It’s Kid’s Play: “Bouldering” in Marin
Marin Mommies presents an article by guest contributor Barbara McVeigh.
Kids like to climb and clamber over rocks—that’s no big secret. But, "bouldering" is a sport not many kids and families have discovered… and I’m not talking about climbing at groomed indoor gyms.
Ring Mountain in Corte Madera, one of Marin’s precious nature reserves, offers the real deal—an opportunity to scale a 165-million-year-old metaphormic rock that once had been bubbling magma in a deep ocean floor somewhere near Mexico. One of the most popular rocks to climb is called Split Rock.
A group of kids last week donned harnesses and got to experience bouldering with Outback Adventures, a shop located in Larkspur that offers support, equipment and guides. Greg and Jeremy were our guides for they day. And, with their gentle, patient and safety-oriented approach they got the kids climbing high up past comfort zones into new realms of confidence. As a mom it was a delight to see kids conquer fears and then embrace that quiet, peaceful space that can be a challenge to find in our noisy lives.
“Climbing takes absolute focus, concentration and trust,” says Rosella Pusateri, who coached her son as he did the scissor move between the split. There were various routes the kids could experience, each offering a different level of difficulty.
Add to that a surround of pure wild nature—fields of swaying rattlesnake grass, soaproot once used by Miwoks, views of San Pablo Bay and a peeping gopher who clearly needed to see the action, it was a day spent practically in our “Marin back yard” we won’t forget. We even got to watch two red tailed hawks perform their courtship dance, spinning in the air for all to see. Climbing outdoors taps into all your senses and for us, fostered wonder for history and geology and… sore muscles the next day!
For more information about climbing this summer, check out the following local resources: Outback Adventures is offering camps with climbing; and, for those who still like the gym experience, Granite Planet is just across the bridge!
