Exerpt from my journal entry dated 27 July 2003:

Went over to check out Nasa and crew on the right hand side and they let me try this 7A climb.  The crux was in the first moves of the route and it was SO hard!  I couldn't even get up with all of them helping me.  There were hardly any holds and the holds that were there were small crimps and not very positive at all.

One day, I am going to climb 7s.  I know I promised myself that I would be on to 6Cs by year end and I'm still working the 6A/6Bs but I'll be content if I'm attempting 6Cs by year end and comfortably climbing 6Bs.  This is my target (despite half the year being gone).

This entry recorded my first attempt to climb "Stupid with Manners" on top rope.  Somewhere between February and July the following year, I red-pointed it.  By the time 2004 began, I still hadn't nailed my first 6C.  Ironically, I got my redpoint on my first 6C "Oxymoron" in two attempts.  The first was a freepoint (clean on top rope), the second was the redpoint.

My dream began with the affirmation: "one day, I am going to climb 7s".  I set a goal for my first 6C for year end and even though I didn't achieve it, I got my first 6C early in the following year and my first 7A shortly after that.  I don't even know where or how the sudden improvement came, but it did.  It was like the moment I had decided that I was going to do this, the foundation for achieving that ultimate goal was set. This is my own person testimonial of Napoleon Hill's secret in "Think and Grow Rich".

Goal Setting
The Concept

Yes, I realise I'm turning this blog into a sort of mini shrine to my climbing days, but hey, I have to have something to show my kid how cool his Mummy was when she was young...  Here are some pictures of myself working on "Stupid with Manners".  These are the only photos I have of me on a "7".  You'd think I'd have taken more photos...

Working the crux.

Still working it.

Topping out of the crux.