Woah, your first day out was under the wing of the legendary EC Joe?
I think my first roped climbing experience was using piece of hemp rope pilfered from a construction site and a scrap railroad spike to chop steps up a 50 degree mud/rock/dirt embankment in San Diego in pursuit of bands of crystals, circa 1970. Sometime a little later we also engaged in dulfersitz rappels off two story concrete tilt up walls on construction sites.
The real deal didn't commence until Thanksgiving weekend 1972, in Joshua Tree with some Sierra Club Rock Climbing Section outing, headed by my friend Alan Nelson's dad. First climb was on some rotten pile out in the desert on the way there, but we spent several days in Indian Cove on things I'm sure I'd no longer recognize. Goldline ropes and Lowa Scout boots, yee haw.
Guess this is my 35th anniversary coming up.