Saturday was a lovely, cold and crisp day with blue skies, so of course it made complete sense to head out on Sunday morning. Being a mid-morning start gave the clouds and rain that had been forecast and threatening a chance to get hold. As I was driving out to Castle Rock to meet Lou, Steve and Leanne I did wonder if they would actually turn up:
The rain abated a bit as I drove down the last road towards Castle Rock beach and I couldn’t help wonder if the surfers, paddle boarders and fisher people (I’m being politically correct here) had the right idea. It may have brightened up a wee bit but the skies looked like they would have a really good go at getting us as wet as the people in the water were:
Lou arrived soon after me and didn’t look too keen, I offered her first lead but she declined so I jumped on a thin slab and tip toed my way up. It was wet-as but the friction was still not too bad, in fact I climbed it in probably the best style I ever have. As with recent wet before work morning climbs with Howsie, I had a different approach of trusting the holds more than usual in these conditions:
Lou was not so convinced about the conditions, it was probably a tad too fingery and tricky as a first climb but there are not too many options at the lower grade routes here. While she was procrastinating, I said that seeing we had made the trip out she had no choice but to jump on lead. As you can see she was stoked (not!) and took her time seemingly contemplating what lay ahead, as the rain tumbled down on us:
Steve and Leanne turned up just after finishing the first climb. They were not put out by the rain one bit, instead revelling in being out. This recently newlyweds were brimming over with energy and enthusiasm, but did sensibly decided it was a bit wet for leading so set about organising a top rope:
Their energy must have been catching, as Lou went for it despite the rain. Her mind was only half in it, so having picked something not too hard was a good option. She got stuck in and I think enjoyed her lead up this fun flake system. It was hard to tell, as she didn’t smile as much as usual when I pointed the camera at her:
After I scuttled up, Leanne was also keen to give it a bash seeing Steve was taking so long to get that top rope sorted. She made short work of it and seeing how little she has been on rock for what seems a very long time it was great to see:
My lead next, so I decided to try a line that I had put up just before the guide went out. It’s a sketchy lead not from lack of gear but more the roundedness and flakey nature of the rock. I bit off a bit more than I could chew, but bumbled my way up with a few rests during which I had to give myself ‘a talking too’ (as Steve would say) before I had the courage for the next section. I do however wonder whether it is a bit of a sand-bag climb at the grade we gave it:
Lou was in charge of my camera at this point, and I think she found it assuming that I had six gear placements for the sustained bottom 4/5m. Both Steve and then Lou followed up and found it ‘very entertaining’. Then Leanne decided while there was a rope available, she would have an amble up too – but taking a line to the right that was somewhat less daunting:
Finally it was time to make use of the top rope Steve had put up, this was the hardest climb of the morning and it was a very wise choice not to lead it. The first bolt is high up and the landing pretty sketchy. It is also a full on climb that requires lots of body tension to avoid barn dooring. Steve, Lou and I played on this one, while Leanne passed on the offer:
We all agreed then that it was time to head off, we had done pretty well getting in four fun routes and the clouds were once again rolling in with the threat of another heavy downpour. So with soggy clothes and gear we made our way out, and were very happy that we had made the effort to get out and stick at it:
Sandbagged 