Just after 5am a message popped on my phone. Rongy asked if I could make a second cuppa for the journey to the crag, as long as it was not too much bother. Not long after, Howsie had picked Rongy up and I got as second message to say he was also keen for a brew. It’s a good job Lisa and I make big pots of tea, using a coffee filter machine but popping tea leafs in rather than coffee grounds. As such it really is no bother, and when the two of them rolled into the carpark in Capel, at the designated 5:30 meeting time, three hot mugs of tea were awaiting:
Forewarning them of my need to be sensible, we picked a crag with nothing too serious on it. A scrappy place, that most would look at briefly and then move away from. As mentioned yesterday I am in the process of writing mini-guides for these lesser visited places. While I do this I am thinking about how each has its own flavour, so to speak. Considering they are all relatively close and most are formed of the same base rock formation, it is amazing how different they feel. This place, in my opinion, provides a mountaineering style of climbing:
It’s not that the place is huge, only stretching about 20m from top to bottom. But it does provide meandering lines, varied terrain and features, more questionable rock than any other crag, and at times runout sections. As such I would suggest it is an acquired taste, and while the grades are low it is not the place to send someone keen to learn trad. You will hardly be surprised to hear that I love it here, and have had many a memorable day out. Howsie and Rongy also enjoy shaking things up with differing styles, so were also happy to revisit it:
Rongy has only been here a few times, and on each occasion it has rained. Unlike yesterday the cloudy sky showed signs of breaking up, allowing the sun to come out. This time Rongy would hopefully be able to enjoy the place with dry rock. A good job too, as when it rains this is not the place to climb. The reduction in friction makes the routes way more nervous, and with the runouts it can really mess with your head. Taking turns in leading, we picked off lines of our choosing other than one route that both Howsie and I have previously led:
It is highly likely that, other than Howsie and my ascents, no one else has been brave or mad enough to climb it. Being runout, steep, and having a rock appearance that suggests loose holds may abound. All of this piqued Rongy’s interest, and as soon as he touched the rock it started to drizzle. Just a light sprinkle and not for long, meaning the rock remained dry enough not to worry him. Good job, as the one piece of gear on the lower wall got further away. He looked very focused as he entered the no fall zone, there was no backing off now:
We managed one more thoroughly enjoyable and more relaxed climb. On the walk out Red Jewel Bugs (Choerocoris paganus) were scattered across the path. They exhibit an unusual behaviour in the insect world of sub-social parenting, and the females protect their eggs and young nymphs from predators. It takes 6-9 weeks to reach adulthood after hatching, and the male and female die within 5-6 and 6-10 weeks of mating respectively. As such their entire adult life is fully committed to reproduction, maternal care, and death:
Sandbagged 