An adventurous talk
By JODIE TWEED
Staff Writer
PEQUOT LAKES
For the wide-eyed fourth-graders in Donna Collins' class at Pequot Lakes Elementary School, listening to rock climbing enthusiast Josh Meyer talk about his favorite hobby was an adventure in itself.
Instead of their regular math lesson, students listened intently as Meyer explained and demonstrated the different types of specialized ropes and equipment he uses to scale cliffs and rocks. His visit last Tuesday was for a section on hobbies the fourth-graders were studying.
He told the class he became interested in the rock climbing about five years ago when friends introduced him to the dangerous sport. He has been climbing ever since, and helps to train others to rock climb.
Before he explained how each piece of climbing equipment was used, Meyer was quick to point out to students that those who are new to the sport need the proper training to learn how to rock climb.
Students learned rock climbing is not only a physical sport, but a mind challenging sport. Different types of grips, clasps and hooks are used, depending on the type of crevice available at the time. So rock climbers have to carry everything they need with them on the way up, or else they may find themselves in a precarious position later up the cliff.
Rock climbers use special shoes that stick to the rock, said Meyer, who showed students two pairs of his own rock climbing shoes. It's an expensive hobby, he added.
The biggest rock he has climbed so far is the Cathedral Spires in the Black Hills, but this winter Meyer plans to scale a 3,000-foot cliff in El Potrero Chico, Mexico. The cliff is specially used for rock climbers and is bolted, so climbers can clip their ropes firmly to the rock.
Sometimes it can take more than a day to climb, so Meyer demonstrated how rock climbers use a portaledge, a small lightweight cot that can be hooked on the side of a mountain so climbers can sleep or rest. Sleeping in a portaledge is a nervewracking experience, though, said Meyer, noting you can't move around when you sleep. He set up his portaledge for students by using the trim on a school entrance door.
Meyer, 23, is the son of Linda Andrews, who is news director at KLKS radio in Breezy Point.
Josh Meyer showed fourth-graders in Donna Collins' class at Pequot Lakes Elementary School last Tuesday a portaledge, a small lightweight cot rock climbers use to sleep on when climbing large cliffs or mountains.
