It was on my bucket list to try outdoor rock climbing and I finally got a chance to with a group buy voucher. The experience was offered by Free spirit tours, which was the same tour provider as the winter caving I did in 2010. It costed us $28 per person for two hours, after the discount.

The climbing location was near Collingwood, Ont. at Metcalfe Rock. We parked the car and met with our lovely guides, Maggie and Jim. We were the only climbers so essentially it was a private experience!

It was a short 5 minute hike to the rock and we got right into it. My first thought was “Omg! This is tough!” There isn’t any colour holds compared to indoor so you’re just feeling around and seeing what you can grab and step on. Much more thinking involved. Half of the time, I’m just hanging there touching and feeling the rock for holds.

And you can’t be afraid of getting dirty or bugs. I touched some moss, sap and unknown slime that day. And there were lots of bugs climbing the rock too.

I did about 5 climbs in total –high and low ones. Halfway through our session, Maggie took us to the top of the rock to see a great view of the area. It was a short and fun hike which involved me hoping between two cliffs. Ekk!

My last climb was the toughest! It was low but there was this rock that sticks out in the middle and is tough to get over! I was already tired from the previous climbs and mannnn I was ready to give up. After resting and hanging for a bit, Chris suggested I put both feet in the same crack and get up. I tried with all my strength to pull myself up and I did it!!! Quite proud of myself here and I was so happy to be hugging the tree on top of the rock.

Outdoor rock climbing is pretty fun but challenging. Although, I don’t see myself doing this every week or even every summer… I would go again.