Road Trip

Since last entry I've actually had a job. It only lasted 8 days but this is a good effort for me nonetheless, speaking to some other people, everyone found it hard to get a job this summer. Thinking about it, 8 days of work a year doesn't sound like much, but at the time it was a nightmare. I don't know how people stick at it. The only thing that kept me going was the fact that I was leaving at the end of the week...

Well, the week before the Ordeal started, I was psyched to go climbing so push-biked it out to Farr. Those who have been following the blog since it began might recall I cycled out to Brin last year... A year to recover is just about long enough. It takes that long to forget how soul destroying a journey it is. With a boulder pad, in the sun, sweat, sore ass, swear. Add to that an embarrassing number of funny looks - what? what? you're acting like you've never seen a boulder mat before? Or is it the lego hair?? - well, I suppose it was worth it, I did the project at the farr boulder, it's really cool; if anyone's reading this blog any more, you should get on it! Also, a big thanks to Jamie for doing a brilliant brush up.

Betts collection

If you look really closely at the pic you might just see a rather good effort at patching up my trousers. There was a big rip in bottom so I asked to my gran to show the ways of the needle and thread and stitched the left pocket over the torn area. My mum still wants me to throw them out.

I can't really remember what else I've been doing... I do remember doing le tour de dunty with Rich. By local standards there's some good bouldering to be had for sure, I liked The Untrained Ear, 7a, and Trenchmark, 6c, both good problems, and the possibly possible Impossible Wall. We also went to knife wound wall and got wet feet as well as humbled by the sharp, small holds.

Untrained Ear, Betts col.

Last week I spent my unemployed days on a road trip with my friends Murdo and Danny. It involved trad climbing and some sport climbing. On the first first day I met a psyched murdo and danny under a big blue sky in car park. Quickly, we made our way out to the West coast and to Tollie crags. This is where the road trip '07 began, but that's the only time I've been there. So had a lot to do as did Danny, but Murdo knew all the beta, all the gear placements, had ticked all the routes and left me wondering if he'd prefer somewhere else... But he seemed keen for Dan and I to get on Water Lily and Buena Vista, the two classics of the crag. Compared to other Trad climbs of that crag, I only found them slightly boring. Rain threatened... Murdo managed to find an E3 he hadn't climbed and Danny ditched the ropes to solo E3, he said it was brilliant fun. I took his word for it.

Murdo then took us to try an E4, Macdonald, but for him it looked difficult and he backed off. For it it looked bouldery. I went for it and did the initial boulder wall quickly enough but spent ages on the rest of the wall, trying to recover and places gear. What a fight. Staying motivated to fiddle in a wire, to rest, to find holds etc is a hard for me anyway, but I wouldn't trad climb any other way. If I want to climb hard I can go bouldering or sport climbing, it's the onsight factor that makes trad challenging and interesting. You just don't know what lies ahead.

Next day we went sport climbing. After two sessions I managed to do one move. Result! Murdo climbed ???. It rained.

Next day Danny and I were kindly dropped off at Tollie by Murdo who had some guiding to do. The weather was looking shit but soon brightened into some superb midge-less sunshine. We tried to get psyched for some trad but our routes were wet so we had a soloing trip. Soloing makes E1 much less boring, you're free to enjoy and appreciate the moves, placing gear - what that all about? This freedom was prehaps short lived, I got psyched to try an E5 called dangerous legions, a route directly up the middle of a really cool wall. I surmised I'd better rack up but tried to retain the soloing mindset. I think I'd describe it as confident, curious and worried.

It wasn't to be, I think the worry overcame me and I down climbed to some shoddy gear that held my weight as I lowered off, pumped from trying to rest and place shit mircowires on crimps. I abbed down to get the gear and, yeh, if I'd know I was 2m away from a jug, the top out and a bomber size 2 nut I maybe should've gone for it. That doesn't bother me too much, E5 onsight is something I'd love to do, but from this experience I think I've learnt you need to be absolutely confident. Placing better gear might help too...

Congrats to Danny for crushing his first E4 onsight, you looked steady all the way.

Another E1 and it was time to lazy about in the sun with an excellent apricot cake and meet back up with Murdo and back home.

Friday, I got in touch with Jamie who told me my blog has been a loss to his psyche levels recently and we headed back to knife wound wall. It was hot, shirt off psyche. Thankfully, the wall caught the shade and we had a good short session before our skin wore out. I repeated my problem from last year, had attempts at richie's new 7A, magic streets, another betts tall man sandbag. Also managed to do a obvious sit start to a problem starting at a good quartz hold which basically involving pulling really hard on a small crimp side pull for a long time until the quartz hold is in reach. I thought it was about 7B, and pushed it all the way to a highball-ish topout. I think I'll call it Wooden Nickles on account of the Eels are gooood.

So that takes us up to this weekend and although I've not done any climbing, I've had a really good time with my girlfriend. Plans for the next few weeks are few and far between, maybe get another job if I'm erm... lucky?