Josh has been absent for a while, and for good reason. As if moving house wasn’t enough of a drain on time, he also managed to mash up his big toe in the process. To the point the nail detached. Hence, the thought of popping his feet into squishy climbing shoes was the last thing on his mind. Today he decided it was time to risk it, or was it he needed some time outdoors. This found us retracing our tracks as we headed to Moses Rocks, which is where he and I last climbed. Howsie tagged along, assisting in leaving footprints in the untouched sand:
It’s that time that the summer tides replenish the beaches, and it was not just our tracks that were left in the recently deposited sand. Evidence of the night time activity could be found with crab tracks being the only sign that they were here. The tide was very low today and the swell was also relatively low, for the west coast. A coastline that is exposed to a massive fetch of the Indian Ocean. Being fronted by over seven thousand unobstructed kilometres of open water. We were quietly hopefully that the zawn may be in good condition:
Before we got there, Howsie went off track to the small outcrops at the northern end. Last time he and I were here, I once more pointed out a route of mine. The Plough, named in honour of the many great weekends I camped at the namesake pub in Hathersage in the mid-nineties. Hathersage being in the Peak District and home of the very bold climbing style called gritstone. A rock known for its well textured sandstone, often bold routes made all the more bolder by having friction-dependent moves and being a trad place:
No bolts are used on gritstone, even when the trad gear is spaced, limited, or sketchy. I feel this route possess some of these qualities, which may be why no one, to my knowledge, has led it. I of course have, twice. When I first put it up with Craig in 2009 and then again in 2017 with Glen, who thought I was a bit mad. The fact that the base is often waved washed may also put people off, something that was certainly not the case today. And that is why Howsie maybe stood there looking for long enough for me to assume today was the day:
Not having been on the lines in this part of Moses Rocks, I allowed Howsie to warm up by leading a couple of the adjacent routes. One which I now notice we never bothered to write up, something I should fix sometime. Josh was happy to follow on these two, and didn’t even wince when he squeezed his nail-less big toe into the climbing shoe. However, after watching how much work it took for Howsie to find holds of any worth, and then how much gumption was needed to commit to using them, he declined to follow The Plough:
It was great to see someone finally lead the route. I do however wonder if it was at the limits of Howsie’s acceptable psychological intensity and whether he will go back to it himself. He was definitely keen to drop the grades, so we headed to the Zawn. The swell only very occasionally made it into the narrow cleft, making it feel safe. Although the walls were a tad greasy, with seepages evident here and there, making the climbing a little nervous. As such Josh and I were happy to allow Howsie to continue to lead:
I was certainly not complaining with the opportunity to get some images from differing angles. Being able to hop round the rocks to places allowing differing perspectives, and at times from spots that in bigger ocean conditions would not be so wise. With this opportunity in mind I pointed Howsie to Frontpage. Another line he has not been on before, allowing him that great experience of climbing with no idea of what is in store. While a little greasy at the start, this one at least had big chunky holds and great gear to boot:
We stayed in the Zawn for a few more routes, including Dreamweaver below. Another one that Howsie has unbelievably not been on before. The start, before escaping the shade, was hideously wet and slippery. Making me think all the extra focus and tension he chewed up would mean he’d be toast and ready to pack up. Josh was, but Howsie was up for another. He again struggled to recall having climbed it previously. However, for this one unlike the other five he bagged today, I have dug through my images to prove otherwise:
Sandbagged 