I do not consider myself a high risk or eiliet climber. but it is the risk and the unknown that make me feel alive and drive me outside to get at it one more time. as i get older i find myself contemplating the risks more and more. I find myself deciding before i go out how much i am willing to risk. but i still have to put myself on the line. as much as i shy away from the sharp end and tell myslef that i am just not a leader, I yern for it. as nervouse as i am to climb my first easy rout on a mountain i will still get after it. it is adrenoline and it is spiritual for me and it does make me feel closer to my spirit. and i do get board when i don't go. and i so hate being board. when i do come to the end of my life, and it flashes before my eyes and i get a moment to look back not on what i have accomplished but on what i have experienced, I know climbing and all it entails will make me proud and grateful for the time i have spent on this planet and the people i have known and loved. Climbing may not be everything... but it is a hell of a lot to me.