A North Carolina Weekend
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Rock climbing isn’t rocket science. You don’t need to bring your own gear. Most places that have a wall have all the gear required such as shoes, harnesses, and helmets. In my experience I was only required to wear climbing shoes because I did not climb above thirteen feet off the ground.
Rock climbing is not just a physical sport, because it requires careful planning and adapting your plan when it fails. When you first gaze upon the rock wall, you see many colors, shapes, and sizes of climbing holds. Colors generally indicate a specific path you can take when climbing. You can either use the color-coded path or forge your own path. No matter which path you choose it is essential to relax and look upon the wall then plan a strategy before you attack the wall. In my experience looks of the holds can be deceiving. A hold sometimes has a pocket to which your hand can get a firm grip. The pocket is not always in the position you assume it will be in. For example, if you assume the pocket is on the top of the hold, it could very well actually be on either side of the hold. This unexpected challenge is what makes the sport fun. You can climb the same wall over because it is unlikely you will remember the configurations of all of the holds on a particular wall. On my weekend, I climbed the rock wall at Wake Forest University gymnasium. I learned rock climbing was not as easy as it looks. I thought I would just climb straight up quickly and climb down with no problems. However, it is not as straight forward as I thought. I did not expect the different pockets in the holds which force you to climb vertically and horizontally. Unexpectedly my biceps were not the primary muscle group for climbing. Forearm, upper chest, and back muscles were the primary muscles engaged during rock climbing. If I had to rate rock climbing from 1-10, I would rate it an 8. It would have been a higher score if I was able to use a harness and climb above thirteen feet. I am planning on going back to Wake Forest this summer to improve my skills so that I can go to Clifhanger. Clifhanger is a larger facility for rock climbing with more options. While I was at Wake Forest my brother took me on a tour of the campus
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In North Carolina rock climbing is now an indoor and an outdoor sport. The level of planning depends on whether you choose outdoor or indoor rock climbing. Outdoor rock climbing requires extensive planning due to weather. Also, climbing outdoors requires a climbing guide for instruction due to the risks and dangers of climbing mountains. It is not cheap to hire a professional climber and rent gear for mountainous climbs. A typical outdoor climb can cost as much as $150 a person. Usually it is the more experienced climber who tackles outdoor climbing. For the casual and inexperienced climber, indoor climbing is an ideal place to start. Indoor climbing facilities are more accessible than ever in our state. The only real planning for indoor climbing is making reservations at a climbing facility. Part of the reservation process is signing a waver, if you are under 18 then a parent has to sign. First time climbers can experience indoor rock climbing for as little at $20.
My experience surviving in the wild was far from perfect. Murphy’s law states that “whatever can go wrong, will go wrong.” The conditions leading up to my survival adventure were less than ideal. The weather forecast for the entire week was rain and thunder storms. Even when it wasn’t raining, I was still impacted by the rain because the environment was wet.
In addition to challenging environment conditions, topography also became an issue. I had reviewed the Arial map and realized there were hills but when I actually walked into the site the ravines were massive. This meant finding flat land to build on was very difficult. As a result of the ravines, the flattest land was at the discharge point of the ravine. This land feature meant that when it rained all the water would flow towards my campsite. I learned that it is very beneficial to visit the site before your planned adventure. Adventure is the correct word to describe the construction phase of my journey. My adventure was like an episode of “Survivor”. Like the show I had not supplied everything I needed to construct my shelter. I did not anticipate the trees in the area to be as large as they were. Because the trees were larger at the campsite, I had to use more rope to tie them together than I thought I would need, so I had a shortage of rope. Other failures included my lighter, saw, and firewood. My lighter failed because the lighter fluid evaporated the day before the trip. The saw I brought was not suitable for the larger trees. The firewood was wet because of all the rain. Although some parts of the adventure were frustrating, there were also some good moments. The best equipment I brought was my KA-BAR knife. The knife has a blade like an axe and was heavy to cut down trees. I went on this adventure with my friend who also likes the outdoors. I would recommend wilderness survival to people who enjoy the outdoors and like unexpected challenges. If I had to rank the activity 1-10, it would be an 8.5. The reason the rating was not a 10 was due to the location and bad saw, but it was still really fun. Wilderness survival is all about adapting to the environment, which can be brutal, tough, and unforgiving. The environment poses certain obstacles such as terrain, weather, and lack of resources. Variations of terrain include steep, rocky, muddy, and dense forest. Each of these features have tough challenges of its own. Weather can also range from dry and hot to cold and rainy. Each environment and weather situation offer resources or lack of resources needed in survival.
Survival in the wilderness starts with establishing a basic campsite. No two campsites are the same. Each campsite has advantages and disadvantages. For example, a campsite could be downhill close to a river and have easy access to water, but when it rains the campsite would flood. When picking your basic campsite, always consider terrain and weather. The environment also affects animals. One of the most prevalent animals encountered in North Carolina are fire ants. Before setting up camp make sure to inspect the site for fire ant mounds. Other animals seen could be raccoons, coyotes, snakes, and in some parts bears. Steps to prevent unwanted attention from animals include washing any food containers, and putting food related items into a bag to suspend in a tree away from the campsite. This keeps the animals from smelling foods which attract them. Learning techniques to survive or sustain life in nature is what wilderness survival is about. Planning is the most important part of wilderness survival. There are three things you will need to do to prepare for wilderness survival experience. The first thing you need to do is to pick the location and become aware of any rules of the area if it is a public park where you are planning to camp. It is an important step because some public campgrounds have rules against cutting down trees. Secondly it is good to purchase or borrow some basic gear. Gear includes a knife, preferably a sheath knife, matches or any fire-starting equipment, and a cooking pot. A knife will be needed to cut tree branches and rope. The matches are used to make a fire. The pot is used to cook food and boil water to drink. The last planning step is to research what type of structure you want to build and the materials needed to build it. It is also beneficial to check the weather forecast to plan accordingly.
My experience shooting was exciting. To be a good shooter you need three basic skills; good aim, a steady hand, and patience. Over the course of the day these three basic skills improved for me. This practice improved my target accuracy. Each time I fired a different type of gun, I had to relearn these skills to improve my accuracy due to the gun’s makeup. I shot many different types of guns during this experience shooting; handguns, carbine rile, and a 30-06 rifle. My favorite type of gun by far was the 30-06 rifle, because it was the most powerful and felt amazing. It was a bolt action rifle, which made the feeling of shooting it even better. My second favorite gun was the modified AK-47. Modified AK-47 means it is no longer an automatically firing unit. My target shooting was the most accurate with this gun. This modified gun did not have a significant kickback, which is the action that happens upon firing a gun. The least fun out of all the guns to shoot was the handgun. If I had to rank the activity of shooting from 1-10, it would be a 6. The reason for the lower rating is because of the expense associated with shooting. Normally people go to a shooting range or gun club to shoot. Also, some guns are not allowed at shooting ranges. You have to make sure you are following all the laws for your particular county and state to fire a gun.
The first day of shooting is a learning experience. You have to learn what body stance and hand position works for you by trial and error. Step one for shooting is finding the proper location to shoot. Ideally, find a place where the gun can be fired to shoot into something to stop the bullets, for example a tree or a mound. Make sure nothing is in the area of the target that could be damaged. A bullet is composed of a brass shell which holds the leaded ammunition. Step two, is to lay down a tarp or a blanket to keep track of the brass shells that eject out of the gun when the gun is fired. This is important if you plan on reusing your shells. The Last step is to load the gun at the firing location. It is not advisable to carry around loaded guns. If you have old shells, inspect them to make sure there are no cracks in the brass before loading them. After the gun is fired, the shells expand. If the shells are old, the shells can expand more than normal and crack. This can cause them to get stuck in the gun and jam. Old shells are also more prone to misfires. Misfires are when the firing pin hits the shell but never goes off. This can be very dangerous because shells can have a delayed reaction and fire.
My grandfather spent time talking to me about gun safety, before he scheduled a time to teach me how to shoot a gun. As a responsible gun owner, he has obtained his concealed carry license. To get this license, he had to take a class and pass a shooting test at the firing range. He also showed me how he stores his guns in his house. He has a gun safe that is locked. After showing me his gun storage, he reviewed general rules of owning a firearm. The first rule is to always treat the gun as if it is loaded and ready to fire, even if its not. This basically means don’t point the gun at people, even if it’s not loaded. The second rule is to wear hearing protection and safety glasses. This is important because continuous exposure to loud noises can cause hearing damage. Safety glasses are needed to protect your eyes from gunshot residue. The third rule is don’t fire old shells. This rule is very important for him because he has old shells from the 1960s. These shells should not be fired because the ammunition has been compromised with age and can cause a dangerous situation. These are general rules for an introduction to firearms and safety. There are many more rules to learn about guns which can be learned as you progress in shooting.
Snowboarding can be summed up using three words; fun, tiring, and painful. The most enjoyable thing about snowboarding was feeling the wind on your face as you go down the slope at a fast speed! It is similar to the exhilarating feeling that you can get from skate boarding. I would recommend going with a group like I did because it makes it more fun. However, before you can have fun, you spend a lot of time navigating between the slope areas which are a big walking distance apart. This physical exertion is tiring. By midafternoon, I was exhausted and ready to go home. In addition to being tired, the physical pain of falling off the snowboard caught up with me. The initial pain of falling was minimal, but the cumulative effect from falling many times was brutal. Most of the pain was0 in my lower back and my thighs.
Despite the pain, if I were to rate snowboarding on a scale of 1-10, it would be an 8. Several of my friends went with me, including one who had never been snowboarding. He ended up trading in his snowboard for snow skis, because he thought it was too hard. On the other hand, my other friend had prior snowboarding experience and loved it. Overall, the first time you go snowboarding don’t expect to be an expert, but expect a good time. I am looking forward to snowboarding again, because I survived the learning curve and will fall a lot less! The first day of snowboarding is a learning experience. First, you learn how to put on the equipment and take it off. Second, you learn how to get on and off the ski lift. Third, you need to learn balance to move the board down the hill. Start by making your body perpendicular to the hill you plan to traverse. You need to know how to slow down without coming to a complete stop. This is done by using the zig zag technique, which is essential for snowboarding. Zig zag means to move in an “S” shape down the slope, rather than straight down. It is also important to stay as low as possible when doing this technique, because your center of gravity is lower, which enables you to have more control of your body. Most people learn these skills within the first couple of days. If you have background experience skateboarding or surfing, this sport will come more naturally to you.
In skateboarding, zig zagging across a slope is important because it controls speed. In surfing, balance allows the surfer to keep a low center of gravity. Just like skateboarding and surfing, falling is part of learning how to snowboard and most importantly learning from your mistakes. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
May 2019
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