Having come home from the big trip to catch up with Kym a day early, I managed to get through the list of things on my mind to do yesterday. They would have taken up much of today and that left me in a bit of a bind, as today is the one day of the year that I will not work. With the weekend looking hit and miss, although I’m sure I’ll managed to get out to do something somewhere, I thought I would make the most of today’s good conditions and hit a bit of rock. Nothing too serious but keen to get a bit of mileage in, seeing I was flying solo:
Rolling into the carpark several buses and a bunch of other vehicles took up most of the space. Two reasonably sized school groups were preparing to head down to the cliffs. Fortunately for me I had already set my sights on Driftwood Bay. Nice 20m lines and I could hit the eight routes that I had on my radar with two easy setups. The crag is out of sight from the main cliffs so I would not have to contend with the crowds or noise. While there was not too much mucking about required with the ropes I took a slower pace than I sometimes do:
Taking a breather here and there to enjoy the setting. And I also had a couple of snack breaks, which those who climb with me will be shocked to hear. I’ve often been told I should both eat and drink more when I head out. Being advised it helps keep the energy levels up, allows recovery time, and avoids a bunch of negative side effects of not being hydrated enough. With so many pluses it’s a wonder why I wouldn’t have been doing it all the time. Oh well better late than never, as they say. I also stopped to check out a few critters I found:
The above one I felt was worthy of inclusion. I first plumped for a wingless female Velvet Ant (Mutillidae) but on closer inspection it may more likely be a female Flower Wasp (Thynnidae), which is also wingless. Both have way too many species, so I stopped at the family and that alone chewed up enough time. Bob will be happy to hear I racked up a tad over 1,000ft of ascent. Better still on routes that have that more adventurous feel to them, rather than just cragging. So it was a good day on rock, and when done more food and water was consumed:
On the way home I stopped at a couple of spots to check out what might be out. Lots of species, nearly all repeat finds. I did however finally get to find a few Sun Orchids that were opening up. Certainly not because it was hot or sunny. The sun came and went as the clouds were being blown across the sky by a reasonable wind, keeping the temperatures very comfortable. So much so I climbed with my buffalo on the whole time and didn’t feel hot at all. So I’ve no idea why they have finally decided to open up, but I am glad they are:
I found several Scented Sun Orchids (Thelymitra macrophylla) on display including the purple, mauve, and as above blue variety. And below I came across just one Slender Sun Orchid (Thelymitra vulgaris), having smaller flowers on plants that are not as tall. This species is said to have varying forms, one of which grows no more than 150mm and only has one or two flowers. The description fits the bill of the one I found perfectly, even if the stalk is a little bent and buckled. A good find to wind up my time in nature:
