Recently a group of Scouts from Troop 581 met at Vertical Rock climbing facility in Manassas, VA to work on the Climbing Merit Badge. It was exciting, scary, and most importantly, a great learning experience. We started by being taught how to get into and use our climbing harnesses. Next, we learned how to tie all the necessary knots. The first one was the figure eight knot. Then we learned more advanced knots such as the figure eight follow-through, the water knot and the double fisherman’s knot. Next, we learned how to belay. Belaying is when someone on the ground is helping to secure a climber and stopping him from falling to the ground if he slips. This included learning verbal signals such as “Belay On” (belay is ready) and “Climb On” (climber can start climbing). After A LOT of practice, we were tested and then we were ready to climb!
After each Scout scaled the rock wall a few times, it was time to complete the last and hardest requirement for the merit badge. It consisted of climbing halfway up one of the taller walls and rappelling down. It was easy at first, but then towards the top, it got hard. The rocks got smaller, and there were fewer places to put your feet for support. The hardest part for me was reaching the top. There was a ledge that was SUPER hard to reach but with effort and determination I reached the top. While I was up there, I made the ultimate mistake of looking down. Luckily, I got myself together and rappelled down safely. My feeling of accomplishment didn’t last long, though, because when I got to the bottom, our counselor told everyone that we all had to do it all over again. The second time was a lot easier than the first and I was done very quickly. Everyone else got a turn to finish the merit badge. Overall, it was super fun, the counselors were nice, and everyone learned a lot.
Submitted by Spencer Molina, Spartan Patrol
