The rewards of Climbing
by Karl "Baba" Bralich

Climbers have always struggled to express their motivations. It's hard to explain why someone would voluntarily undergo stress, risk, and discomfort in their spare time, but I'll take a stab at it. Climbing can exercise, sport, art, or even a tool for personal transformation.

For some climbing is like dancing; A joy in movement and self-expression. It can merely be exercise, which is pretty dang important to get! Climbing gyms are a lot more fun than gyms with weights and treadmills. For others, climbing is a backdrop for camaraderie and friendship. We bond through adventure. Some climbers become adrenaline junkies. We get a little jittery if we don't get the "rush" on a regular basis.

Many climbers experience a sense of peace while climbing. When I'm balanced on tiny holds and a lapse in concentration could send me plummeting to unknown consequences, I can't afford to be distracted by mental chatter. The circumstance of climbing brings me absolutely into the present moment. I feel the power of my real being, integrated and intimate.

Climbers embrace nature with our bare hands, with our whole bodies. By learning to use our body in concert to accomplish improbable moves, we reclaim our natural state of physical wholeness. The unconscious attitude that our arms are accessories for manipulating phones and faxes is replaced by a comfortable and intuitive sense of our physical totality.

When we go climbing, we return to a world undomesticated by artificial routines and pretensions. Climbing interrupts our usual reality. The whole landscape unfolds from a higher vantage point. The immersion in nature soaks us in peace and beauty. The change in perspective allows us to take a different view on our lives as well.

When I soloed the overhanging 2000 foot face of El Capitan, I was immersed in a week of solitary concentration in the vertical environment. 300 feet from the top I was ravaged by an intense storm that rained and snowed on me until things looked quite grim. Between breaks in the storm, I crept up to the summit and was saved! After a week without walking, and without many of the everyday experiences that I took for granted, everything seemed new again. Plants and trees seemed to explode with life. When I removed my heavy gear, I felt like an astronaut romping in the reduced gravity of the moon! I didn't take my friends for granted anymore. Hot food tasted divine. I enjoyed a refreshed experience of everything.

You might find yourself in different ways than I have. I just hope that you look within yourself and find out more about what your activities mean to you; what they teach you. Take the freedom, fearlessness, and joy from your adventures and pass them on.

About the author: Karl "Baba" Bralich has lived, climbed and photographed in Yosemite for almost 25 years. For photos visit www.PeakLightImages.com.