Rock Climbing at Hangar 18 and Gearing Up for Hiking Season
The family and I headed out for a fun adventure yesterday to go rock climbing at Hangar 18, an incredibly cool climbing gym in Upland near our home. Brynn had climbed there a few weeks back for a school project she was involved in and just loved it (she's in training to become a 008 agent, you see; so scaling high walls is a must). ;)
The complex boasts 10,000 square feet of textured climbing terrain and is quite a sight to behold when you first enter. Steve, Shea, Aidan and I had no experience with the equipment, climbing lingo, or safety precautions; but luckily, we had a great instructor named Javier who patiently showed us the ropes (no pun intended... well, maybe a little intended), and gave us a lesson in how to tie the ropes, how to protect and spot your partner as they ascend and descend, how to check and double-check gear, etc.
It wasn't long before Steve and Brynn were bounding up the more advanced walls; while Aidan and Shea were little climbing monkeys, scaling up the bouldering courses and also trying out many of the rope routes with Miss Secret Agent and her dad. I was pretty content to give it one climb up and realize that I didn't particularly enjoy being perched at the top of a hangar, suspended from a rope. Yeah, it didn’t take me long to recognize that I rather appreciated the ground floor and that spotting the kids and Steve for the rest of the day was pretty a-ok. The entire experience was extremely enjoyable, from start to finish. It was so fun to be together, encourage one another, chat, laugh, and appreciate the time as a family.
Once we left Hangar 18, we found a tasty little vegan Thai restaurant and enjoyed a delicious lunch before heading over to REI to get the gang some new hiking shoes for an upcoming trail we plan to hit in a few weeks. Last Spring, Steve and I became so captivated by hiking and couldn't get enough of all our area has to offer. The kiddos weren't especially enthusiastic about joining us last year, besides a few hikes and a camping trip we took together...but it seems that this year tendencies have changed and they are all gung ho about lacing up the hiking shoes and grabbing some gear to head on up the altitude climb with us. We can't wait!
Monday, May 31, 2010 at 10:08AM
Reader Comments (7)
Yesterday RULED. I love it when we can all get out together and have some good family fun. I am looking forward to some nice early morning hikes with the gang.
Wow! That sounds so fun!! I too enjoy hiking and camping! You have encouraged me to spend more time with my kids and do something super fun like that! Thanks Jinxi for sharing!! Love ya! :o )
Wow, that looks like so much fun!
You guys are the best!!! Thanks for sharing. =)
What a darling family you have. Yup--Family--that's what it's all about...
Yay! What a super awesome family adventure :)! You guys always do such fun stuff together :)!! Looks like a blast! xoxox
i'm with you i like the ground floor hehe. of all places the first place i tried climbing a rock wall was at ozzfest in pittsburgh...my sister and i kept laughing at all the well um people who had a bit too much to drink trying to make their way to the top but cussing out the lil nubs bc they kept turning. well needless to say the guy running the wall said ok you two think it's so funny i'll let you both try it free and see how you do. my sister passed but i was like why not...i made it up and the view from 20 feet up was a lil much for me. it was alot of fun but i like my feet planted on the ground. looks like an amazing place and a great family day. the kids make it look soooo easy :)
Great pictures, looks like you guys had a blast!!! :D the best time is when is spend with family :)
xoxox
Abril