Our tour guide, Michelle, from the CVB, was very resourceful and accommodating. I wish she could have come up with something other than indoor rock climbing, but she had to work with serious constraints. While we were in Seminole County, she asked the rock-climbing folks about other parks in the area. They reported that EVERYTHING was closed due to the recent storms.

It was a Thursday morning, so we had the place to ourselves. Aiguille was pretty impressive. It was huge to me, but I've never seen an indoor rock climbing facility before. It looked very new, and I think it was only a few years old. Our instructor, Scott, gave us a lesson in knotting and belaying. It was a little weird to feel like my life was in a stranger's hands, but it was climbing time!

It was MUCH easier going up than going down. Going down I felt like I had to push against the person holding me the whole time, in addition to not being able to see the "rocks" at my feet. Scary. After the one beginner wall we tried, my partner and I moved onto a straighter, taller wall-and almost immediately gave up. Time for a smoke!

There was also a bouldering option, which was fun and quite satisfying. I don't know if this is something I'd ever be interested in real life, but it was pretty cool to get to the top of the boulder.

Jason, the owner of the place, was very nice and informative. While we ate lunch, he told us all kinds of climbing stories, including the details of "Touching the Void." He told us that indoor rock climbing in Orlando has become a really popular weekend-night option among young people. You always climb with a partner, but it's easy to show up alone and get paired up. It sounded like a great alternative to bars for active types, and I got really excited for Jason that his dream was coming true.

All in all, it was a fun daytime activity, but I still would have much preferred canoeing.