect that’s conscionable retired of reach. My favourite trees are gnarly aged oaks, due to the fact that their branches driblet towards the ground.

I remember one particular big aged chestnut that I climbed while on a agelong walk, but that was a spot of a puzzle to get down. It’s ever easier to get up.

No 1 has tried to dissuade me, though immoderate radical person said: ‘Aren’t you a spot aged for that?’

I say, ‘Who says? Who made that rule? In my world, you’re ne'er excessively aged to play’.

Personally, I don’t deliberation you’re ever excessively aged to bash thing you privation to bash – if you tin negociate physically.

I emotion trees. They’re majestic and beautiful, climbing them is exhilarating, amusive and freeing.

Most of all, they’re a large reminder that I’m inactive a kid astatine heart. 

This nonfiction was primitively published August 3, 2024

Do you person a communicative you’d similar to share? Get successful interaction by emailing jess.austin@metro.co.uk. 

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