I wrote this journal entry back sometime after our first trip to Krabi. I recall HB reminding me about a certain newbie who nearly decked him in a joking kind of way but I knew he meant it lightly. I wanted to remember it because I want to be as patient as HB was with me whenever I go climbing with a newbie.
My first rock climbing experience was sometime in 1994, or thereabouts. Even though I enjoyed the experience, I never went rock climbing again until some eight years later.
Of all the places I should kindle the spark of interest I had for rock climbing, it was in Malaysia. Since coming back to Malaysia to work, I had joined an audacious bunch of people from a local outdoor group called FYC (an open forum for the group exists on yahoogroups as “fycs”). We had been on numerous adventures together, some various hiking trips, running races, caving and the like.
Being an aspiring writer from an early age, many of my interests in these activities were inspired by my desire to write a book at some stage of my life. I have always believed that I should experience everything at least once so I would have the knowledge to write about it. This had been my primary motivation for joining the group from the first day.
As with any group of trailblazers, an adventure can only hold their interest so long as the experience continues to remain exciting. By this time, a few individuals were already impatient to move into a new sport. The topics of rock climbing and scuba diving cropped up a number of times. About that time, HB had returned from Perth and joined the group. He had a long history in both of these sports and was offering to share his experiences with us.
Recalling my first rock climbing encounter, I was quite eager to give it another go, so I hooked up with HB and arranged to meet up with him at the Summit Rock Climbing Gym. At that time, Summit was the only gym available within a convenient traveling distance.
HB was a burly man with a gruff disposition to match. I found him to be a little intimidating, though I’m sure in his own comportment, he felt he was friendly enough towards me. He took me through a quick refresher course on belaying and tying in my figure eight knot.
I don’t recall much of the evening except for a rather precarious moment when HB was climbing. He made a fifty-fifty move but could not secure the hold and I was caught surprise when the rope jerked through my hands and through the ATC belay device I was using. The rope had burned my hands so I could not secure the belayer’s end. Luckily a worker in the gym was in the vicinity and he grabbed the rope to slow HB’s fall.
Scarred by the experience, I’m not sure if I would have gone rock climbing again if I had really decked him. HB took the fall extremely well and even checked my injuries when he reached the ground. He never once went off at me, for which I was intensely grateful.
CG's Diary 