Wall To Wall -- Climbers Pick Their Way From One Dizzying Challenge To Another, And Some Even Get To Name What They've Conquered

There really is no such thing as a simple rock to a climber. Where we see a peak, a cliff or a wall, climbers see Calamity Jam, Desmond's Tutu or the Crack of Infinity.

Like discovering a scientific element, naming your own rock is the reward for pioneering a climb. There are rocks named Floats Like a Butterfly, No Pain No Gain, Bunny Face, Trivial Pursuit, Latin Lover and even Oxygen. If the image of rock climbers is one of endorphin-chasing jocks willing to risk a 400-foot fall for the chemical and physical high, the reality may be that they're closer to mathematicians. Mathematicians who really like the outdoors.

"It's like a math problem because you're trying to figure out where to put your hands and your feet without exerting too much energy and getting too tired," says Patricia Garcia, a climbing enthusiast from Seattle. "But what I like most is being outdoors and being able to take my dog."

Climbing is 90 percent mental, says Rana Betting, director of Girls Rock!, a nonprofit climbing mentorship program for teenage girls. "In all the earlier press, it was an adrenaline sport . . . but it's so not like that at all," she says. In fact, most people are flocking to the sport not for high-risk thrills but for the mental challenge and the emotional empowerment.

The sport has grown by leaps and bounds in recent years, and rock climbing now shares the top spot with paddling sports as the fastest growing outdoor recreation. According to the Outdoor Retail

Coalition of America, a national outdoor-industry trade organization, more than 4.5 million Americans tried climbing last year. Currently there are more than 400 climbing gyms in the nation. There are six in the Puget Sound area.

Although the initial investment can be costly - at least $200 for indoor climbing equipment and $500 for outdoors - people of all ages climb. The oldest member at the Vertical World climbing gym in Seattle is 80, the youngest is 2.

When people think of rock climbing, they probably imagine the maneuvers of Sylvester Stallone in "Cliffhanger" - clinging to cracks by his fingernails hundreds of feet above ground without benefit of rope or assistance.

Most climbers practice something called free climbing, which means they pull themselves up with their hands while secured to a rope. A belayer, or a second climber, holds onto the rope, providing safety. As climbers move up the rock, they attach the rope to bolts in the wall. If they slip or fall, the belayer uses his or her weight and the rope to catch them.

Obviously, there is a risk of injury and even death. However, the accident rate remains lower than sports such as hiking, swimming and boating. And long-time climbers and instructors say that when done correctly, the sport is safe. "If you do it right, you're not going to have any problems," says Rich Johnston, president of the Climbing Gym Association and owner of the two Vertical World climbing gyms in Seattle and Redmond.

Betting of Girls Rock! says the challenge isn't overcoming the rational fear of getting hurt. It's beating the irrational fear.

"When you're on a rope and you're up 40 feet off the ground, you're scared out of your mind although rationally and physically you're safe because you're on a rope, you're on a harness, and you have a belayer supporting you," Betting says. "But your brain is telling you, `I'm 40 feet off the ground and I'm scared.' "

Conquering that fear can be the greatest accomplishment for a climber, she says.

"You have to overcome your inner voice telling you can't do it even though you probably can," Betting says. That's the philosophy behind Girls Rock! The 2-year-old program is part of Passages Northwest, a nonprofit organization. The program matches teenage girls with an experienced female rock-climbing mentor for an eight-week climbing course to build self-confidence.

Patricia Garcia, a grad student and fish biologist for the Muckleshoot tribe, found climbing empowering for a different reason. She started three years ago when she was dating an avid rock climber and they went out to Neah Bay and rappelled down a cliffside together. Three weeks later they broke up.

"Garcia, a fish biologist and graduate student, started climbing fanatically, taking classes and hitting the climbing gym every night. When her former boyfriend saw her again, he couldn't help telling her how good she looked.

And now? "I'm much better than he is," she says. She's now also married to a man she met in a climbing class.

"It's very Zen-like," she says. "It makes you really center yourself. And it's for my own ego thing because I'm better than my husband."

Betting finds climbing meditativeas well. "It's you and the rock and how you're going to get to the top," she says. And best of all, once you reach the top, you might be able to name it. ------------------------------- If you go

If you've never tried rock climbing, make sure you enroll in a few classes before heading outside for the nearest rock. The following indoor climbing gyms offer classes and equipment rental:

REI Pinnacle, Seattle. Open 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday; 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday; 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday; 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday; 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday. 223 Yale Ave., Seattle. 206-223-1944.

REI Pinnacle, Redmond. Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. 7500 166th Ave. N.E., Redmond. 425-882-1158.

Stone Gardens. Open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekends; 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. weekdays. 2839 N.W. Market St., Seattle. 206-781-9828.

Vertical World in Seattle. Open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekends; 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. weekdays. 2123 W. Elmore St., Seattle. 206-283-4497.

Vertical World in Redmond. Open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekends; 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays. 15036-B N.E. 95th St., Redmond. 425-881-8826.

Recommended reading: The "How to Rock Climb" series published by Chockstone Press, particularly "How to Rock Climb!" by John Long and "Flash Training" by Eric Horst.

The most popular local rock climbing sites in the region are at North Bend, Little Si, Index, Vantage, Leavenworth, Mount Erie near Anacortes, Larrabee State Park near Bellingham, Fossil Rock in Tacoma, Frenchman Coulee in Grant County, and Fun Rock in Mazama.

Most of the sites require specific trail directions, which can be found in the following guide books:

"Rock Climbing Washington" by Jeff Smoot (Chockstone Press, 1999).

"The Traveler's Guide to Washington Rock Climbing" by Dave Gunstone (Washington Mountain Alliance, 1999).

"Exit 38" by Brian Burdo (Rhinotopia, 1996).

"Exit 32" by Brian Burdo (Technorigine Productions, 1997).

"Leavenworth Rock" by Victor Kramar (Snowcreek Design, 1996).

"Frenchman Coulee" by Marlene Ford and Jim Yoder (Homepress, 1998).