Recovering from his first taste of COVID Howsie was keen to get out, but seeing it had taken it out of him he was also to take things easy. So we agreed to hit a few familiar lines so he could ease his body back into exercise, without fear of pushing it too far and becoming exhausted. This also meant a slightly more, in the eyes of most, reasonable start time to avoid the need to get up in darkness and compete for space on the roads with the kangaroos. And despite this, we still had the place to ourselves on arrival:
Howsie was up for taking the first lead, and being focused on the easier routes he was eyeing up a couple of lines that I had raced up with Rongy last weekend during our 300m sprint. Therefore, I was more than happy for him to lead both of these routes, but did encourage him to begin the day on Glory. My reason being that I wanted to check out if the young Carpet Python I spotted last weekend, which Rongy in his haste had missed, was still there. I did not mention it in my post of that trip due to Sarah’s more impressive finds:
Today I am pleased to say, with a more relaxed pace, both of us were lucky. And while you may have been expecting another image of a Carpet Python, and indeed I did take an image, it was almost in the same position as last weekend and when we saw it in late September: https://sandbagged.blog/2022/09/22/d-mob/. Instead I have included an image of a Horse Fly (Tabanidae) that was having a lazy moment on my first lead of the day. Well it was, until I came along and disturbed it. The same could be said for Howsie, and the relaxed pace he had started the morning off with took a sharp turn in the wrong direction:
I have no real reason, but today I felt like jumping on the routes that do not get much attention. I have only climbed this route once before, and have only ever seen it being climbed by others once. Despite the innocent grade of 19, and also despite multiple efforts I simply could not unlock the crux sequence of Battling the Bulge. Today at least the bugle was victorious, making me wonder how long it will be before I am again foolish enough to try this route. Howsie too battled hard but was unsuccessful and like me was left perplexed as to what to do, and we both came back down with tired forearms:
This was due to the spaced and slopey holds, only wide enough for the pads on the distal phalanges, or in layperson’s terms finger tips. But also the fact that our feet were both below and underneath the bulge, resulting in much of our body weight being transferred to our forearms. That, with each failed attempt, became more and more weary. Howsie taking the next lead decided to ease the pace and while he racked up, we saw the first signs of other people quite literally dropping in. Just like last weekend it looked like another group was about to descended on Wilyabrup:
Howsie enjoyed the pleasant line of Hope, and it seemed just in time. Topping out he was greeted by a couple of guys setting up two top ropes, one for Hope and one for Glory. At least this time they were checking for climbers below and not just throwing ropes over the edge without a care. We found that the group comprised people from the Mandurah Climbing Gym. It was not as big a group as the school group last weekend, but they were setting up just as many ropes. We were keen to keep away from where the ropes were being dropped down, and we pondered our choices:
And after a bit of procrastination we, or should I say I, set my sights on a route that I have never climbed. I’ve looked at many times, but have to date not been brave enough to lead so each time have walked past it. Howsie had played on it before in 2020 with a top rope due to the lack of gear, and Nadia has made him promise that he would never lead it. But there was no mention of not belaying someone else on it, or seconding it so he was more than keen and almost encouraging for me to have a crack at it. And all I can say is oomph, it was brilliant but also very goey and poorly protected:
It was great to climb it in the, no doubt, intended style that the name English Ethics suggests, ground up with no inspections. There was a moment where I felt like I was going to fall and even shouted it out to Howsie, but somehow managed to keep moving. Getting higher and higher above the last piece of protection, with arms getting more and more tired. Needless to say I was a wee bit happy at managing to on-sight this gnarly grade 20. While it could be said I had made Howsie work hard again, he was partly to blame this time. So once again he dialled things back for his last lead:
That said Hitching has got one spicy moment, at the grade, that is a little run out. So hopefully Nadia won’t read this. Howsie did however stick true to his intention, with three fun and gentle paced grade 14 routes. While I had pushed the boat out a little, I had also done what I was keen to do. Which was to jump on a few of the routes that do not get many ascents that may be because they present a greater mental challenge. And while my last lead was merely a grade 18, it was once again a climb that is relatively poorly protected, which might explain why it is called Blubber Boy. Something Howsie and I didn’t do, because Boys Don’t Cry:
Sandbagged 