Taking the Backseat

I general don’t have an issue with early starts.  In summer it means we get more climbing in before the sun hits and I can also get home at a more reasonable time.  It does however mean that I play Russian roulette driving out of the little place we live past the tuart forest.  The large trees line the road and can conceal kangaroos, as they too take advantage of the cool time of the day to graze on whatever greenery they can find.  The easy solution being to drive to the conditions, but with the trees so close even driving slowly doesn’t always work:

On Sunday morning it went OK, and while I did see a few kangaroos I didn’t have to do any emergency braking to avoid them.  This was true for the whole trip that also took me through state forest.  I was heading south by the inland road, as opposed through the usual agricultural land I pass when I go via Margaret River and the smaller towns along that road.  The reason for the alternate route being that I was heading to the most southerly crag along the Naturaliste coast line.  As I approached and crossed the Blackwood River both the mist and sun were rising:

The last leg of the journey to Cosy Corner takes you along a short stretch of Caves Road, as it weaves its way through the majestic and towering Karri trees of Boranup forest.  In the early morning sunlight it is a stunning sight.  Despite my “keep going” attitude to climbing that is very evident once we are on rock, for me is not just about the rock but the whole experience and that includes the journey there and back again.  Today having taken a different route with new sights to see I stopped a few times on the way down to capture some of the sights:

When I put the word out on our local WhatsApp group Howsie told me his brother Mikey was over with the family and that the two of them had planned a morning climbing.  They had both climbed here when they were kids.  While Howsie and I have climbed here it was Mikey’s first time of coming back here to climb.  It’s a short walk along the cliff top to the main area, and in the morning light the ochre coloured granite glowed.  Underfoot the familiar feel of great friction that this rock offers started to build up the excitement of what was to come:

Mikey has not been on the floppy end or placed trad for a while now, and we used that as an excuse to start gently and warm up.  Bland is an easy stroll but a good one for getting used to the rock and style.  There is a need to continually knock the blocks and flakes to make sure they sound solid enough to trust, everyone’s trust level varies but is heightened when the rope is below you.  Climbing with three gave me the chance to wear my rap rope down a bit more and I spent considerable time hanging in my harness watching the climbing from various angles:

The tide was low and there was no swell to speak off, it was so low that we were able to belay from the base of the black dolerite band below the granite.  The water looked incredibly inviting and I kind of wished that I had brought my snorkel gear.  There are a few large bommies and I can image that they and the hidden caves below them would be teaming with life.  However, there was not the time for that , even if I had my snorkel gear.  And soon enough Mikey was topping out and setting up the belay to bring Howsie and then myself up:

The climbing along the main area is in sectors and while on a day like today you could scramble along the dolerite slab, we instead moved the rap line from place to place.  Mainly to allow me to make use of it, but also having a third person we could more efficiently move the rope and it didn’t slow down the proceedings.  For the next route there was no need to move the rope, and there is no way we could have missed this line out.  It was the scene of an epic (it gets more embellished with time) self-rescue by none other than Glen when he fell and broke his foot:

Bad Directions was put up by Steve, and after I followed up with Dan we pronounced it as a fun low grade route.  It was however noted as being a little serious due to a large flake that was perched, but not attached.  Having been up it a few more times now it is clear that Dan and I underestimated the grade, and for that all I can do is apologies.  Glen fell from where Howsie is in the image below, but it was his gear being way off to the side that resulted in the severity of his fall.  Howsie took his time and placed the cam Glen should have before the next move:

Mikey gave the perched flake a gentle tug and soon released it with a look of horror in his face.  It is pretty big, in fact its enormous when you consider the length of the route.  We discussed whether we should try and dislodge it, but based on it being referenced in the guide we decided not to.  After all there is a slab and crack to the left of the disconcerting feature that is equally fun to climb and of consistent difficulty to the rest of the route.  After that exciting introduction to Cosy Corner we moved onto another section:

Mikey was up next and having watched how he was coping with being back on the floppy end I steered him towards Crystal Cut.  The low tide and swell meant that he could get the most out of this route and start right at the very base.  This way you get forced to squeeze in behind the big flake as you try to place your gear deep in the crevice.  The climb is very appropriately named, before you get to the solid granite there is a band of chunky quartz crystals.  They can make you nervous as you wonder if they will come off or shatter if you load the gear:

Finally a thank god hold is reached, and from below it is a blind hold making it feel extra rewarding when you get it.  With it comes solid gear that you don’t need to wonder about.  From here you leave all the sharp quartz behind and quite possibly a bit of blood, which Mikey did cutting his knee as he squeezed his way up the line.  It is certainly not all over and there are more challenges ahead.  Having bumped the grade up a few notches you could see him starting to tire and sit on the holds a little longer trying to shake out:

You may notice that I missed out on having a lead.  This was on purpose these guys don’t get out as much as I do and I have led all these routes a few times, so I was more than happy to be the photographer and then enjoy a top rope belay with no gear to take out after they were done.  I was keen to try the steep wall that can be seen behind Mikey, there are no recorded routes on it but it looks like there may be a couple worth trying.  However, the blistering sun was beating down on it and we agreed it would have been foolish thing to do:

As I waited for Mikey to top out and then Howsie to follow I sat and watched the waves lap the base of the dolerite slab.  The waves came in sets and every so often they would lap higher up into a rock pool and then slowly drain back out through cracks.  The crabs were clustered in these cracks picking off algae and other nourishment.  The occasional higher wave fully immersed them and then washed over them as the water escaped.  They didn’t budge once as this happened.  It was pretty cool to watch, which they allowed me to without scuttling away:

It was time to move the rap line again.  Last time I came here with Howsie, we sat atop the crag looking at Pat-a-Cake and Petropunster.  A family of swallows had nested in the base of the crack of Pat-a-Cake, and we could see the mum, dad and a chick.  So we left them in peace and found a new wall putting up two new routes called Three Little Birds and Away from the Nest.  Today there was no sign of the swallows nesting so he was keen to try one of these lines, he was unsure which to go for leaving the decision right until the two lines go different ways:

He decided on Pat-a-Cake a route on which I have taken one of my favourite images, which is of Wiggins tentatively working his way up this feisty line with Alan belaying below.  It didn’t make it into the guide which I was a little sad about.  I’ve seen a number of people struggle on this route, the easier of the two Howsie had been eyeing up.  I imagine that he was probably happy with his choice, as it required some serious focus and concentration keeping you on your toes (check out the smeary foothold) until you top out of the crack on the slick rounded slab:

When we first arrived Howsie had been talking up Sink or Swim the very exposed traverse that follows the horizontal fault at the top of the cave shown the background of this image.  However, it was heating up and felt muggy, and so we plumped for two routes on the longest wall.  There are three routes on this section and all of them are primo, sustained with good gear and great positions.  Mikey was up and started up the classic Loose Lips, which starts easily and steadily steepens up becoming more technical with smaller and more spaced holds:

The backdrop for this section, the last before the cave, is spectacular.  The weed on top of the large flat bommies clear visible in the crystal clear water.  The steep wall with no routes was just starting to come into shade, but the rock would be hot and in the increasingly sticky weather would feel disgusting.  A wall to explore in the shoulder season when the ocean is still calm but it is warm enough to avoid the cracks seeping or worse running with water.  Meanwhile Mikey was making good progress, with bomber gear he was looking more confident:

I dashed up to the top to watch him enter the bottomless corner, that provides an exciting finale.  The headwall is undercut by a good half meter and you have to fully commit with lots of space below you, and the gear tucked under the roof.  He cranked down on the holds and got his right foot out on the wall, which gives a welcome edge.  Then the left foot finds a good hold and you can relax a bit more but still need to stay focused until you exit the corner.  As Mikey exited and I rapped down to join Howsie:

With no breeze the flies were a little on the friendly side, and hidden amongst them was the occasional mosquito.  Fortunately they were not as thick as the flies and I only spied a couple, this one not in time to avoiding it having a last super on my blood.  I’ve got a particular dislike for these creatures, which started after living in Ghana for two years is the late 1990s.  During my time there I contracted malaria twice, and then once more as I brought the virus back to England in my bloodstream.  Strangely before that time these critters never bothered me:

It was time to rap down one last time, Howsie was up and we had to even up the numbers.  Behind you can see the strangely shaped limestone islands, their base gets eroded by the continual lapping of the ocean resulting in mushroom type features.  A few months back some teenagers were spear fishing here and the vibrations of the distressed fish they speared attracted three bull sharks, which proceeded to circle them.  They sought refuge on these limestone islands and had to wait to be rescued.  Despite that tale I’m still keen to snorkel here:

For the last route of the morning I steered Howsie to Chickpoint, a narrowing crack line that ends with thin edges up a steep wall.  It requires a clam approach to get to the top of the crack, which is where Howsie is at in this image.  He somehow missed the best hold on this section, a nice in-cut pocket half way up the crack.  Instead he lay-backed the narrow edge making the route a grade if not two harder.  Eventually your path gets blocked by the roof, I’ve tried to go direct over the roof but have yet to manage it.  Instead the route traverses right:

As he tiptoed under the roof he put his foot on a seemingly solid limestone feature, a large printer sized block fell away and hit the ramp below.  The soft material exploded and showered Mikey in sand and whatever else was hidden in the strange material.  Howsie didn’t come off and made his way to the end of the roof where a positive layback corner awaited him.  The last few exposed moves saw him back in the sun ready to belay us two up the route.  We both made use of the in-cut pocket and managed to completely avoid touching the exploding holds:

It was time to pack up and head out, on top of the crag with no respite from the sun we didn’t feel the need to hang about.  We sorted the gear before shouldering the packs and making out way back to the car.  It was then time to go our separate ways, but hopefully with the festive period coming up and a bit of time off I’ll get Mikey out again before he has to head back east.  On the drive home the visibility was deteriorating, as smoke haze hung in the hot still air.  It’s pretty amazing how in these conditions we still manage a great morning of climbing: