And then comes the day when the working pro quits that adrenaline filled day and wanders into the placid waters of recreational tree climbing. It's like giving up white water for flat water. Or worse, looking up from the approach trail at the climbers above you on what was once a favorite route. That fine 5.7 route where you loved to bleed. The passage of hard core to uhhhhhhhhhhh.............lite core. Something is missing when one of the extremes is cut out of your life. The act of balance is altered significantly when daily life/death decisions of a cutter are removed.
And the young and middle age pro climbers cry..."I'll climb till I die." Well, maybe Darwin will take care of that issue for you- that careless little safety twitch you have always taken for granted, like pulling out your hand saw for that casual little sucker cut above your head before even thinking about a second tie in.
But to walk away from the front lines of professional production work. The first few months are a relief. Finally time to let the muscles stop aching. Getting out of bed is much easier now too. Then the issue of boredom. Pretty rough for the ADHD person, like myself.
Any other pro climbers out there that walked away.....in one piece? How’s it for you?
Peter Treeman Jenkins
Founder
TCI
Waving from a treetop,
Peter Treeman Jenkins
