Main Gym, Treadmills, weight stations, etc

[Jillian]

"It was," she confirmed quietly. Especially when she'd reached the top. The cliff hadn't been easy to climb and any experienced climber would have screamed at her in frustration. She knew nothing of equipment at the time and had climbed with no safety precautions whatsoever. "Never been skydiving," she admitted. But it was flying and she was certain she would love it if she ever tried it one day.

She pulled out a pair of shoes and showed him the bottom. "You never climb without the appropriate shoes. You don't have climbing shoes, you don't climb. That's first and foremost. Trying to climb in whatever shoes you own won't cut it and can cost you your life."

[Heath]

Heath nodded his head. "No shoes, no climb," he repeated in his head. "What kind of shoes do you use?"

[Jillian]

She shrugged. "I prefer Sportiva but it generally depends on the type of climb you're going on. I tend to stick with the all day climbs and Sportiva's one of the best brands when it comes to that. They're good when it comes to steep climbs too."

She set the shoes to the side and then pulled out a tangle of material along with some metal. "Next is your harness and carabiners. No harness, no climbing. It's what keeps you from meeting the ground. The carabiners attach the harness to the rope."

[Heath]

"Aww but what if I wanted to say hello to the ground," he chuckled. When she glared at him, he cleared his throat of the laughter and then looked at her with deep concentration. "Shoes, harness and carabiners ... are you going to show me how to use that mess of rope and metal?"

[Jillian]

"In a minute." Next, she pulled out a pile of rope. "I usually buy rope that's about 180 feet. That means if I climb with someone I can only climb about 90 or so feet before I have to let them start making their way up, Never climb more than half the length of the entire rope. If you do and then get injured there's no way your partner will be able to lower you back down to the ground safely."

"Secondly, never let your rope get old. The fibers grow weak and then you have to worry about it breaking when you're climbing. Not a good thing. Old rope, no climb." As she talked she untangled the harness and made sure she had his attention before showing him how to attach the carabiners to the harness and then the rope.

[Heath]

"I feel like I'm watching an episode of JKill, the Mountain Climbing woman special." He laughed a little more, stretching his legs out and supporting his body with his arms pressed behind him.

"Alright, alright ... I'm taking this seriously just find it very interesting ... you know, you can make it a little more exciting with a little pep in your speech." He smiled at her. "I'm just playing."

[Jillian]

"This isn't supposed to be the fun part," she smiled. The J Kill show? She couldn't stop the laughter that escaped her lips. Damn, he was making her do that a little too much.

"The exciting part comes when you actually hit the trails and feel the hard rocks beneath the palms of your hands, the unyielding stone beneath your feet, the sun beating down or the snow flying around you and the wind brushing over you." She stopped abruptly when she realized how she'd gone off on a tangent and just how attentively he was listening. "You'll see." She unhooked everything and tossed it over to him. "Try putting it all together."

[Heath]

Heath stood his feet, taking the rope, the harness and the carabiners into his hands giving her a curious gaze. He let them rest in his hand for a while, pondering how he would place them over him. He thought back to the chapter in the book on how to dress in the harness.

He placed them on a nearby table and step by step, placed the harness on followed by the other two pieces. When he was down, he approached Jillian with his arms spread out.

"Inspect me."

[Jillian]

Jillian did just that, walking in a slow circle around him. Every now and then she would touch the rope or tug at the spot where all three pieces connected. She was careful to keep her eyes only on the equipment and not the strong sleek muscles of his body. After a few minutes she stepped back and looked him over with a curious glint in her eye. "That's not half bad." He was right. He was a fast learner.

She turned back to her bag. "Gloves or chalk. Some prefer chalk, others gloves. I personally like gloves. I don't like to stop and check to make sure my hands are still adequately chalked over. Both help your grip."

"Quickdraws improve your speed and safety when it comes to clipping. The lead usually uses them so you don't need to worry about them now. I don't aid climb," she added and then realizing he probably didn't know what the term meant, added, "The equipment I use to secure my holds doesn't alter the face of whatever I'm climbing. It's all temporary."

[Heath]

Heath smiled with pride, especially when she complimented him on his first round of harnessing up. This was probably one of the most important aspects of climbing and he was sure to read the chapter at least three times before moving on. He tugged on the ropes himself and nodded.

"I'll take the gloves. I saw these nice pair at the sports store the other day but I wasn't going to buy anything without you being there," he said, walking half way around her before stopping again.

"Alright. I read that ... I understand," he said in assurance.

[Jillian]

She paused in her rattling off of names and purposes to simply stare at him. He was really serious about climbing. True she had realized that before but it was really hitting her in that moment. And if he liked it? She'd end up climbing with him more than once. Only to ensure he didn't get himself killed, she assured herself silently.

"I'll go with you for shoes and gloves. Why don't you take a break," she suggested.

[Heath]

"Take a break from what? I'm all revved up now. I'm excited for this to happen especially with this skilled instructor," he said, staring back at her without shying away from her bright brown eyes. "But I know ... you want to be thorough and I respect that. When's the tentative date and time?"

He dragged his fingers through his hair, sliding back all the strands that had fallen in his face.

[Jillian]

She smiled. "It depends on how long it takes you to get the hang of it. I still need to go over belaying and the rappelling device before I start showing you how to climb. But, if you get it as soon as I think you will...maybe this weekend. I start early."

[Heath]

"Sounds good to me Jay. I'm in no rush to go out right away. I want to learn the correct procedures and get it right the first time. Failure is not an option," he said easily, walking over the rock climbing wall and lifting his head to watch the top.

"So you said I need a break ... why don't we go buy some equipment? I brought my unlimited credit card."

[Jillian]

"That's a good next step." Jillain gathered up all of the equipment and returned them to the proper spots in the bag before straightening. She smiled when she turned back to face him. "I have to tell you. I'm impressed. Very few people are willing to put in the prep work necessary for this. You haven't even complained once."