Continuing my theory that fresh air is currently even better for me than usual, and because it is a public holiday I headed and out again. Or was it more because regardless of how I feel, and as long as I am able too, I will always prefer being outdoors rather than indoors. Truth be told, the reason I haven’t been hit anywhere near as hard as Lisa and Elseya have, is almost certainly due to having had the most recent vaccination of the three of us. A precaution I took just a bit before I headed back to the homelands, and I am so grateful that I did:
I fancied a first light walk in, and arrived right on cue. The early start was also because the swell was still up at six meters, despite the cold fronts having moved east. This was forecast to reduce as the morning wore on. While the main beach was a awash it still had plenty of sand. However, after rock hoping along the boulders to reach the second small beach, this looked like it was deep into winter. The sand was gone and the area was covered in creamy colour foam. With each set the foam oozed it’s way this way and that, looking very uninviting:
A light drizzle started to fall as I reached the crags. Ensuring every bit of rock glistened when the morning light hit it. This of course did not worry me. Unlike Howsie and my visit to Welly Dam, the friction at Moses Rocks remains good in wet conditions including when water is running down it. Also I wasn’t in a rush to get on the rock, spending a good three quarters of an hour watching the waves. It was hard to draw myself away from hypnotic movements. Set after set roll in, barrelling, roaring, crashing, and spraying all over the place. The water streaming down this face showing how high the wave went:
Eventually I started to rig up the anchors for the top rope. Even then going slower than normal, as I kept an eye out for when the bigger sets were coming in. Once set up I knew I could knock the climbs off reasonably quickly. They are close enough to avoid the need to keep moving the placements too often. In fact I managed ten lines with three setups. And for each setup, when I shifted the rope a few meter across to the next route, all it took was a simple adjustment of the rope work. Making sure the placements were all under even load:
Howsie, told me that he had been reading a book about setting up anchors for belays, and it said there is no perfect set up. Stating it is always possible to find a different way. What is important is understanding whether it is fit for purpose, and as safe as possible. I was completely confident with the anchors I had used, placed deep in the cracks that spilt the top of the crag, unlike this example. While I was out by myself I looked at a line, which I thought might yield an independent climb. The question being whether it could be safely protected:
As with belay setups, when climbing it may not be possible to find placements that are inspiring. It comes down to your confidence in your own ability, a knowledge of the mechanics of how gear works, understanding how the gear gets loaded during a fall, how far you have to run it out to the next piece, and most importantly assessing the consequence of getting it wrong. The next size down of camming device might sit better in the above placement, but that was being used in the anchors at the top so I couldn’t check that:
Guess I’ll have to check if the next size down is the better option on the next trip, when I attempt to lead it. Others may not come to the same conclusion, but weighing up all the considerations I’m pretty comfortable that the line can be adequately protected. Rapping down for the last lap on the last route on Hands-up Wall, I stopped for a moment to watch the waves. Yet another reasonable set thundered towards the narrowing zawn. It was hard to see if the swell had dropped, but my shadow was clear as day in the white water:
There were two more lines to hit on a separate wall. The first beat me at the crux move on both laps, my arms were getting weary. Not so much as to stop me from getting two clean laps on the second. A route I have done easily fifty times before, yet today I discovered a direct way to climb it. Quite possibly the original way it was intended to be climbed. Something else to aim for on my next trip here. Hopefully when I jump on those two leads next time, I will fare better than this Reticulated Sea Hare (Aplysia dactylomela) did today:
Sandbagged 