Dan – the occasional

If you are keen click on this link to find out what Dan said about me.  While not essential reading to find out about Dan, there may be some cross referencing in my words about him.

I recall Dan coming down to the PCYC with his dad, they would both climb and got along really well.  I got the sense that family was a strong part of his life, he climbed strong and with confidence at the indoor wall.  Often bagging the routes we had set at the gym, as the test pieces.  Only part of that ability can be attributed to his stature, which includes a significant reach advantage.  Watching him climb you could tell that he had good body coordination and strength, not just to yard up something but to hold on in a single position when it was required:

I’m therefore a little surprised to hear that he was “very new to trad” when we first got out climbing.  While he may have had a fair bit of previous indoor and/or sports climbing under his belt, what surprises me is that from the start he was able to place good gear with relative ease and no fuss.  One of the differences between a sport and trad climber, in my opinion, is the awareness of the location.  Sport climbers are more focused on the climbing; trad climbers simply love being there.  It was clear that Dan loved being outdoors, he really appreciated the surroundings, atmosphere and quite simply the whole adventure:

That is not to say that he is a slouch when we do get out together, far from it.  Most of our climbing has been a quick day trips, but there were a couple of occasions when we went for a few days.  One such trip was to Cosy Corner.  While we met others down there on our second day, we kinda left them to have fun.  Despite having hit the hard routes on Wave Wall on our first day, we smashed out route after route on the sea cliffs.  Both of us being egged on by each other’s enthusiasm to get as much time on rock in, as our bodies would physical allow.  It was on that day we did the second ascent of Steve’s newly established route, which gets a mention in my write up about both Steve and Glen:

The other trip that has to get a mention was when we went south and climbed at Mount Trio and Peak Head.  As Dan alluded to we attempted to climb Bluff Knoll but my optimism on that day wasn’t enough to dispel the rain and wind.  On the last day we went to Peak Head and my energy levels were very low. When Dan offered me an attempt on Baylac Direct, as he was getting shut down, I simply couldn’t muster any interest.  He was very accepting of this, but I know that it was my own undoing of not having kept myself hydrated.  While Dan is eager to climb and loves the adventure he is also understanding and not pushy when things don’t quite work out:

While he has moved over east his connection to family brings him back at least once a year.  I don’t think there has been a trip when we haven’t managed a quick catch up, outdoors of course.  During his more recent trips back I have got to know Jo, his partner who also climbs with confidence and love the outdoors, a perfect match.  Dan still climbs strong and confidently, and has tales of climbing adventures, some of which are mixed his other passion of sailing.  Visiting remote islands with sheer granite cliffs, where with no prior knowledge you have to simply pick a line that takes your fancy.  Hopefully one day I can join them on one of those adventures: