A nasty pasty

The water hasn’t been playing nice at our local beach this week, resulting in me not going in for a morning snorkel on Saturday.  Instead suggesting to Lisa after she returned from her plunge, which is not reliant on needing clear waters, that we could have a trip into town.  There were a few bits that we still had to get for the festivities next week.  This all seemed like a fine idea.  breakfast on the foreshore with a game was indeed very lovely.  Then I had to brace myself for the shops and that, even more so at this time of the year, was not so great:

So much so that by the time we got home, and after we had unpacked everything I risked the local waters to declutter my head.  Needless to say while the temperature was lush, and did the job intended, the visibility was rubbish.  I was however lucky enough to stumble across my first ray of the season.  What with the murkiness and dusting of sand across its body, I’m not game to try and identify this one.  The next morning I was back out looking at sand, liking the ripples.  This time above the water line, as Adrian and I walked into Moses Rocks:

He came down for a few days and aimed to squeeze a couple of mornings climbing in.  After having recently been spoilt when he climbed on the big walls over in Tasmania, he suggested Wilyabrup instead of Moses.  Maybe because it offers the longest routes along the south west coast, and higher grades.  I was personally glad to have veered his interest to this smaller crag, which he had not been to before.  He noted the shortness of the crags as we walked past the different sections, but soon understood the appeal of the place:

The big attraction being so close the ocean, which provides a great atmosphere.  Today the swell was doing a good job of putting on a show for us.  So much that any idea of heading into the Zawn was quickly put to bed.  Instead we played on the centrepiece of Moses Rocks, Hands Up Wall with its longer lines.  While short in nature this place makes up for that, in my opinion, in style.  The fine textured gneiss has striking bands of feldspar and quartz alternating with darker bands made of other types of mineral layers:

These were formed under very high temperatures and pressures, resulting in a smooth and rounded rock formation.  Friction is key, and this means good technique is essential.  Hence, this place requires a technical and focused style of climbing.  This in itself can make even a short route feel long.  Adrian’s focus was, like mine not all about climbing, and he found the rock fascinating.  Spotting the garnet crystals peppered throughout to the rock.  Suggesting it may have been something called augen gneiss, where augen means eyes in German:

After a quick bit of research we found that this was not the case.  This was a shame as I liked the idea of the pockets of garnets being eyes… watching always watching.  Three climbs in, for which we alternated leads, it was my turn to always watch.  Adrian used the first few lines to get accustomed to the place.  And when looking to be really enjoying the rock and climbing it offered, I gave him the chance to lead everything after that.  After all I’ve led them all countless times.  Plus I was a little weary after Howsie and my big session on Friday:

At times he pondered the gear placements, another trademark of Moses Rocks.  Hinting he would have been somewhat nervous if he had led the second route I took on, despite it only being a grade 15.  But as he took on lead after lead, he even started to get used to placing and trusting placements in, at times, less that desirable looking flared cracks.  Any notion that Moses Rock may not be worth the time was long gone, and he gobbled up line after line.  With only brief stops between tying into the rope for a snack to keep the energy levels up:

We had started at the right end of the crag and worked our way leftwards.  The grades started to creep up as we moved round, but it was interesting that he found some of the trad lines a stiffer opposition than the bolted sections of the harder lines.  That wasn’t however the case on the crag classic, a very fine jamming crack.  Very different to the other lines, in that it has a nice deep crack you can wedge your hand and feet in.  A climbing style that Adrian confessed to really enjoying:

We were however soon back on the less secure feeling slopers, but he kept ticking off the lines.  These were made a little less comfortable as it was warming up.  The heat also triggered hordes of Red Bandit Cicada (Pyropsalta melete) to take to the wing.  Their name Pyropsalta coming from Latin words ‘pyro‘ and ‘psalta‘ meaning fire and psalm.  This refers to fiery band on their abdomen, and the song they sing that was also filling the air.  Competing with the sound of the waves.  Our minds blocked out both noises at the trickier parts of the routes:

The last route of the morning was the one Adrian found the trickiest.  While it wasn’t the highest graded route of the morning, this one was trad and had a flared crack.  Working his way up he placed three solid pieces.  Above he could only reach a placement he wasn’t happy with.  But before he could adjust it, he slipped.  The last piece came out of the crack with him, releasing additional rope.  Coming down his leg caught behind the rope.  Leaving him with mark on the back of his leg, one that matched the fiery band of the Red Bandit Cicadas:

I’m happy to report that while we wrapped things up after finishing off the route, the fall didn’t mar the morning enough for Adrian not to want to come back to see what else Moses Rocks has on offer.  For today however we were both very happy with the routes we had bagged:
· Many Hands (14)**
· Gothic Streak (15)*
· Hands Up (15)*
· Johnny Fartpants (18)*
· Fat Slags (19)**
· Wheely Things (15)**
· Victor and His Boa Constrictor (17)*
· Twist Till You Lock (21)**
· Cornish Nasty (18)**