A Time to Climb

A Time to Climb

For our February campout, we went with a camp-in. The Troop stayed overnight at Climb Time (in Blue Ash). As soon as we went in, those who had never been there were amazed. It was a warehouse building lined with climbing walls of all kinds. Around the edges were high walls for which we had to have harnesses and ropes. In the middle, there were bouldering walls that did not require harnesses. They were shorter and had comfy mats below them. Everyone knew that it was going to be a good time.

For the first four hours, five of the Eagles worked on the Climbing Merit Badge- all of which completed it. Meanwhile, other chaos was stirring. People were climbing, playing ping-pong, setting up their sleeping areas (Yes, that was chaotic, too) and doing everything else imaginable. Finally, the five Merit Badge seekers finished up (with repelling) and everyone could climb freely. Some people scrambled up steep walls like Spiderman, some turned mats into walls and tents to create sleeping areas, and others just relaxed. By somewhere around 1-3 in the morning (it is hard to say), almost everyone was asleep- including the adults. That stunk for the people who were still awake, because that meant they could no longer climb. However, they found other means of entertainment. There were wrestling matches, board games, and other ways of passing the time. Eventually, the leaders were snoring and the boys were doing the same. At that time, only two souls remained conscious- me and Gunner. We stayed awake the entire night.

In the morning, it was as chaotic as if a train had plowed through a brick wall with a billion angry bats behind it. Some people tried to get in a little more climbing (since the adults were awake), some people were cleaning up their stuff, some were pulling the bouldering mats back into position, and others- well, nobody knew what they were doing. After a while of cleaning, organizing, and other things, we got our stuff and left. Overall, it was a pretty good time.

Special thanks to the three Climb Time employees who instructed us on belaying, helped us earn the Climbing Merit Badge, and (in the case of one of them) stayed the night.