IN MOTION: I CLIMB ROCKS

Title: I climb rocks

Words:  Jennifer Hee

Pull quote: “I consider climbing Hawaiian rock sacred, a Mayan temple, a secret I want to tell only my best friends about…”

Rock Climbing in Hawaii

I can see the anchor just a few feet, a few moves away.  Is it possible?  Both feet cramp while toeing a too-smooth smear, fingers pinching a crimper.  Believe in friction, trust in man-back.  I want to make the next move, want there to be another hold beyond what I can see.  Let go, self, let go.  I reach up.

This time there’s nothing there.

Swinging out into midair, I am terrified and I am alive.

I don’t know what confuses people more—telling local people I was born and raised here in Hawai‘i but cannot surf, or that I climb, to which they respond, “What do you climb?” -- “Rocks, I climb rocks.”

Every time I’ve tried to surf, it’s ended up with me caught in the crush of the wave, bikini around my neck, salt water up my nose and down my throat in the I-used-the-Neti-Pot-Wrong-Again kind of way, with the sense that I almost just died. 

I don’t kayak, dive, stand on a board and paddle between islands, or mountain bike either, but this is not what concerns Hawai‘i. You fail a test of kama’aina-ness if you can’t surf.

What can I say?  I’m an up girl. 

It should be no surprise that climbing in Hawai‘i is phenomenal.  Yet, most people are indeed surprised that there is a small but dedicated climbing community, consisting mostly of Mainland transplants, college students, and military people.  The experience of spending a day scaling cracks, arêtes, and face climbs on eighty-five-foot cliffs, one thousand feet above the Mokule’ia shoreline, jumping into the ocean for a post-climb rejuvenator, heading to Celestial Natural Foods for further rejuvenation in the form of Matte Lattes—is my Hawai‘i.  I consider climbing Hawaiian rock sacred, a Mayan temple, a secret I want to tell only my best friends about, or, in this case, all of you reading this piece, because I need to make a living, and selling secrets is lucrative business in tough times. 

Still, I can’t help but want to share the same exhilaration I experienced when lucky enough to meet the friend of a friend from the University of Hawai‘i who climbed, and introduced me to what my own island had to offer. 

To explain the peace of being on top a mountain all day, overcoming physical and emotional impossibilities, on a backdrop of nothing but blue sky, a bluer ocean, watching skydivers tracing helixes down through the air.

Yes, I just called rock climbing peaceful.  Climbing makes it impossible to be anywhere but on the rock, your survival instincts forcing your thoughts into sharp focus.  Breathe.  Assess.  Move.  Breathe.  Don’t look down.  All you are aware of is your next best move, and your belay partner many feet below, who is disconcertingly eating from a bag of chocolate-covered espresso beans with her lock-down hand and flirting with the belay partner over on the route next door.

No bother.  You are in the moment.

This is what I want to share.

If interested in climbing, it’s important to understand the inherent, often unpredictable risks involved, and take every precaution to prevent unnecessary injury.  The best place to get started is Climb Aloha, the store Mike Richardson opened in 1999.  There you can rent or buy gear, sign up for lessons, and get more information on our three well-maintained, accessible climbing sites on O‘ahu--Makapu’u, Mokule’ia, and Waimea Bay.

Makapu’u

Ideal for beginners, the Makapu’u site is a forty-foot chunk of rock, an easy fifteen-minute hike from the Makapu’u lookout parking lot.  The trail is hard to discern from the parking lot, but hike along the ridge until a path emerges to the right of an old bunker.  Continue until the trail opens to an exposed plateau, with the top of the climbable rock in the foreground.  You’re at the right rock if you see bolts marking routes and anchors.  This site is incredibly beautiful, but if another group is climbing at Makapu’u, it’s crowded. 

Mokule’ia

Going to the Mokule’ia Wall, you might feel as though you’re lost on the Lost set.  The hike begins at an almost imperceptible indentation in the underbrush, about five minutes after passing the YMCA’s Camp Erdman on the North Shore.  If you hit Kaena Point, you’ve gone too far.  The secret to finding the trailhead is to drive five miles per hour shortly after passing the signature yellow cabins of Camp Erdman.  Have your belayer/passenger stare vigilantly at the chaotic superweeds on the mountain-side of the road, until you see a narrow dirt trail begin and end in the overgrown greenery.  Expect a short but challenging hike to the climbing wall. 

Waimea Bay

Don’t expect a full day of bouldering at Waimea—after about an hour on the fingertip-unfriendly Waimea rock, you’ll be ready to shake the chalk off your hands and jump in the ocean.  As you approach the ocean from the parking lot, you’ll see a wall with signature chalked-up holds on the left side of the beach. 

The six steps to becoming a local climber, in just five steps:

1.  Take a beginner’s class with Hawai‘i Rocks Climbing School.

2.  Get addicted.

3.  Spend your last paycheck on gear at Climb Aloha.

4.  Convince your friends to trust you with their lives, and take them up for an unforgettable day at the Mokule’ia Wall.

5.  Stop staring at the surf below.  You can dawn patrol tomorrow.

www.rockclimbinghawaii.com

An excellent resource for detailed information on Hawai‘i’s current climbing sites.

www.climbaloha.com

Find out about lessons, shop for gear, acquire a belay slave on the forum, rent commercial rigging equipment.

Hawai‘i Rocks Climbing School

Hawai‘i’s Source for Outdoor Climbing Courses, Guiding, and Commercial Services

Phone:  (808) 387-7825

E-mail:  [email protected]

Climb Aloha

Hawai‘i’s Climbing Shop

2241 Noah St.

Honolulu, HI 96816

Phone:  (808) 391-3575