Much as it was a very relaxing day off, we were keen to get back into it. Unfortunately the wet weather had not fully blown over and today was forecast for high winds and showers. A great thing about the Blue Mountains is that with so many crags if you check out the wind direction, even on a wet day, you will generally find a place to climb. So we checked the trusty guide and find a suitable place. Our chosen destination place had another reasonable walk in (by Australian definitely not UK standards) of half an hour’ish so once parked up we trudged in with rain visible in the valley and little drizzle falling on us:
We really did enjoy the walk-ins here, very different to back in WA with tall trees and vista’s that suddenly appear and then disappear. This walk didn’t disappoint and as we got closer to the crags we started our descent off the ridge through a gully with denser and greener vegetation. Occasionally we stumbled across gully’s filled with lush ferns and the sound of water trickling in some hidden creek. I’d always stop in these spots to breathe in the fresh air and let the sounds wash over me. The gully got steeper and steeper and towards the end included some knotted ropes and rungs:
Well we were certainly safe from the rain! Bell Crag is also referred to by some as Bell Super Crag, it is a sports climbers haven with steep walls, extreme overhangs and lots and lots of steel. The only thing that struck us was the amount of routes in close proximity and of course the number of bolts on each line. While we had just taken a rest day we were not quite ready for the hard stuff here (will we ever be I wonder) so we headed for an area that offered a more gentle warm:
The southern end of the Blowhole area allowed us to start on some reasonable grades, but they were very uninspiring lines and we soon bumped the grade up to so what gave. Blow was the best of the three we did in that area, and I once again I seemed to fail to have the stamina to complete the crux sequence. Or after that climb and chatting to Rongy was it that I didn’t have the mindset and grim determination to push through? We both led it and it certainly was a nice climb with a great technical start, but none of the other lines here we calling out our name so it was time to check out another part of Bell Crag:
We walked back along the shady side and nothing jumped out so we worked our way across to the sunny side. The timing was good as the threat of rain was reducing and there were also glimpses of blue were coming out. After having a look at guide I was drawn to Duck Wall for no other reason but the name. Several of the climbs also had cool names which attracted me but the one that really caught my eye was Daffy. When we got there it felt like we had made the right decision and the place really had our attention, a decent height wall with clean and inviting lines:
After a warm up climb I was eager to try Daffy, and had been thinking about changing my mind set and going for the on-sight. It was a steep and unrelenting line (except for a decent ledge before the last headwall). The climbing up to there was awesome, it followed a twin seams until you had to branch out left at a bulge which was very committing. Decent holds awaiting but it wasn’t a real rest and above there were more moves to get the forearms screaming. However, I didn’t give in and got to the ledge so only the headwall to go. I worked my way up and the hold despite their size were not feeling that great and I had to yoyo a bit and also wedge both legs in a horizontal to shake out before committing to the final moves. Needless to say I was very chuffed and that pitch was a contender against the awesome pitch on Bunny Bucket Buttress. The image of Rongy abseiling down shows just how steep the wall was:
While for the first climb we had this place to ourselves to start with, within half an hour it was teeming and there were ropes all over it. So with less lines on offer Rongy was keen to try something a bit harder and the description for Pluck-a-Duck did sound good. It seemed a climb of two halves with a delicate wall followed by a steep (mostly) juggy overhang, and certainly challenged him. He was almost ready to bail from the wall but after a bit of encouragement him got through that section and then being gassed he had to dog his way up the overhang to the exciting finale:
He came down shattered, which I found a tad concerning especially since Daffy had really tested me. So I set off and with some beta from Rongy cruised the lower wall, which shouldn’t have been too much of a surprise as I do pretty well on the more technical less thuggee climbing. Then the overhang loomed above me and I drew a breathe and wen for one hold at a time trying to conserve my strength and shake out when I could. One move to go to the ledge before a final mantle, past a smaller hold that might have seemed like a bomber hold at the start of other route. But not at this stage and I was off, that said even if I pulled that move the final tricky mantle would probably have spat me off. A solid line indeed and well worth the effort:
Eventually we decided it was time to get away from the crowds, especially as all the easier lines that may have been good to warm down on were taken. So we wandered to the next crag that also looked pretty cool, aiming for Seamstress that was reputedly (along with Daffy) the best climb in the area at the grade. The sun was on us in full for this climb and it was very welcome feeling. This climb followed a rising rightward seam (doh) that got steeper the higher it went. Rongy led it missing out a bolt here and there because they were so close, and it looked so good that I pulled the rope and led it afterwards. It seemed my mind trick from earlier in the day had worked and I danced my way up this fine line:
We decided that it was time to call it a day with four leads each under our belt. What had started as a little disappointing for the Bell Super Crag, certainly changed and with the two later areas we were very happy with our choice and day out. As we made our way back up the rungs, ropes and gully we left the valley behind us. Just as we got to the ridge we looked back to find Duck Crag bathed in a pocket of sunlight standing out in a glorious orange hue:
The forecast for the next day was no better in fact the winds were even higher and it felt bitterly cold, so it was again time to do some careful thinking of where to go. We could have plumped for another steep sport area but were keen to mix it up and also for a slight less intense day. So we plumped for another local crag, Mount York. Despite being a wet and windy day we went the sunny side as this was supposed to be sheltered from the wind. The place seemed to us to be probably the most visited area with more defined walk trails and steps and warning signs everywhere. It’s not surprising I guess as there is a campsite right above the area. This place had for the most part lower grades and more trad options, so I started on Crackle:
Despite having a star it also came along with a warning that it had been the scene of a few fatalities over the years. So I was pretty cautious on it and soon found out why there may have been accidents, but am a bit bemused as to how fatalities had come about unless they were due to poorly placed protection, not wearing a helmet or just bad luck. After an easy corner with bomber gear the step headwall packed a punch, with little gear but you would be miles away from a ground fall and would for the most part fall into space. It was however a great line and kept me focused and smiling all the way up it. The rock felt cool this morning and my fingerless gloves which I bought in the old Gritstone days some 20 plus years ago were very welcome for whoever was lucky enough to be belaying:
Rongy then spied a long slabby wall that brought back memories of the rock formations and climbing style at the Grampians. He set off with a rack and plates, being a mixed line, but as proved the case so often very little of the rack ended up being used. You have to question why you’d bolt a route for all bar one piece of trad gear. Was it getting to us, well may be a bit. Despite that the line was very good and enjoyable, so much so that I jumped on the one next to it that was a trad line called Aunty Jack:
Another image of Rongy as the cold weather meant that the camera was getting less action. It does however show the line well and my climb went out left closer to the arête so had that bit more exposure. After this wall we had spied a climb with a name that we felt had to be climbed. Currawongs and the Chocolate Cake – what a name! It is very apt as should you leave any bags unattended these inquisitive and intelligent birds would swoop down and check it out. It would not be enough to simply put the hood over the bag as they could flip it back over, so you had to buckle it up. We did jump on it, but only after offering to helped put a top rope on it for another group that had been struggling on it for ages. The climb was not that great but still with a name like that it was worth doing:
Moving right along, mostly to get away from the group we had just helped because the conversation had been steered onto our religious beliefs and was getting a little too heavy for our liking. We picked off lines that had cool names or looked worthy, and then Rongy decided to try something a wee tad harder. Oblivious was a pretty stunning line and was fully of interest requiring varied techniques and good body work. We also did Atomic Punk next to it which was also enjoyable but the first line was by far the superior. I have previously climbed here and led the corner to the left of these two lines, called The Obituary going at grade 14. I did this with Warwick and Sinead, Warwick being the person who encouraged and inspired me to get my Alice Springs rock guide published. The reason I bring this climb up is that it also came with stars and warnings about fatalities, and you have to ask why a bomber corner with more gear than you can poke a stick at. Well watching someone second it gave us an idea as to why. Instead of climbing a corner they were trying to face climb one of the walls making it way harder to climb and probably also much harder to place gear – if they had been on lead:
We had certainly licked the right place to climb, the wind was fierce but blew right over us and we could also see the rain come down but we managed to stay dry. It was still however pretty cold and so we bailed in the mid-afternoon as we had a big day planned for the next day, and also had to get food ready for the gathering that was to descend on us that evening. A very short walk back to the car and then the rain hit us, so I sat in the car while Rongy wandered about in the rain hunting Pokémon!
The penultimate day, and what a day. The forecast was for 21 degrees and low winds – woo hoo. So where better a place to go than back to Pierces Pass and we knew exactly where we were heading – Hotel California. Due to the exceptional conditions we knew there was a chance of other parties being out so we decided we would get up before first light and head out early. Many will know that is not unusual for me but when you have all day to climb there isn’t such an urgency of getting out quite so early. Anyway this day we got to the carpark 30min after first light, and were too late. Not one but three parties were there before us and were all at the carpark. One was heading to Bunny Bucket and the other two both for Hotel California – damn! We pondered our choices for a while and thought of upping the ante by heading for Weaselburger (at 22, 23, 23, 21, 22, 20 – eek) but we hadn’t brought plates – double damn. So chatting to one of the guys already there he mentioned a new’ish climb next to Bunny Buckets that he claimed was equally good and went at 20, decision made:
We strolled in knowing that there were three parties ahead of us and also that there would be a log jam at the abseil point. They told us that they were not going to go down the dodgy rap but the safe one. Much to our surprise when we got there the ‘safe’ rap was the one that had a horrible scramble to get started and then went to a pillar and then down a gully. Go figure, so while six people battled on that we walked past and rapped down the clean lines we used previously. Not only did we get down before them but we had finished our first pitch before they walked past! Now we did consider when we got down the rap whether we should head to Hotel California and race up the first pitch, but we are both big on crag etiquette and also karma. So despite the option we decided to head for the new climb:
Pitch one was good, despite having some weird chain link bolts it was sustained and mostly on good rock. We had been told you could link the first two pitches, but when I looked up I thought better of it. Rope drag, the lack of remaining draws and the scary looking line made me decide against it. Rongy followed up and then kept moving up the next pitch, the lower grey wall was in stark contrast to the next glowing orange wall and both pitches were great. It was a relief as we were not sure what this climb would have in store for us:
Pitch two still and here I am just before the traverse that would have created horrible rope drag, notice the ring bolt. We were interested to come across chain, ring and fix hanger bolts on this route. Also the glue work was pretty messy and would in WA attract much commentary. I guess on such a big wall it wasn’t considered so important, as it certainly wasn’t representative of other areas we had sampled on our trip. However, we had read about how bolting in the Blue Mountains required a level of experience and knowledge more than other places due to the sand stone, so with some ring bolts with the depth marker still protruding from the rock we did wonder how much to trust some of them:
That little side track aside, the first three pitches were certainly really good, but from there on until we hit the upper buttress we were left wondering about the route with scrambles and meandering lines it lost its momentum and we were starting thing we should have thrown karma into the wind and jumped on Hotel California. Then came the headwall and Rongy had picked the short straw as I got this awesome traverse pitch and also the chunk of the headwall. All three pitches were good, but in same way we were also feeling like we were back on familiar territory as it was similar climbing and right next to Bunny Buckets:
You could tell that this was a more recent line than Bunny Buckets, as many of the ironstone holds showed signs of fresh breaks. Whether that was from people pulling them off while on the climb we were not sure but based on the amount of them it is also possible that while they developed the route they came along and knocked a head off. Whichever way it again detracted from the route and kept that niggling doubt in our mind about our earlier decision; ultimately making the route less enjoyable:
The last pitch, well two. Bunny Bucket had eight pitches (seven of them glorious) this route named Randy Rabbit Ridge had elven pitches making the route more broken with more scramble sections and a number of shorter sections. So Rongy linked the last two up soon regretting his decision as the rope drag got worse the higher he went, so much so that I had pity on him and tied into the midway point on the rope so he didn’t have to try and haul it up’. The last wall was pretty cool but as I topped out I could sense his disappointment, as this was our last chance for a big wall:
Now I mentioned we had a crowd come round the night before, so much so that we had a later night than usual and it is possible that our feelings were also because we were a bit tired. However, a good outcome from the social night was my chat with Adam. He was raving about and convincing me that we should jump on a climb, which I must admit I had spied already and really liked the look of. Rutger Hauer is not only the cover image of the guide but there is another full page image in the guide, and both pitch 2 and 3 looked amazing. So seeing how the morning had not lived up to our expectations, I suggested we wander over to have a look at it. Soon we found the spot and were abseiling down yet another two rope length rap:
We scrambled along the half way ledge of the walls of Pierces Pass. This line didn’t start from the bottom but half way up. So it was a mere 105m but boasting four good solid pitches and clean orange rock. I’d already done the maths so despite having had the last lead I sent Rongy up first and I could hear his excitement and feel his energy levels rising with each move. At the top of the pitch he whooped and hollered for joy – now that was batter! I was pretty tired and followed up with a degree of apprehension, the climbing was great and the rock solid but I knew what was coming up next:
Pitch 2 and the wall steepens up I set off and kept a steady pace and before I knew it the end was in sight. The wall had channelled me into a grove that got steeper the higher I went and despite taking rests when I could my arms were getting pumped. All that remained was the last steep section that also happened to be the crux sequence on smaller holds. It took me a while to compose myself and I needed to steady my breathing. Despite the safety of so many bolts I was still feeling on edge, a depth breathe and I went for it one move after another “gotta keep swimming” silently repeating in my head. The final hold and I made it – a huge sigh of relief, a lot of satisfaction swelling up inside me and a big smile coming up:
Pitch three – the glory pitch and also the cover the Blue Mountain guide. Rongy could sense my tiredness and offered to tag the second line up to haul the bag. He had done really well on the last pitch to get it clean with the bag. While there wasn’t much in it there was enough weight to make the moves on the steeper section that much harder. This pitch was more of the same of what I had done but on harder territory, and there was no way that Rongy was going to let it get the better of him. Once again the final grove steepened up to a glorious thin crux before a final more juggy section led to the end of the pitch. With the bag not on my back I set off more confident, and having just on-sighted my pitch I was keen to get this clean too:
Yeehar I loved it, that pitch was so cool that I emerged onto the ledge busting to get onto the final leg. The last pitch went down a few notches but was still on great rock in a superb position. This time when we topped out we were both very happy and grinning like Cheshire cats. Thanks to Adam for not only the suggestion but the encouraging words that we could bag this beauty. At the top we ate the last of the rations and had a drink before packing up for the walk out:
On the walk out we had to go past a very unusual rock formation that left us wondering how it had formed, it looked like a ripple and was unlike anything we had seen so here is an image of it. We both agreed that should we come back this way we would spend most of our time in Pierces Pass on these big walls, and should probably also push the boat out a bit more to test ourselves. As we approached the car park the two groups that had jumped on Hotel California had only just got back and were getting ready to leave. It was therefore quite possible that if we had jumped on it before them they wouldn’t have even seen us, but that said we can’t complain with our last big day out:
Back at the house there was time for a freshen up and a cuppa. We were also lucky to have a pair of King Parrots fly down, and Sirja suggested that I could hand feed them. So with barley in hand I offered it to them and they eagerly pecked away at the seeds. Then one of them pecked at my fingertips (which were pretty raw by now) mistaking the almost red tips for a seed – damn that hurt! I didn’t mind as it was great to finally see a bit of wildlife, I’ve said it before but we were surprised at how little we saw of birds, reptiles or flowers on this trip. That said the beauty of the landscape more than made up for it:
Back in the pub and the most deserved pub meal of the trip, I was pretty shattered and sore so much so that I couldn’t be bothered to join the queue to order food. Each time it looked like a clear counter another mob turned up, so after finishing our beers I decided I had no choice. I got their just in time as ours was the last order they took and when we picked up the meal from the counter they closed the hatch behind us. The second beer and meal went down a treat. A short walk back to the house and we crashed:
The last morning and once again it was blustery and wet, but there is no way that was going to stop us. We had already set our sights on returning to Mount Piddington to bag a couple of trad lines we saw on our first day out. One route each was all we were after as we would need to pack up and head to the airport later, and being the end of a long weekend we were advised the traffic might get bad. So we packed light no guidebook, food and only a bit of water:
We parked up and walked to the top of Mount Piddington, the highest point in the Blue Mountains. We could see belts of rain marching across the valley interspersed with sunshine. Then a rainbow came out stretching across the valley, a wet and windy day but an atmospheric day on which to end our trip:
We walked in a long way taking the cliff top path, the reason being we wanted to check out the sundeck camping cave. Rongy had known a climber when he spent time at Arapiles who mashed up huis legs in a motorbike accident. He had then spent 9 months living in and working from this cave, while recovering. That was some years back now and amazingly the cave is still stocked up and has mementos from his time here. He certainly looked after the place as things were neatly ordered and there was also a broom. It is not like it is a well-hidden secret as the cave is in the guidebook so we were amazed at how well it had been kept since he left:
The cave was a great place to veg out in as the next belt of rain hit us. This time we hadn’t picked the crag to avoid the wind, and were going to be hit full on. After a while we continued our walk in passing this waterfall. If you look closely you’ll see all the water droplets flying upwards from the waterfall, the wind was funnelling up the crevice bringing the water with it. As we took the cliff top walk we found a goat track that led to an abseil to the base saving us the need to walk the whole way down. Then it was down to business:
I was up first and stemmed and jammed my way up Amen Corner, a glorious 30m corner crack that gobbled up gear all the way up except for the off-width section at half height. The crack went from hands to off-width to finger, great stuff. With the wind on our back, no sun and cold rock our fingers were feeling it and by the time Rongy had followed me us we wasted no time celebrating the classy climb, instead rapping back down:
Then Rongy set off up The Janicepts that was the hardest climb in Oz, both in 1966 as an aid route and then in 1974 as a free climb. Both this and former lines were ones we had looked at on our first day out, but having just come off a red eye flight and already climbed five good routes we didn’t feel that we could do them justice. I was a tad unsure of this climb as it had a reputation for being a hard jamming route. He certainly worked hard on it and took his time, later claiming he was close to falling several times. When I seconded up the climb I was surprised to find that there were no sustained jamming sections, several parts required face climbing and the midsection jamming was quite reasonable. Then can the final headwall where the crack became thin and fingertip face climbing was required. My fingers were cold from belaying and raw making this section excruciating but I powered through and after a quick congratulations on a solid and stylish lead rapped back down:
Well we bagged the two climbs we wanted and had no desire to try and squeeze any more in. The wind was bitterly cold, more rain threatened and my fingers were shot. One tip had been getting worse over the last three days and the second climb on the big walls and today opened up a few others. They were screaming out to me that it was time to rest up and heal:
We were very chuffed with our two solid leads on full trad classic climbs, and now ready to say goodbye to the Blue Mountains. Sirja was out today enjoying a canyon, which we had been tempted to join in with but the timing would not have worked. So when we got back to the house we set about getting some lunch, packing up and washing the sheets so she could come home to a spick and span house:
On the walk out I spied these little caterpillars who seemed to be praying for sun. Most of my emails have a healthy splattering of other stuff so I couldn’t resist using this one. It also gives me the time to say a huge thank you Chris and Sirja for their amazing generosity and hospitality, Howsie for lending us his guide which I managed not to put blood prints on, everyone who joined in with our days out and evenings in, and also you for taking the time to enjoy reading about our trip:
So below is the end bit route tally, not bad in our minds. We didn’t hit every route we had on our wish list but that is no drama as it gives us reason to consider a return trip. Despite our best efforts to sample different places and styles there is certainly enough rock and variety here to warrant another trip. So maybe one day.
Fri 30 Sept
Bell
- Aquardhere 15m 17*
- Araldite 20m 20*
- Blow 20m 22**
- Duckling 12m 20
- Daffy 20m 22**
- Pluck-a-Duck 15m 24***
- Duck Tits 15m 21**
- Seamstress 22m 22***
Sat 1 Oct
Mount York
- Crackle 18m 16*
- Zipper 26m 18**
- Aunty Jack 25m 19***
- Currawongs and Chocolate Cake 20m 17*
- Viparette 25m 17**
- Oblivious 20m 21*
- Atomic Punk 20m 20**
- Sparrow 25m 18*
Sun 2 Oct
Pierces Pass
- Randy Rabbit Ridge 280m 20**
- Rutger Hauer 105m 23***
Mon 3 Oct
Mount Piddington
- Amen Corner 28m 18***
- The Janicepts 27m 21****
Sandbagged 