After a summer full of family fun, you would think my kids would show their undying gratitude for all of the amazing experiences made possible thanks to my husband and I. From an afternoon at the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum and a day at Canada's Wonderland to a trip to Ripley's Aquarium and not one, but two afternoons at Medieval Times, we managed to sneak in lots of memorable outings. And this doesn't include our last-minute weekend getaway up north or our staycation at the Eaton Chelsea hotel. So can someone please tell me why, oh why do my darling children manage to drive me up the wall with their constant bickering and arguing? Can't they just get along, for crying out loud? It was the least I could do to salvage my sanity by taking up an offer to escape get out of the house and try out some real wall climbing. You know, the kind that requires special safety gear while dangling 20 feet above ground amidst the peace and quiet of Mother Nature's backyard.

The extent of my wall climbing experience to date can be summed up by a handful of attempts on a mobile wall-climbing apparatus with conveniently placed grips to guide your way to the top. My first attempt was nearly 12 years ago and it was an adequate intro to the sport. But it left me wanting a more difficult challenge, a true outdoor climbing experience that would require strength of mind and body. And so I made the hour-long trek to the limestone cliffs of Halton's Rattlesnake Point where I had participated in the 5 Peaks Trail Race earlier this summer. It was here that I could finally cross one off my bucket list. My fear of heights would have to take a back seat as I learned how to properly knot my ropes and how to belay from a wall climbing expert from One Axe Pursuits.

With Jay from Mississauga Life as my climbing partner, I took on the four easier courses without too much difficulty. Thanks for not letting me plummet to my death, Jay!

These first four courses had their own little challenges but we were welcome to attempt them more than once to find different or easier routes.

Now, I already showed that wall who's the boss so I decided to give the wall a break and re-energize with a banana and some nuts. And it's a good thing I did. The next set of courses were... well, just have a look for yourself: