In most articles about climbing, some would comment that climbing is a male dominated sport. I used to think the same too. However, looking at my Facebook friends’ list, majority of my female friends are climbers (I shall leave my female schoolmates aside). In one way or another, my female friends would at least be a climber once, or be involved in climbing related activities at least once if not regularly.What constitute a climber? In my own opinion, anyone who scale heights is a climber.

Once a climber, always a climber. A rock climber is a climber, a mountain climber is a climber. Hmmm, so is a trekker a climber? Only you have the answer. What do I think, then? I say, yes.

Nevertheless, my purpose of putting up this post is to introduce a few new friends whom I have the opportunity to be connected with; they are girls who climb.

My first candidate of the few is Nur Hafiizah. Her group of friends in our recent Nepal trek to Annapurna Base Camp like to call her a Ninja. My primary understanding of this nick she has is probably because she wears a headscarf all the time. As I get to know this little angel more, I tend to agree with the Ninja persona she might have, hidden in her. Let’s put aside the folktales about the Japanese Ninjas who were supposedly specialized in unorthodox warfare. I am not referring to that.

Hafiizah, the little Ninja

Ninja did not always work alone, team work exist; they are highly skillful and independent. This is exactly what I perceived Hafiizah’s Ninja personal as. Throughout our entire 14days trek, she was highly independent. She knew how to manage her personal comfort in a hostile environment; I called this skills. She is a quiet and a good-natured girl.

I can’t help but to think about a question being posted to the group during our trek, it went something like:

Q:”At the end of the trek, guess who walks the furthest?”
A: “Ninja!”

Why so? Because this little Ninja is the shortest among the group, she probably needed to walk double the steps to cover the same distance as her group members. *EVIL THOUGHTS!* She is not called Ninja for nothing!

I see the inner strength in her and that she will probably be able to climb higher, a literal mountain and in all aspect of her life. Poised, is the word for her.