Climbing the Walls: Family converts little-used room to exercise haven

LEWISVILLE -- When the seven members of the Gallagher family get bored, they climb the walls -- and the ceiling.

Walk into the family's 3,300-square-foot home, and you might find Tristan, 12, spread eagle against the wall, trying to work his way around the room, or Jonathan, 15, dangling upside down from the ceiling in a mini-climbing gym that was once a seldom-used dining room.

Kevin and Kristin Gallagher have five boys who enjoy romping in the woods and racing down a zip line behind their house and mountain biking.

The Gallaghers are a combined family. Kristin Gallagher has three boys -- Jonathan, Tristan and Ian, 10, who is now known as Ian David so that he won't be confused with Kevin's son, Ian, who is also 10 and now goes by Ian Michael. Kevin's youngest son is Patrick, 8. The Gallaghers keep Kevin's boys every other week. Kevin and Kristin have been married for six years, and Kevin has adopted Kristin's boys.

More than a year ago, Kevin took some of the boys to the Ultimate Climbing Gym in Greensboro, while Kristin stayed home and watched a movie on the Lifetime network.

They had such a blast that they decided to buy a family membership to the gym rather than a big-screen TV, Kevin said.

"We just fell in love with it," he said.

It wasn't long before the entire family started climbing at Stone Mountain and Pilot Mountain state parks. A family friend provided guidance on what gear to buy and how to get started climbing outdoors.

From there, Kevin started thinking about building some type of climbing wall at their home in Lewisville.

"I was thinking of building something under the deck, but it was hot, there are bugs down there and that's where the dogs spend their quality time, and they smell bad," Kevin said.

In July, Kristin had an idea. Why not build a climbing gym in the dining room, a room the family used only on Christmas and Easter?

Kevin's response?

"I love you, baby!"

The boys' response?

"Yahoo!"

Kevin, a handy man, installed plywood around three walls (the fourth wall is a mirror) and part of the ceiling, added "holds" or fake rocks made of resin that he found on eBay and Craigslist and threw a few mats on the floor.

"It took six months for the bathroom to get fixed and this took one weekend," Kristin said with a laugh.

Because the ceilings are low, the room is set up as a bouldering gym. Bouldering is a fairly new sport that is growing in popularity. It's similar to rock climbing, but the emphasis is on short, lateral moves. The holds in the Gallagher's gym can be moved to new positions to establish new routes. Generally, the goal is to make your way around the room.

The younger boys aren't as interested in completing routes, preferring instead to simply climb, find new holds and swing from the ceiling.

Jonathan likes to set up difficult routes and push himself to complete them. He comes into the gym almost every day and has become a good climber, Kevin said.

Last weekend, he climbed When Shrimp Learned to Whistle, a challenging route at Pilot Mountain.

Kevin and Kristin said that the climbing gym has taught the kids some good life lessons such as how to work through fear and solve problems. Ian David is no longer afraid of heights, and Patrick said that it has taught him confidence.

"If you quit," Patrick said, "you'll never get it."

Kristin said she likes to climb for the exercise.

"This is something we can do together," Kevin said.

The one drawback is the chalk dust that they use on their hands to dry moisture when they climb. It winds up on tables and shelves in other rooms of the house.

As far as the dining-room table? It's gathering dust in the attic.

Foot notes: The Audubon Society of Forsyth County has scholarship money available for graduating high-school seniors. The Jeff Turner-Forsyth Audubon Society Scholarship will award at least $500 in support to a Forsyth County student who has been accepted into a four-year university for this fall. Students who have demonstrated an interest in wildlife or environmental issues are eligible. For more information, check www.wsfoundation.org/students. The application deadline is Tuesday.

□ Babes in the Woods, a group of women who get together for weekly bicycle rides, is starting its spring season. Anyone is welcome to join. Check http://groups.google.com/group/babesinthewoods for more information.

□ The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation and Discovery Place are teaming for a weekend in the mountains that will include nature-oriented activities such as birding, hiking, drawing and tips on how to survive in case you get lost.

The cost includes accommodations, meals and all the activities. It will be May 1-3 on Pompey's Knob between Asheville and Blowing Rock. The regular cost for the weekend is $225. Register before Tuesday and the price drops to $185. There are discounted prices for kids under 12.

For more information, call 336-721-0260.

■ Lisa O'Donnell can be reached at 727-7420 or at lo'donnell@wsjournal.com.