A morning beach walk with Lisa and poodles was in order today. Lisa takes the pooches to our beach most days before she heads off to school, which is quite some time after I have already left for work. And on days I am working from home my head is filled with work thoughts from the moment I get up, so the idea of joining them for ocean ritual just isn’t on my radar. However, today I wasn’t working and was still waiting on a message to let me know what time and where I would be catching up with the crew from Alice Springs:
Being their packing up day, as they would have to drive to Perth today, it took a little more organising before they were out the door. I was also hoping to catch up with Ash at the same time, but ailments got the better of him so he had to bail. These two things resulted in not meeting up at the carpark until a time that is generally unheard of for me. And also just six of us heading out at mid-morning for a beach walk to get to today’s crag, but on another beach. Having observed the pace and routes that had been picked off at Wilyabrup yesterday, I had suggested last night that Moses Rocks could be a good alternative:
A place that divides the local climbers I hang about with. Some loving it and other not so much. I was hoping the guys today would feel the love, and the indications from the get go were promising. This included noticing the texture and patterns of the rock and proximity to the ocean. And as we walked along the base, I provided a quick tour guide description of each wall and pointed out some of the routes. All the while allowing our audio senses to became accustomed to the ocean:
Unlike Wilyabrup, you feel like you are right in the ocean here. Today’s 4m swell and stiff southerly resulted in good sized waves that helping to add to the sensations. This didn’t put them off and it was soon down to business, and not surprisingly it was Pete who was first to jump on a lead. Drawn to the irresistible hand sized crack of the crag classic, which also provided the above picture perfect opportunity. One that can be seen replicated on the cover of the min-guide for this crag, inside the South West Rock Climbing guide, and also in the recent article I wrote for Vertical Life, Australia’s climbing magazine:
Ryan was also keen to have a lead, and I offered to belay. Unbeknown to him was my approach to belaying, and not actually putting him on belay until his first piece of gear was in. This practise, which is frowned upon by some, didn’t faze him and neither did anyone else seem to even notice what was happening. The climb also introduced him to the rounded and flared nature of the holds here, which is what puts some other climbers off this place. Again this didn’t worry him as he worked his way up, as besides us a few lines were being top-roped by the others after Pete had run up them first of course:
Moses in my opinion is a great place to bring beginners, having short easy to moderate grade routes and if chosen wisely with ample gear opportunities. And as we first wandered along they spied the natural and appealing line of Mini Thor, a route I have sent a few people up for their first trad lead. So partway through the proceedings Hannah and Pete wandered back that way, to allow Hannah to have a bash at trad on lead. Enjoying it so much that she bagged two more leads during the day. She wasn’t alone and Laura, who admitted to being a little rusty and then Ads also had a lead or two:
Watching all the leading going on and seeing how comfortable everyone was at Moses, I like to think I had picked the right location for today. And once again this place has proven to be worthy of the title I have adorned it, being “the friendly crag”. During a period of not much activity, as people were watching, coaching, and/or just encouraging someone on the rock, Laura was keen for a different route to have another trad lead. We wandered across to Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, being rarely climbed routes I was keen to see how she’d go. Picking Tweedle Dumb, she gave it a red hot go and even took a lead fall:
Eventually she resided to choosing the escape route to the right called Dee Dumb. Now this may seem like a lot of detail about one of the many routes climbed today, but there is a reason. When Craig and I first established these climbs, he was too chicken to finish Tweedle Dumb and rather than go for it, as Laura had today, he instead piked out and established Dee Dumb. So I have to say I was impressed with Laura, despite being rusty, giving it several serious attempts before following the easier line. Back at the main area the enthusiasm for climbing seemed to be waning, and there was talk of the need for coffee:
These guys however come prepared and that didn’t mean finding a café, they came prepared with a stove and all the provisions for what looked like a gourmet lunch. I stuck about until the break time was over, which allowed for a bit more chatting and finding out even more uncanny similarities, such as were we have climbed and people that we knew. Having felt like I had climbed enough over the last two days, and as the provisions were being packed away and there was talk of a climb or two still to be bagged, I did as I am so often guilty of in social situations snuck off. But not before saying farewell, as I left them to enjoy a bit more time at “the friendly crag”:
Sandbagged 