Under the Bodhi Tree

Every single one of the walls had an auto-belay, which allows an individual to climb without the use of a belayer — the person who manages the rope to catch the climber on the other end in case of a fall or a slip. Our place back in Ohio had only a few with the auto-belay, which is why I got certified so I could support Bodhi. I actually found these walls to be much harder because they were so different!

The balls where challenging for Bodhi because he couldn’t see around them to find his next grip. I chose to skip this one, as I did the the next one with the pipes. We wore our regular shoes and not climbing shoes so I couldn’t get a good grip with my feet. And then Bodhi decided he was up for the challenge of the big pipes in the middle of the floor. He watched several kids go first before he got the nerve.

Once he made his way to the top, there was only one way down. Jump.

Just when I thought we were out of walls to try, he found more. He wasn’t about to leave without trying every single one of them. And then came the leap of faith. No, really, that’s what it’s called.

Yes, I screamed. Even though I knew there was a line attached to me that would prevent me from falling to my death, it was still one of the most frightening things I have ever done.

Leapers have the ability to direct how far the bar is moved out from the platform with the farther the bar the farther one must leap. It felt like it was much farther than what it was and those who do push it out more have my admiration. Would I do it again? Um, probably not. Maybe. But I did have a great time climbing with my boy and THAT I would absolutely do again.