Climbing

There are many lessons to be learned from rock climbing, but the following three are the main ones for me.

Don’t give up

Very often giving up in rock climbing is scarier than persisting—nobody likes falling. Especially if it’s a long and nasty fall. And what you very quickly discover is that in rock climbing, like in life (or Jazz, if you’re a musician), sticking with it for long enough eventually gets you up there. If you are persistent and don’t give up, you sooner or later find your groove and come on top victorious.

Disclaimer: I’m not a doctor, yadda-yadda-yadda. Simply having a first-aid kit in your pack is neither going to keep you safe, nor magically save somebody’s life if you have no idea how to use it. If you climb outdoors, do yourself a favor and take a Wilderness First Aid or a similar class.

First of all, your kit should be appropriate for your level of training and for the environment you’re going to find yourself in. If you’re not qualified to perform a cricothyrotomy, then there’s no need to bring the implements. Likewise, heat exhaustion is probably not going to be a problem on an ice climbing trip.