I was hoping to capture todays sunrise. And being aware that I might miss that special moment of the day due to being on the road, I took this snap while parked outside Howsie’s house. The morning hues were on display, but it didn’t really show the full glory of the sun peaking over the horizon. What with all the first light and sunrise images I have previously used, you may be left wondering where I am going with this. In short I wanted to take the image for Tomski. Longer term readers may remember him from a few years back:
His last trip out with us was two and half years back, at the place Howsie and I were heading today. And soon after that he returned to his homeland of Israel, and I’m sure I don’t need to explain what is happening there. I recently confessed to him it felt somehow weird writing about all my outdoor adventures, while life over there was in such turmoil. His response was however not to stop, and to keep getting out and typing away. He also said that to help stay positive he was taking an image of the sunrise each morning:
We arrived at the dam just in time for me to take the above image for Tomski. And I will now get back to today’s short and sharp session at the formidable quarry. I needed to get back to work at a reasonable hour, so we were pressed for time but also keen to pack some lines in. I had pulled together a list of ten routes from grade 18 to 20. While maybe a bit optimistic it did mean we didn’t stand looking at the wall wasting precious time trying to work out which lines to jump on. There was a game plan, and on arrival Howsie was keen to get the ball rolling:
To hit all ten lines we would have to climb at a rate of a route every twenty minutes. Something we had managed on the more sedate routes at Wungong Slab last weekend to beat the heat. Things certainly started well, although on the second route we forgot to pull out the longer rope. Only remembering the errors of our way as Howsie lowered me down after the lead. Route three and four also got knocked off quickly, the conditions today were great. The low humidity meant the friction was superb, and so far our stamina was holding out:
Route five came along and tell-tale signs crept in. If you look closely Howsie’s left elbow is sticking out. Ideally when you crimp down on small holds, of which the quarry offers many, it is best to keep your elbows close to the rock. This enables you to apply pressure to where your fingertips make contact with the rock in the most efficient way. As the elbow creeps out, the angle results in the need to apply more pressure and you waste more energy. Simple really, but as weariness takes hold the brain struggles to remember and then get the body to apply even these little techniques. As a result the route rate slowed down:
After climb five and six, both of which Howsie will confess to having dogged up, I thought we would be done. But, like me, he was enjoying being out too much. To ensure he had a chance to get up with a clean lead, we deviated away from the list allowing him to jump on a lower grade route. And for my last lead, he picked what he thought would be the least punishing climb that remained on the list. This seemed to work, and surprisingly we got very close to our target of one route per twenty minutes. Next we just need to work on someone’s stamina to allow us to stay and climb that bit longer:
Sandbagged 