This past spring break, Upper School Science teacher Noah Lynd and Upper School Math teacher Natalie Lynd traveled to Kalymnos, a Greek island located near Turkey, to rock climb. They landed in Athens on March 11th and went to Kalymnos the following day. The island is known for its infamous rock-climbing, so it was the perfect spot for the activity. They chose this location specifically because it was warmer opposed to other places. In March of 2018, they went on a trip to Croatia and Spain, but it was a little cold, so they researched places that would be warmer for their trip this year.
The two have been rock climbing since 2016. Before that, they were into other activities such as biking, hiking, and running. “I had a long interest in rock climbing, but I never got around to it until recently,” said Mr. Lynd. He said that one day he went to a climbing gym, and has loved it ever since then.
Mr. Lynd said that there are different types of rock climbing. There is sport climbing where the protection is already in the wall for you, so you can clip the bolt in the wall, and if you fall, it will immediately catch you. “When you want to get some sun and relax it’s pretty fun,” said Mr. Lynd. This is very different from traditional climbing where you carry all of your pieces of protection with you and put them into the rocks, which is much more difficult. In addition, there is protected climbing and free climbing. There are certain areas in particular in the United States where it’s all traditionally protected climbing. Free climbing includes using just your hands and feet to go up on the rocks and that what they do every time they go. “It looks scary, but it’s not as extreme as it looks. It’s not a thrill seeking sport or anything like that, it’s just a way to be be active, enjoy the sun, be outside, and see beautiful places.
