A Fantastic Adventure Through the Forests of Fontainebleau

This weekend I had the opportunity to do something distinctly out of the ordinary: bouldering. Fontainebleau is nestled square in the middle of France's 2nd largest forest, La Foret de Fontainebleau. Aside from its historical significance as the royal hunting grounds, the forest is also literally world-renowned for its extensive and well-developed boulder fields. Climbers from all over the globe regard the area as the Mecca of bouldering, and this weekend I found out why.
Driving north along the A6 toward Paris there are a number of turnouts at some of the more accessible boulder fields. Entering the geological formation is surreal. The entire area is virtually covered with giant odd-shaped rocks ranging from the size of a dumpster to a two story house. Covered in moss and lichen, the boulders each have their own unique personality. Some provide formidably challenging and even quite dangerous routes for advanced climbers while others are scaled easily by novices. Most have bizarre natural formations like holes and channels, deep crevices, and are separated by narrow winding pathways between their vertical sides. I had an incredible time clamoring around on them, jumping from one to another, and seeing how far I could get without touching back down to the ground. It was an incredible adventure, and all against a natural backdrop whose beauty was only surpassed by its unusualness. I'm definitely going to go back out for some more climbing fun before my Fontainebleau experience is finished!
Check out this video of someone bouldering to get an idea of what its all about, just know i'm not nearly this hardcore.