Even to a grown-ass man such as myself, REI’s Pinnacle Rock presents itself as a serious challenge. I’ll be whippin’ down I-5, see REI out my window, and dream about the glory of summiting the 60-foot monster. For Erin Gurley, however, conquering it is easier than beating Stephen Hawking sans wheelchair in a foot race. A natural to the sport of rock climbing, she is quietly one of Garfield’s most distinguished athletes.

Gurley, a senior, picked up rock climbing in 5th grade, when she would make her parents take her to REI every weekend. Soon after, she joined the Vertical World Rock Climbing Team, which encompasses several climbing centers throughout the region. Gurley was unusually successful in local competitions. Before long, she found herself one of four on the United States national team for lead climbing (of which the specifics I will delve into later). She competed in Continentals in 2004, and finished third nationally in 2005. She was on the age 16 – 17 national bouldering team, but felt burnt out and took a year off.

“It just was all so time-consuming”, says Gurley. “I was practicing less than other girls, but still it was like four or five days a week.”

Back on a new, less-rigorous training schedule as of late, Gurley hopes simply to continue climbing without the pressures placed on the backs of other, more ambitious young women.

One unfamiliar to the ways of the rock climbing may wonder how competitions like those that Gurley attend function. There are two primary areas of expertise: lead climbing and bouldering. Lead climbers utilize clips, which they latch on at regular intervals.

Bouldering, on the other hand, emphasizes shorter stretches of rock, maybe 10 or 15 feet, with no equipment. In competition, bouldering involves moving sideways on a wall, which may sound lame, but given the sheer difficulty and slope of the wall, watching someone boulder is as awesome as watching Aragorn merk orcs at the battle of Helm’s Deep. Scoring is based solely on difficulty. One either completes the “puzzle” or doesn’t.

One such event was the Seattle Bouldering Challenge, in which Gurley recently placed sixth. It was an open competition, meaning she was in the same field as older women, many of whom hailed from the less-than spectacular nation of Canada. Stone Gardens, the venue, was strewn with climbers and judges. Each judge stood by one of over a hundred puzzles some of which were rated harder than others. Each entrant had a set number of attempts. With sign-toting friends/supporters watching, Gurley eased into the finals in fourth position, but alas was knocked down a couple spots in the last round.

“Not a big deal,” she says. “There were some really strong climbers in that competition.”

So, Gurley climbs into the future, perhaps with less rigor and time commitment, but assuredly with the same amount of natural ability. She is a girl with a lot of fire and swearwords in her arsenal as well, and one can only assume she will bring a consistent amount of ferocity and intimidation to her sport. She can attack Pinnacle Rock like no male at Garfield, and for that she deserves props.