"I Get By With A Little Help From My Friends..."

-Day 7 of 31-

As tonight is my climbing club's Christmas party, I felt this entry would be good.

I moved to Alexandria from Winchester, VA in 2006.  I had very few friends around here and wasn't even climbing back then.  My girlfriend at the time moved this way too.  We ended up spending a lot of time going back home on weekends since our families and most of our friends were in Winchester.  Luckily I met some good people through work and started commuting to work with my friend Patrick whom I'd met in one of my classes.  It would soon be that friendship that spurred me on to get back into climbing.

Late in 2006 (I think) Patrick and I decided to become roommates and we found (with the help of Patrick's girlfriend) a nice townhouse in Alexandria.  Shortly thereafter, Patrick and his girlfriend started going to Sportrock climbing gym.  He kept asking me about my climbing gear, why didn't I climb anymore, and that I should check out Sportrock with them sometime.  I finally relented.  On my first visit I quickly realized that I'd forgotten how much I loved climbing.  The physical commitment, the mental challenges...a lot of good memories came back to me and I knew I was getting hooked again.  However, I also knew I wasn't that strong and it would take time and dedication to get better.  But what I really needed were more friends that climbed like I did and thought about climbing the way I did...which meant finding people who wanted to get out of the gym when it was nice outside; people who wanted some adventure of taking the path less traveled.  I needed to find some trad climbers.

Sometime in the next year or two I came upon the Potomac Mountaineering Club (PMC), the climbing/mountaineering section of the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club (PATC).  I really don't remember how I came across the club.  I know I went to a Wednesday evening climbing session at Carderock (which happen every Wed all summer long) and met a whole bunch of people that I'm still friends with today.  I joined the club shortly thereafter.  I honestly don't know what I would've done without that group.  As life moved through many changes over the next few years (breakups, job shifts, deployment, etc), my friends in the PMC were always there.  I've learned much from each one of them that I've been privileged to share a rope with.  Many in the club feel like brothers and sisters (some would have to be an odd uncle:-)...putting your life in someone's hands will do that.  I would be nowhere near as strong and experienced a climber without being supported by so many wonderful people.  And I know that as life will inevitably change and priorities will shift my friends will still be there and there will always be someone to team up with and climb.  

So to all my PMC friends, thanks for some great times.  Now go out and get smashed tonight, just be smart about it so we can all climb together for many days to come!

I truly do get by with a little help from my friends...