Getting up at 3:30am to go to my closest crag reminded me of 2016. Howsie and I worked in the same building, different organisations but cohoused, and we hit upon the idea of having a before work climb once a week. After all, Welly Dam was a mere half hour drive from the office so we could easily pack in 6 to 8 climbs and get back for a 8-9am start at work, depending on the season. I can’t recall many weeks we didn’t manage a weekday climb and we were not put off by the elements, climbing in the rain, freezing temperatures and during winter by head torch:
The great thing about heading out early is you get to see the world wake up, and today we were rewarded with one of the best sunrises I can recall. All the way from Howsie’s house, until we rolled into the carpark, the sky spectacularly changed its hues. As we rolled past the reservoir it was still pretty special, but by the time we hit the rock the light show was over. From then on we were given a beautiful audible show, as the Red Tailed Black Cockatoos were ever present often flying directly overhead and perching in the trees round the quarry. It is rare for us not to see or hear them at least once on a trip here, but today they were present the whole time:
Armed with the trusty crate and a cuppa each we started on Pocket Knife, with Howsie getting the ball rolling. Our intention was to get a couple of warm up climbs in, before the main event. It felt like we hadn’t climbed here for ages and looking through the image library my last trip here was on the 29 August, again with Howsie. So bang on three months, which is a long time between visits for me to this place. My first lead today was BBQ and we both remarked that the routes felt tough. The memory of just how energy sapping climbing at Welly Dam was didn’t take long to come back to us; each hold and move seemed to stretch every muscle, ligament and tendon:
There were a few reasons for coming here today. Firstly, it’s an easy trip out and Howsie had a limited window of opportunity to get out; secondly, we love it the surrounds are beautiful and the climbing is quality; and thirdly, Howsie had one more grade 20 to tick off here. We attempted that route during our visit in August, but it was dripping wet and as the image below shows when it is wet here this is one of the lines that water will drain down from the top of the crag. Needless to say that today, with dry rock and remnants of the endurance built up during our recent south coast trip, Howsie cruised up it:
Mission accomplished, and we still had time to play. Howsie wasn’t expected back until 9am, so foolishly started to eye up Attack of the March Flies. The good news is that there were no March Flies today; the bad news being that I wasn’t up to the route. The midway crux had me beat and I was hanging on the rope. Further up the climb, having opted for the harder right-hand variant, I gingerly tried to clip the last bolt several times. Each time it seemed tantalisingly out of reach, and I was not able to commit to using a shockingly small smear for a foot on handholds sloping the wrong way. As such I found myself down climbing the tricky moves before finishing up the easier left-hand variant, close to pumping out and coming off… again:
Howsie managed a clean ascent up the right-hand variant, and after coming down started to look for a less steep and more balancy route for his last lead. The obvious choice being a Walk in Central Park, which no longer sports Steve’s spider web chains. This means it is one of the few routes here that you have to top out on. Earlier today Howsie had remarked how, during our trip down south, he had started to trust even the smallest footholds. This improved his footwork and it was needed on this route. Another line that seemingly offers plenty of holds, but in the mid-section they are sloping awkwardly and never feel overly positive:
We had another top morning at Welly Dam with me finishing the proceedings by leading the aptly named Rock Therapy. Steep jugging followed by a fingery and delicate finale. After the final rap we both agreed we need to get to Welly Dam more often, it’s a place to get strong. But before we can do that Howsie has unfinished, grade 20, business at several other crags in the South West. In theory he needs to send these outstanding routes before the end of 2020, a timeline that I thought was also being applied to the mural being painted on the dam wall. I wonder if either will completed in time, as the end of the year rapidly approaches us:
Sandbagged 