Facing the Fear of Rock Climbing, with Israel Extreme
On our latest trip to Israel, my husband decided that he wanted to take the family on an adventure, and chose rock climbing. I have to say, this made me very nervous. We have young kids, and I could never imagine that they would dare to do this, or even know what to do. I myself have a bit of a fear of heights, so wasn’t too enthused, and was really ready to say no.
My husband called the Tour Company, Israel Extreme, and put me on the phone with their tour director. He explained that they had several different options of places to do rock climbing, combined with rappelling or even caving, but that each activity was optional, so that if I, or the kids didn’t feel like doing all of the options, we could just watch. He also told me that they often took young children rock climbing, and that the guides had plenty of experience with beginners and young kids. Many kids were frightened in the beginning, but the guides knew how to calm and help them and make it a great experience. The main thing is that we should feel comfortable with what we were doing, be it rock climbing or rappelling.
So after a family talk, I decided we should try it. Face the fear and do it anyway! Can you believe it, I managed it. I pushed myself out of my comfort zone, and climbed the rocks! I am not athletic at all, but with the help and encouragement of the guides, I got it! Watching my kids doing the rock climbing was something else, and I knew I couldn’t let them down.
My kids, after initial nerves, took to it like ducks to water. The guides were so patient, & even tandem rappelled with my 4 year old, so he got to fly! It was totally amazing. Who would think that rock climbing could be such fun! Add to that the amazing views, and some great photos. These are memories that will be with us for a long time to come. With rock climbing, we learnt a new skill and broke the fear barrier.