True to its name

Being the spring school holiday, which coincides with Lisa’s birthday, we would normally head away somewhere.  The plan had been to take the camper trailer down to the Stirling Ranges, but several things resulted in that not happening.  The first being the uncertainty of the outcome from Nicka having to get her sebaceous adenomas checked out, which only resulting in the need for antibiotics and fortunately not surgery.  Another reason being the need to allow the trial run of Elseya taking on cat:

Working one day a week in the Bunbury pound was always going to be dangerous for Elseya, and indeed she soon came across an adorable, her and Lisa’s words, cat.  The big issue being my allergies, and of course how the poodles would react.  So we all had to be home for the weekend, to see how it may go.  The result being no cat, but Elseya is glad she at least gave it a go.  So with all that behind us, I suggested we could still cram in a couple of nights away, based on a recommendation from work Josh:

This year Lisa is keen to enjoy her birthday at home, so we only had a couple of nights to play with.  Due to the distance heading to the Stirling Ranges with the camper trailer wasn’t viable, plus the weather was due to come in Tuesday night.  So we went for the Bird Hide, which provides basic accommodation that may not be everyone’s cup of tea.  But it has the essentials, is neat as a pin and has an amazing outlook.  Being fairly isolated and purposely built to overlook the Blackwood River, resulting in a very relaxing place:

It is not too far out of Nannup, so just over an hour’s drive.  But it might as well have been a world away.  There is only very scant mobile reception and no technology provided in the accommodation.  So it really is a break from the rat race of life, that is all too often made all the more stressful by technology.  The views across the water and into the trees is idyllic, and on the first morning birds were everywhere.  While Lisa enjoyed a good book all warm and cosy in bed, I went for a couple of walks and watched the birds:

The two birds I have included are a Golden Whistler (Pachycephala pectoralis) & White-Browed Scrubwren (Sericornis frontalis), but there were many more I spotted.  The bird song was lovely, made all the more relaxing with the soothing babbling sound of the water flowing over a riffle in the river.  Being close to Nannup I was also able to easily get to the wildflower walks we have recently visited.  Being by myself I took a few new tracks and kicked myself when I came across the above Red-beak orchid (Lyperanthus nigricans):

These orchids will burst into flower after fire, but the occasional one may be found flowering even when a fire has not been through.  They have large fleshy leaves, and these can be seen scattered in large colonies.  Most times lying dormant, but this one plant had decided to flower and I had missed it being in all its splendour, by probably a week or two.  Mid-September next year I’ll have to take this track to check the colony I found.  It was a lovely walk and by the time I got back it was time for a second cuppa:

On these trips we tend to take a few games with us and in the evening and mornings we pulled them out.  Spending our time the old fashion way.  The decking was enclosed on two sides with glass, kept spotless so you had a great view whilst being protected from any rain or wind.  This helped make the decking a great place to hang out in any conditions.  On the first morning we ate breakfast, played scrabble, enjoyed the warmth of the sun, and were serenaded by the above Scarlet Robin (Petroica boodang):

I would guess that the male we saw viewed this as his territory, and he was out there singing his heart out most times.  His way of both advertising and defending his territory.  I even got  a great up-close and personal view of birds doing acrobatics in the air, as they caught insects on the wing.  I’ve seen several robins found in this part of Australia numerous times, and I have to say it was seeing the Golden Whistler that I was really pleased about.  Even more so when I managed to get a good image of this more skittish and less bold bird:

After a very slow, chilled, and enjoyable morning, we eventually decided to head out.  You may have guessed that seeing work Josh had mentioned this place, there was another part to his tale of this place.  The Scott River National Park less than an hour’s drive away, and that is where we were heading too.  Neither of us had been there, and I don’t think there are any walk trails to have previously drawn us that way.  We drove through the one and only road that dissects the park and on both sides it was a swamp:

There were some higher areas, which is where we focus our attention as this place is known for its wildflowers, as well as water birds.  Several images back you can see the sedge covered land that we started on, after which we drifted to the low sandy dunes.  I was also kind of hoping to find a reptile or two, as I stepped carefully through the landscape.  As shown by the two images above we spotted a Stumpy Spider Orchid (Caladenia ensata) and Scott River Spider Orchid (Caladenia thinicola), new finds for me:

There were heaps of the “standard” orchids and everywhere we looked Purple Enamels were popping out of the ground.  Being one of Lisa’s favourite orchids as it is so colourful and cheerful.  At one point she got all excited thinking she found a duck or bird orchid of some sort, and if you check out the above image you can understand why she thought this.  However, the hammer had simply being blown or knocked up.  And when put in the normal lower position she had actually found a Narrow-lipped Hammer Orchid (Drakaea thynniphila):

You will just have to try and imagine the orchid with the hammer in the downward position, as the finds kept coming so I can’t include a second image.  Above is a Pale-China Orchid (Cyanicula gertrudiae), and as is often the case once we spotted one we seemed to find more and more.  Both the above two again being new finds.  We also spotted some very beautiful Donkey Orchids, most likely the Dunsborough Donkey Orchid (Diuris jonesii) and in the morning back at Nannup I also spotted the Purple Pansy Donkey Orchid (Diuris longifolia):

The above spider is a mystery, and I collared the assistance of Noel and even he is stumped with this one.  It is possible that it is a hybrid or maybe a partial pale form, as most of the flower is yellow green.  It is however different to the other two spiders we found in this location.  Before we left this spot I was pleased to see one Bobtail Lizard, allowing me to watch it for some time, before it slowly slunk away into the bush.  There were sadly no snakes to be seen, although Lisa was probably quite pleased with that:

On the higher sandy rises the vegetation changed with several species of trees, no taller than 5m, and an understorey of Sword Grass (Lepidosperma effusum).  I thought I might find a few different species of orchids within this complex, but was mistaken.  Lisa was happy not to follow me into these spots, maybe due to having less visibility of what might be lurking under the scrub.  I did however spot several Forest Mantis Orchids (Caladenia attingens), to add to what was a growing tally for the day:

As I got back to the car I spotted the familiar shape of a Leek Orchid on the side of the road, and I found two plants in separate locations.  This one, like the unknown spider, is a bit of a puzzle.  The individual flower heads look on appearance to be the Little Laughing Leek Orchid (Prasophyllum gracile), but that is not found here plus the whole plant structure is too chunky.  Noel is also a little confused with this one, and has suggested it may be a stocky form of the Limestone Leek Orchid (Prasophyllum calcicola):

It was quite amazing how time passed us by.  Like being back at the Bird Hide, strolling round the bush spotting orchids was very relaxing and we were both enjoying the time.  We had however not come very prepared, only bring snacks and Lisa was starting to get hungry.  So it was time to hit the road, this time driving along the backroads.  At one spot we simply had to stop, to observe the masses of Pink Fairy Orchids(Caladenia latifolia).  We looked about and found many other species of orchids in the bush here:

It was however the above Pink Fairy I was most taken by.  It had two flowers and both had the same colour graduation.  Like identical twins, the pinks and whites were distributed to precision on both flowers, across the petals and the intricate middle components of the flower.  As we drove on, and with a little intel from Josh, I kept an eye out for one more find before I would have to focus on the need for food.  I thought I was keeping an eye out for a sun orchid, but was pleased to find that this was not the case:

If you look above you can see a cluster of white looking flowers on the bank to the right, with a very convenient spot to pull into just past this spot.  This is where we found eleven flowering Cherry Spider Orchids (Caladenia gardneri), which were extremely colourful and pretty.  This time when we got into the car we did not stop until we got back, although I nearly did as we spotted a Tiger Snake slithering across the road.  It shot away and by the time I had turned round it was nowhere to be seen, and I could feel Lisa relax a bit when that happened:

Back at the Bird Hide we got the snacks out, as the hunger needed to be tended as a matter of urgency so there was no time to cook.  The snacks went down a treat, as we played another game and looked out over the river checking for birds.  And when the snacks were all gone and the game was done, we cooked dinner and pulled out yet another game this time watching the light disappear.  It had been a wonderful day, and as the darkness came we continued to get our fix of board games with one that came with the Bird Hide:

Overnight, and as forecast, the heavens opened.  The drops fell heavily on the tin roof and the hut became a bit of an echo chamber.  Reminding us of our previous house in Capel, which was also plagued with the same issue when it rained.  Fortunately, the morning was dry enough for me to get one final walk in, as Lisa again enjoyed reading her book possibly at times through her eyelids.  This time I didn’t find anything new, but enjoyed being out in the forest nonetheless.  Timing things well and getting back before the rain fell, and in time to make Lisa another cuppa:

We decided on breakfast out this time allowing for a slower paced morning, not that we had heaps to pack up.  It did however allow a few more cups of tea and a bit more bird spotting, although it seemed the rain was keeping them at bay more so that the day before.  The Scarlet Robin sat on the branch right in front of the veranda, looking me in the eye and brazenly singing away.  But this morning it was this White-breasted Robin (Eopsaltria georgiana) that caught my attention, and I can safely say the Bird Hide really lived up to its name:

Partners in crime

There are now three of us at work discussing our orchid adventures, and we have set up a chat group on which to share our finds.  Unlike some orchid enthusiast, who may keep the location of their finds secretive, we also divulge those.  That said with Josh’s more distant travels, it is not always likely that we will follow in his footsteps.  Through these chats on Thursday Elspeth, during her lunch time stroll, attempted to find the Warty Hammer Orchids Lisa and I had recently spotted at Manea Park.  Sadly without success:

Next week I have the week off, and when that happens I am usually pretty prepared with my workload to avoid any last day rushes.  And so on Friday I took the unprecedented step of actually taking a lunch break, and accompanied Elspeth on a second stroll at Manea Park.  This time we had success, and in the nick of time too as some of them were starting to go to seed.  The engorged green ovary and shrivelling dark purple labellum indicating this.  We also spotted, not unexpectedly, heaps of the above Sandplain White Spider Orchid (Caladenia speciose):

While observing one patch of the Sandplain White Spider Orchids we also found the distinctly different spider orchid below, with a bright pink tip on the labellum.  This is a hybrid orchid, something that is not uncommon in the orchid world.  It can however be a tricky task to work out which two orchids have cross bred.  The closest my trusty book can direct me is that it may be a Protruding Spider Orchid (Caladenia × exserta), a cross between a Common White Spider Orchid (Caladenia longicauda subsp. longicauda) and Darting Spider Orchid (Caladenia uliginosa):

However, the Protruding Spider Orchid should have a deep red tipped labellum.  So I thought this may be a cross between a Sandplain White Spider Orchid (Caladenia speciose) & Darting Spider Orchid (Caladenia uliginosa), for which I can find no name.  This request for assistance was a tad too tricky for Noel, who confessed to not being that up to speed with hybrids.  He has however referred my enquiry onto one of the other authors of the book, Justin.  As yet I have not had a response but it seems my circle of support is growing:

The above may seem like a small clump of the humble Cowslip Orchid.  However, if you look closely the petals of the flower on the right and left are quite different.  The flower on the left being one of the more frequently encountered hybrids, resulting from the cross breeding of the Pink Fairy Orchid (Caladenia latifolia) & Cowslip Orchid (Caladenia flava).  Below is one final image from Elspeth and my walk round Manea Park, not all but several Scented Sun Orchids (Thelymitra macrophylla) are just starting to come into, almost, full flower:

As we were coming to the end of our walk some people coming the other way warned us that they had just spotted a large snake just off the path, but unfortunately we saw no sight of it.  While I have talked extensively about orchids in my more recent ‘going walkabout’ posts, that is purely due to being that time of year when they are most prolific.  I am however enamoured by all of nature’s treasures, and would love to see more reptiles.  It does not happen as much as I would like partly because they will often and unseen move away, way before we would get the chance to see them:

There is however only one way to see these things and that is to get out, which is what I did once more on Saturday afternoon.  A quick trip to my local Capel Nature Reserve where I went off track and lost myself for an hour, ambling round areas that looked interesting.  I like the above Hort’s Duck Orchid (Paracaleana hortiorum), if only due to having two flowers which is not often seen for this species.  I have pondered whether it may be the Flying Duck Orchid (Paracaleana nigrita), due to the slight hump in the labellum but this is not as defined as I have found in others.  And the more telling sign for me is that the calli, purple bubbles, are not so pronounced and also do not extend far enough back:

Above is yet another image of King-in-His-Carriage (Drakaea glyptodon), the big distinctly shaped labellum a clear give away.  Each time I see this flower now I cannot get the image of an giant avocado out of my head, which is explained in the linked post (https://sandbagged.blog/2022/09/24/let-the-hammer-fall/).  That is not my reason for including yet another image of this species.  It is due to the flower was displaying something I have not seen before in a hammer orchid.  The head of the ‘king’, which is the stigma, would normally open to release pollen.  But in this case something is extending out of the stigma, and I have not found any information to explain this.  So all I can do is liken it to a special effect of an alien breaking free from its host, just like in some science fiction horror film:

Above is one last image from the Capel Nature Reserve, an albino form of the Sandplain White Spider Orchid (Caladenia speciosa).  I have seen a pale form of this orchid in Capel already but that is a little different from a true albino.  The pale form of spider orchids generally exhibits light green colours, which my previous find did as shown in the linked post (https://sandbagged.blog/2022/09/09/here-there-and-everywhere/).  As I left the sky was starting to darken, although not from being out late.  Controlled burns are underway, a safe 17km away from where I was, and the smoke was drifting towards the coast.  Making for an eerie looking sky as I was driving home:

History repeating itself

I can’t recall when I last had a crack-of-dawn start.  While getting up in darkness isn’t all that fun, driving out and watching the hues of the sky change is very cool.  I had to pick Howsie up, which meant driving along back beach in Bunbury.  As the sky was waking up the distant lights on the containerships out to sea came in and out of view, in rhythm with the swell of the ocean.  Too dark to capture the image I drove on, and on arrival Howsie was waiting outside ready to jump in the car and head up to Welly Dam:

The last part of watching the world wake up is the sunrise.  Today as we crested the highest part of the Coalfield Highway, heading east, the sun took on the image of a big red ball of fire in a cloudless sky.  Sunrises and sunsets here are fast and it feels like if you blink you’ll miss them.  But the display of colours just before the sun comes up or after it goes down, will linger to extend the visual display.  Soon after the sun rose it was turning yellow and was too bright to look at.  The timing was good as were at the right turn into Wellington National Park, with the sun now behind us:

Mid-week the seasons had taken a turn and the temperatures had shot up to the mid to high twenties.  Nothing compared to summer, but after the coldness of winter it felt like there was once again a bite to the sun.  As expected there was no sign seepage on the black and grey streaked walls of the quarry.  The warmer temperatures and dry rock were not the reason for the early start nor coming here.  It was that Howsie was only able to squeeze in a quick session.  Although I have to say it was nice to jump on a couple of the lines that had been running with water all winter, a bit like saying hello to an old friend:

Being a quarry the artificial walls here were created as they blasted out the granite for construction works.  Most of the walls now comprise solid granite, although there are patches of rock that is quite fractured, usually round the old blast holes..  The vast temperature ranges we experience here, at times on a daily basis, don’t really help with the stability of the more fractured rock.  And especially after winter, when the moisture has been seeping into the weaknesses, it is not uncommon for the odd bit to fall off.  As captured in the image below, not that Howsie nor I were aware of the rock falling when it happened:

We were however both well aware of the next falling item, the morning was creeping along and the temperature was rising so it was time to shed some clothing.  In addition we were already five routes in and had both led each climb, and we were starting to have to pay the heavy toll that the climbing at Welly Dam demands.  Tiring arms, tingling fingertips, and a general lethargy inching its way through our bodies.  Before we stopped I got one more line in to even up the score, after which both of us were very pleased that we were not alone today:

Josh and Kellie rocked up a bit after us, maybe to avoid getting up in the dark, and Kellie almost immediately headed off for a 10km trail run before having a crack at climbing.  Prepared for their arrival Howsie and I had warmed up on a one of the more reasonable routes, and left a top rope in place for them.  Josh is still at a stage that this place is pretty challenging for him, and Kellie had not climbed in many years.  And as she explained, enough years to make it feel like it was her first time of climbing.  In fact you could suggest it was a bit mean of Josh to bring here to have a bash:

The reason we were pleased they were here, was not that Josh nor Kellie had slowed our pace.  They had however given us a reason to stop for a bit.  Josh had, like my last trip here, brought half the kitchen with him, resulting in not just a tea break but a full on breakfast break.  And after the very welcome feed, to polish the morning off, we set up a second top rope for them to make use of, while I suggest Howsie have one more lead.  He claimed I had set things up, having come armed with sufficient trad equipment including some essential pieces for one particular climb:

The Roman Nose to my knowledge has never had a second ascent.  Back in 2013 my recollection is that Steve attempted to lead it but found the gear too sketchy, so I completed the climb although the guide would indicate I still allowed him the honour of the first ascent.  Weary from the rapid back to back climbs on the steeper walls, and weighed down by both the trad gear and a yummy breakfast courtesy of Josh, it seemed history was going to repeat itself.  The micro wires and sketchy moves did not inspire Howsie enough to top out, instead coming back down to hand me the rope:

Unlucky for some

Monday arrived and it was time to go hunting again.  Lisa is convinced we can train the poodles to sniff out orchids, but I am not so sure.  They certainly seemed way too distracted with all the other aromas, as we once again wandered round the wildflower walks near Nannup.  Our rationale for this location was to avoid any highway traffic, being the last day of an extra-long weekend.  Plus it is of course a lovely spot, and if you recall our last visit here I spotted some orchids yet to flower that I was keen to check out:

Lisa is quite happy to head out for a wander wherever.  The only requirements being: not too early a start; somewhere nice, which is hard not to find; nothing off track or too adventurous; and if the poodle can come along that is an added bonus.  Today they did, as did a flask of tea even though we would walk no more than 4 km’ish.  It may seem a little boring heading to the same spot several times, but the vegetation at this time of year changes a fair bit, and quite quickly, so there is always something to peak my interest:

The walk started off quietly, other than bumping into others out for power, dog, or kiddie walks.  We spotted orchids here and there, but nothing in numbers or new until we were about to stop for a cuppa.  We picked almost exactly the same spot as last time for our refreshments, just moving into a spot where we could take advantage of some dappled light to avoid the heat of the sun.  Approaching this area I spotted a few Duck Orchids, which Lisa had not seen before.  And then we saw more, and more, and more so many that if they could fly they would have taken the ground up with them:

I also found the orchids I spotted last time, which were not in flower back then.  They were today and happened to be Warty Hammer Orchids, so after all my childish excitement of finding this orchid for the first time at Manea Park last week I was now in a place that had more of them than I could poke a stick at.  Between the Duck and Warty Hammer Orchids we had to be very careful with our footfalls.  And it wasn’t till we settled down that I then spotted the Merritt’s White Spider Orchid (Caladenia longicauda), shown two images above:

This spider orchid is found mostly between Augusta, Margaret River and Nannup in the Jarrah forests, which is where we were.  A very elegant orchid recognisable by the slender and long petals.  As I was taking the image and almost within arm’s reach I then spotted the Leaping Spider Orchid (Caladenia macrostylis), again two images up.  Resulting in childish excitement starting to re-emerge.  It wasn’t just the orchids that caught my attention, but also the many other small but pretty flowers starting to come out.  And after all my research and talk about pollination methods, I couldn’t resist the above image of a beetle buried deep into a Pea flower:

We continued out walk and as we made our way along I tallied how many orchid species we had seen today, which I was more than happy with.  As we walked on nothing new jumped out.  It doesn’t however always have to be new to be interesting, for example the above distorted Cowslip Orchid that caught my eye.  It does not seem to be a hybrid flower, just having an unusually and quirky petal shape.  I also seem to be spotting more Bird Orchids, and this one I have since found out has finished flowering and is going to seed.  I noticed there is no colouration, and I cannot find any information that indicates they lose their purplish colour after pollination, but without the labellum on display I can’t tell if it is another species:

I checked the facts about the Bird Orchid with Noel, and I do wonder if he will consider me a pest.  But each time I send him about request, along with images of our finds he politely responds.  And I have just now sent another email to him, this time about a couple of my finds from the Crooked Brook wildflower walk.  After work on Wednesday, my head was woolly and overloaded so rather than head straight home I decided a wander in the bush would help.  So this time I was by myself, as I strolled the short 3km circuit to see what was on display and clear my head:

As seen above patches of the groundcover had come to life, speckles of bright and cheerful colours made it hard not to feel happy and smile.  A corner has definitely turned, with temperatures heading into the high twenties later this week.  And it is as if the warmth is drawing out the orchid buds, along with the flowers of many other plants.  There were lots of orchids just about to flower but not being quite ready, I did however spot my first Forest Mantis Orchid (Caladenia attingens) of the season, the word “attingens” meaning “reaching out”:

This is kind of relevant as it was October 2010 that we first camped at the Mount Trio Bushcamp in the Stirling Ranges.  This was where I was first introduced to orchids.  And indeed it was, what I thought back then, to be a Mantis Orchid that reached out and drew me into this obsessive pastime.  Checking my images from back then what I had seen was the Green Spider Orchid (Caladenia falcata), also named in earlier guides as the Fringed Mantis Orchid.  It is very similar to, but generally larger than the, Forest Mantis Orchid.  The word “falcata” meaning “hooked”, so equally apt:

My early years were more fascination and simply enjoying what I saw, but in more recent years I have certainty become more hooked.  In part egged on by having a blog on which to post all my finds.  So much so that I am now pestering people like Noel when I am not totally sure, such as for both above and below finds.  My best, and reasonably confident, guess for these two are a Big Clubbed Spider Orchid (Caladenia magniclavata) and a Rusty Spider (Caladenia ferruginea), two more firsts for me.  Time will tell as to whether Noel will once again reply, and then if I am on the money:

Having now discovered the diversity of Spider Orchids in this area I am very tempted to head back in two weeks, when more will hopefully be out in flower.  My new’ish orchid guide, which I only received last Christmas has certainly opened my eyes to this diversity and has started a worrying trend.  I have however given up on the below Spider Orchid, no doubt one of the White variety of which there are simply too many with only very subtle differences.  As I had on Monday I tallied up the species count, and once again I had found what some might consider an unlucky number, equal to a baker’s dozen:

The weather makers

Despite the sunny image below, it had unexpectedly been drizzling and raining till mid-morning today.  Whether by desire or chance Josh wasn’t able to head out till ten, which worked out well all things considered.  Even at that late hour of the morning, and as we drove towards the crag the windscreen wipers were swishing back and forth as the dark clouds above unleashed the moisture they held.  It was not until we parked up that it stopped raining, and then as we walked down the track the sky to the west opened up:

Yesterday as we organised times, with Sam also joining but arriving separately due to time constraints, Josh had asked if I thought it would be busy.  Based on it being a long weekend and the not bad looking forecasts, I definitely thought it would be busy.  No matter I had a couple of lines in mind, on a wall just north of the mighty Steel Wall that stands proud in the image below.  It is very rare to see any climbers walk past this iconic wall, so even when it is busy this is a place it is possible to escape too:

Despite the poor start to the day we were surprised to find approx. ten cars parked up.  And at the crag there was a reasonable sized group of ten or more climbers down from Perth.  Huddled and looking cold under one of the overhangs.  They had been out for a while but had as yet not managed to climb anything, due to the rain that kept coming in.  I doubt it was our presences, but our arrival seemed to signify the departure of the rain, and with a stiff south westerly wind much of the rock quickly dry up:

We warmed up on the relaxing Road Trip, but Josh looked clunky following me up, and admitted he had made hard work of it.  That happens, so to calm his nerves what better than make him hang over the edge and belay Sam up, who had arrived in the nick of time to also follow up.  I’d decided to bring my twin ropes today, also called half ropes as you should climb with two of them, as they do not having the same strength rating as a single (thicker diameter) rope.  Using the twin ropes makes climbing with three easier, as the second and third climber can use one line each:

That is not the only reason I brought my twin ropes.  I was eyeing up one of the longest route at Wilyabrup as a potential candidate for today, and a single 60m rope would not be long enough for three climbers.  But before we got to that line, we needed a second warm up climb to get Josh moving a bit more smoothly.  He did not disappoint and got up Tom Thumb Direct so well that I change my mind.  And decided we should climb one of the routes here that lends itself to twin ropes.  Having two ropes makes it easier to keep the ropes running smoothly, by using one for gear on the left and the other for gear of the right, perfect for a climb that weaves a devious line up the cliff:

This line was also harder and I was maybe being a tad optimistic, as the bottom traverse of Golden Buttress spat Josh off with forearms burning up.  Sam managed to get up, making use of his longer reach on the traverse to reach higher and better holds.  Then at the point shown in the image above he almost fell, and asked me if he could hold onto the rope as his arms to start to fail.  I of course said no, which he later recalled this as being a stern no and he therefore didn’t grab the rope.  He did however pull off the last few moves to get a clean ascent.  Once up it was clear that Popeye had nothing on him, and he looked to be feeling the pump big time:

Back down and I decided to pick off one of the lines past Steel Wall, one which was on my original list for the day.  I decided against the long route, only because the bottom corner is feisty and with both Josh and Sam having pumped out on the last route I knew that would just be asking for trouble.  So we instead took a fun line that goes through a hole at the top of the Stormcock boulder, and then continues up a fun crack.  Sombre is a completely over graded so I didn’t tell the boys what it was:

Even with tired arms they both got through the triangle window and up the crack, thoroughly enjoying the unusual features the rock on this section of the cliff offers.  I mentioned that this area gets very little attention, which is proven by the tops that are littered with loose rocks.  Care is required not to knock off any rocks, which can be pebble through to toaster sized.  Having a sensible belay set up certainly helps, one that is right on the edge to avoid the ropes dragging over and potentially dislodging any of the lose rubble:

This belay position gives the added benefit of a great spot to look out at the views and watch the next person coming up.  Sadly with four climbs under our belt Sam’s time limit was coming to an end, so he departed. Although I also wonder if his arms were too cooked for him to contemplate just one more route.  This was all I was hinting at and Josh was keen, deciding on an easy slab to get us, and our bags, out.  Peanut Crumble provided us the perfect climb, although Josh was a little bemused with me only placing one piece of gear:

Not that it is an excuse for my lack of gear, but the climb was a bit like a staircase.  At the top of which the ropes were packed away for the last time.  We had not been the first to the crag but we were the last to leave it.  And it seems that maybe today we were the weather makers, as while we packed the bags we could feel a sprinkle from above.  And looking up the south westerlies were blowing darker clouds overhead, which thankfully did not fully open up as we walked out:

Let the hammer fall

I was trying to tell myself not to send another post of my orchid hunting this weekend, but as you can tell I didn’t listen to myself.  Today I went to two spots, the first being a small patch of bush called the Katherine Chauhan Reserve.  No more than 10 acres (4 hectares), surrounded by suburbia in Bunbury, and managed by the local community.  Rongy cycles past this place and has often told me he has seen a fair few orchids here, so after dropping Lisa off for her Pilates class I went for a wander to check it out.  And I was not disappointed finding areas of the land covered in hundreds of Pink Fairy Orchid (Caladenia latifolia), Sandplain White Spider Orchid (Caladenia speciosa), Sandplain Donkey Orchid (Diuris tinctoria), and Cowslip Orchid (Caladenia flava):

I also stumbled across a Zamia Palm (Macrozamia riedlei) a true prehistoric plant from the division Cycadophyta, from which some plants existed 250 to 60 odd million years ago.  This species is endemic to southwest Australia, and like some orchids has an interesting relationship with a specific insect.  Similar to some orchids it uses deception by releasing an aroma, this time to attract the male Cycad Weevil (Rhopalotria mollis).  However, it goes step further, and once the weevil’s job is done the plant then changes its scent to one that results in the male weevil feeling unwelcome.  Resulting it leaving before it can start to do any real damage:

The large cones of this palm have edible seeds.  However, for human consumption they need to be prepared correctly, as the plant has bacteria in it that both fixes nitrogen and creates a toxin.  There are tales from 1829 of passing sailors eating the seeds and likening the taste to roast potatoes.  Waking the next morning with symptoms of poisoning, but also recovering within a day or two.  While I saw no sailors there was something in this reserve that was hungry, with lots of the Sandplain White Spider Orchids having been nibbled.  In all cases it was just the long white petals that had been taken with the main flower remaining:

With so many orchids about, I was treading extra carefully and only just in time spotted this Bobtail Lizard (Tiliqua rugose) hidden under the grass.  Bobtail Lizards have a head and tail of a similar shape, no doubt to confuse predators who will then have a 50-50 chance of attacking the head.  However, unlike many other lizards this one cannot escape by shedding its tail should a predator takes hold of it.  As I did a bit of research into these lizards I also found that the females are in charge of mating choices, and are attracted to more attentive males:

The males are made to follow the female round for a few weeks to prove their attentiveness, before sealing the deal.  And while I’ve read that they are monogamous, research has also suggested that if a male becomes to inattentive the female will find another more “new-age” guy.  It seemed that the Earth Balls, like the orchids here, also seemed to believe in safety in numbers.  My wander in this small reserve was on a time limit.  And it was now my turn to be attentive and get back in time to pick Lisa up, after which we had to hit a few shops:

Once the town stuff was done we went to Manea Park to see what might be out.  I can confirm that, just like at the small reserve today, the mosquitoes were not out.  At least not in force like I had experienced on Friday.  Not too far down the track I spotted a single flower of a Blue Lady Orchid (Thelymitra crinita).  The name of the genus comes from two Greek words, thelys and mitra meaning “belonging to women” and “headdress” or “turban”.  This reference was chosen to describe the hooded column in the middle of the flower, which will often have wings or glands atop.  And it is this feature that can be used to identify the different species:

The Blue Lady is the most common of some 130 species of Sun Orchids, and like others it can have up to fifteen brightly coloured flowers providing a spectacular show.  However, individually the flowers tend to be rather plain compared to other orchids.  Not being as intricate, nor having a labellum that is at times the spectacular centre piece of orchid flowers.  Also unlike other orchids they also will close up in cloudy weather and at night.  Another common orchid is also starting to make an appearance, being the Common Mignonette Orchid (Microtis media):

The Common Mignonette Orchid is extremely widespread, so much so that it is not unusual to see them forming colonies in urban areas.  I have even seen the odd one or two in our garden beds.  We of course saw many other orchids, which I have over the last week been spotting in a number of other locations.  One of them being the Sandplain White Spider Orchid, but for the one below you may notice the brilliant white appearance that is lacking much of any other colour.  I was intrigued by this so contacted Noel Hoffman to check it out:

He confirmed my identification was correct, and the lack of colour was due to it being an albino form.  I also told him about my next find, which I was very excited about.  This is the first time I have seen a Warty Hammer Orchid (Drakaea livida), of the same genus that includes the King-in-his-Carriage (Drakaea glyptodon) that I have seen a bit this season.  While I am still very chuffed Noel outdid me in style, as he had just found a Hairy Warty Hammer Orchid (Drakaea andrewsiae).  A species that has not been seen for some forty years, and being so rare he had not even included it his book:

The King-in-his-Carriage is the most common of the Hammer Orchids, while the Warty Hammer Orchid is the more regularly found from the remaining species of Hammer Orchids.  I was intrigued by the scientific names of these two, with livida coming from a Latin word meaning “bluish” or “black and blue”.  This resembles the blotchiness of the labellum or hammer.  While the name glyptodon is due to the likeness, of the hammer of the King-in-his-Carriage, to the head of the namesake extinct giant mammal that is related to the modern armadillo.  This cattle sized creature roamed the earth as recently as approx. 12,000 year ago:

Keep moving

This post is short and sweet, a bit like my quick scoot round a community managed reserve found just off the highway on the way to Bunbury.  The reason for the dash to this spot, which I had previously never been too, will be revealed later.  But what drew my attention was again receiving images while working.  Josh had been out and about having, like the majority of the population of Australia, taken today off to make it a five day weekend.  And seeing I was up and working bright and early I was able to go for a quick look mid-afternoon.  As I drove towards Bunbury I could see the traffic on the other side of the highway, coming down from Perth, was already building up:

The southerly migration of caravans, trailers, and cars packed to the roof with holiday gear had begun.  The aim being to enjoy getting away for the long weekend, or possibly a week or two of school holidays.  But before they can do that and for a short window of time the road becomes unbearable with impatient drivers, made all the worse with perfectly timed roadworks that would result in queues kilometres long.  Something I didn’t want to get caught up in, even for the short trip I had to get home.  That too wasn’t the reason for making this wander through the bush a bit like a speed hunt.  Keeping a relatively brisk pace and when spotting what I was looking for not hanging about too long.  For the sharp eyed below you’ll spot a Cowslip Orchid or two, of which I saw hundreds:

But what I was after was a slight and slender orchid with relatively small petals, and in the above image they look a bit like a very small horseshoes.  It can  flower in large colonies, but today I never saw more than five or so plants in any one cluster.  I’ve only seen Rabbit Orchids (Leptoceras menziesii) once before, so when I was told they were at this location I couldn’t resist and had to see them.  These orchids are a little special for several reasons.  They are one of the first species described and named in Western Australia by Archibald Menzies in 1791, who originally called them Caladenia menziesii.  Then in 1840 for reasons unbeknown to me the name was changed to Leptoceras menziesii by John Lindley, which seems to have stuck:

Another reason they are a little unusual is that they are the only species in the genus Leptoceras.  Most other orchid genus have several if not many species, such as the White Spider Orchid of which I only spotted one today on my rather fast walk.  Having inspected the images with care, I am coming to the conclusion that down at Meelup Regional Park and probably at the Capel Nature Reserve I had indeed spotted the Splendid Spider Orchid (Caladenia splendens).  This one however I feel is a Sandplain White Spider Orchids (Caladenia speciosa).  Overall a shorter plant and notably smaller flower, although the labellum is larger relative to the overall flower:

Also a key distinguishing feature, as I read more about them, is the fringes of the labellum that are more pink’ish, ragged, and often have spilt ends.  Plus it is also the most common white spider orchid between Mandurah and the Bunbury region, indicating it does not extend any further southwards, i.e. to Capel and certainly not the Meelup Regional Park.  The angle of the image below is one I should take of all orchids when I am unsure of what it is, as it does provide that bit more detail to interrogate.  However, the reason for including it today was more due to the unfriendly photo-bomber.  Within seconds of standing still I was surrounded by a cloud of mosquitos:

Even as I walked I would feel them, piercing any skin that was foolishly exposed which included my hands, feet, and head.  I can normally tolerate mosquitos but today in this reserve it was truly horrendous.  As such I didn’t take the normal care with images, nor inspecting my finds.  Walking quickly, stopping briefly, on occasion cursing loudly, and being very relieved when I got back in the car.  Just before I did get back to the car I stumbled across large patches of a familiar looing orchid, so only took a couple of hasty snaps of what I feel may be Sandplain Donkey Orchids (Diuris tinctoria).  I then drove home observing the multiple welts on the back of my hands:

D Mob

In their wisdom Australia decided the day to pay respects for the passing of the Queen was Thursday this week.  It does seem an odd day seeing her funeral was on Monday and the school term, at least in Western Australia, ends on Friday.  But Thursday was chosen to suit just one state, Victoria.  That state already had a public holiday on Friday this week for the plain and simple reason that it is the Australian rules football grand final weekend.  This resulted in all the other states having a bit of an odd ball week, with having Thursday as a public holiday and then needing to go back to work for one day before the weekend:

Reasons aside, whether right or wrong, it was a public holiday today so Rongy and I decided to head down to Wilyabrup.  The intention being to jump on a few of the longer climbs, and picking lines that would require us to focus.  Whether it was because they were sustained, lacking in protection, or just very delicate and balancy.  We were joined by Sarah, who had come down to search out for our scaly friends, as Rongy and I scaled the cliffs.  We were not too hopefully that she would see many reptiles, based on my recent trips here and the gloomy start to the day:

This obviously didn’t put Sarah off and as we were walking down I could see her eyes scouring the scrub on the side of the track, and then the crevices and nooks in the rocks as we got closer to the crag.  I mentioned that she might a python sunning on top of the exposed rocks just above the beach, to which she replied that they were probably also waiting for unsuspected sea birds to fall prey to them.  I hadn’t thought about this before, but it made sense.  As we walked down the path Rongy was also looking out and spotted the above Fairy Orchid (Caladenia latifolia) in the bush off the side of the walk track.  We also spied two tour guides, a sign that a group would be turning up:

They advised that they would use three faces with two ropes on each, and these would not interfere with our plans.  Before heading off to check for reptiles, Sarah hinted at being keen to give the first climb a go.  Having climbed indoors a long time back, but never outdoors.  So we picked a route that you should by now recognise, and one I did last week.  She climbed slow and steady, and looked to be in control the whole time.  And it wasn’t until she was next to me, safe on the ledge, that she began to shake.  While she had really enjoyed it she admitted that it had been a scary experience.  Afterwards Rongy and I both agreed that we would never have guessed it considering how calm she stayed while climbing:

Happy with one climb under her belt, off she went to look for reptiles while Rongy jumped on Glory for his warm up.  As he climbed the flakes he looked deep behind them and shouted down to me.  He spotted not one but two juvenile Carpet Pythons (Morelia spilota), in two separate locations.  This amazed me as I have been checking these spots out on each trip here and not seen any for close to a year and half.  It is a great sign and I hope to see them more often, which might happen if it doesn’t get too busy like last year.  When Rongy topped out, Sarah happened to be sitting there looking out for dolphins.  She hadn’t got far with her walk when someone mentioned they had seen them playing in the waves:

So she had randomly picked that spot to sit and check out the waves, and while she didn’t see any dolphins she got a surprise when Rongy popped his head over the edge.  And an even better surprise when he told her that there were two snakes to be seen, although this would require abseiling back down the climb.  It is fair to say Sarah was even more scared by the abseiling, than the climbing, and really didn’t enjoy the experience.  However, she was determined to get a glimpse of the two snakes whatever it took.  Being very excited about the opportunity, as we all were, even though they were buried deep in the cracks:

Afterwards Sarah really did head off on her walk to see what she might see.  I feel like she was also heading off to get away from the crowds, as there was not just one group but at least two big school groups had turned up.  This was a little surprising seeing it was a public holiday, but I imagine these excursions take a lot of organising and I guess they didn’t want to change their plans.  It did result in lots and lots of ropes being placed on many of the faces, mostly for abseiling but some as top ropes for climbing and I lost count how many we saw.  This put a damper on Rongy and my planned routes, due to both the ropes hanging down and way too many people milling about at the base of the lines we had been keen to climb:

So I decided to jump on Fishing with Dynamite.  This is a bit of a controversial climb because at least half of it was recorded as a traditional climb, and someone had bolted the direct start and then bolted the upper section too.  This practice of placing bolts on existing lines is a bit of a no-no in the climbing world.  It is however a great climb, and I have tried to lead the route without clipping the bolts, a very long time back.  For the best part there is ample and very good traditional gear placements, such as the above bomber cam.  But there is one run out section that I got spooked on, and clipped one bolt for safety:

This time round I was armed with micro cams, which I didn’t have before, and this allowed me to unlocked the full traditional lead.  So with Sarah was super happy to have seen a couple of snakes and I too being extremely pleased with my lead, it was now time for Rongy to find his piece of gold for the day.  And that ended up being the first pitch of Mob Job, a climb that in part picked itself being on one of the very few faces along the entire crag without ropes and people crawling all over them.  It is also a climb he hasn’t been on for a long time, and he suggested it may have been eight years.  Then to boot it is one of the traditional climbs that is up there as the very best at Wilyabrup, and being pretty pumpy and tricky it also ticked the box of our original intention for today:

It was touch and go at one point, but he managed a clean ascent.  The bottom section packs a serious punch but he was able to absorb that and keep going, while the mob milling about just twenty meters away were out of sight and out of mind.  As he set up the belay, Sarah returned and told me she had been very successful in finding plenty of South-Western Crevice Skinks (Egernia napoleonis), https://sandbagged.blog/2022/08/28/training-day/, with one even running into her hand.  We both then went back up the cliff, she wandered up the track and me following Rongy’s very fine lead.  After I climbed the second pitch I met Sarah again and she had just spotted a couple of King Skinks (Egernia kingii), https://sandbagged.blog/2022/08/27/time-for-a-cuppa/, so she had a very successful day of spotting our scaly friends:

Rongy joined us, after thoroughly enjoying following up what ended up being the final pitch of the day.  We decided it was time to mosey, all of us ending on a high note and being very satisfied with our varied finds and experiences of the morning.  Despite the place being unexpectedly very busy, we had managed to put that to one side and just like D Mob’s only studio album enjoyed ‘a little bit of this, a little bit of that’.  The trip was topped off with a quick pit stop before we hit the tarmac of the main roads, to check out a patch of Dunsborough Donkey Orchids (Diuris jonesii).  Plus one more pit stop, at Rongy’s request, for some hot chips from the Carbunup Road House, which unlike the crag was unusually quiet:

The multi-coloured picture show

This week it didn’t look like I was going to get out for a single weekday wander, a stark contrast from the week before.  In part I had not received any images from ‘work’ Josh, as oppose to ‘climbing’ Josh, to get me all enthused; also the weather was a bit hit and miss; and to add to that lot I was a bit snowed under at work leading to longer days than usual.  Then came Friday and encouraged by the sun I seized the opportunity for a quick trip out to the Ambergate Nature Reserve.  A place where I have seen so much in previous years:

One reason for choosing this spot, is it has been a month and a half since I’d been here.  I was also curious as ‘work’ Josh had been here the week before and said there was nothing to see, which I found a little surprising.  It has in the last been a floral and orchid haven, so with things starting to appear in other locations I really expected to see something.  A few usual suspects were about, as above and below.  But sadly Josh was right and for the most part there was very little colour, and very few orchids to be seen.  Still it felt good to focus my eyes on something other than a computer screen for a while:

I only walked one for the four quadrants, taking my time and looking carefully.  Scouring the bush on both sides of the meandering path, willing for something to appear.  Which it didn’t, although there was at least one small area where there was a bit more colour.  Here one of the pea flowering plants was coming into bloom.  The family and sub-family classification of these plants being Fabaceae and Faboideae, with about 140 genera and 1,100 species to be found in Australia.  Not surprisingly trying to pin down these delicate flowers can be a huge timewasting exercise, but I took some close up images just in case:

The image have led me to narrow it down to the genus of Daviesia, a small to medium sized shrub mainly found Western Australian, and comprising approx. 120 species.  Digging a bit deeper it looked a lot like the Thorny Bitter-pea (Daviesia incrassata), of which the range and soils types it is found in matches quite well.  Also on my last trip here I found some cool looking seedpods (https://sandbagged.blog/2022/08/03/a-bit-of-encouragement/), and one of Howsie’s guesses had been Daviesia.  I have now confirmed that they do indeed look very much like the seedpods of the Thorny Bitter-pea:

While there were no new orchids to be spotted I did enjoy my time in the sun, and was also serenaded by the Carnaby’s Black Cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus latirostris).  Their song can carry a long way across the landscape, but today it was loud and clear as they were perched right above me munching on gumnuts.  And in the distance I could also make out the call of the Forest Red-tailed Black Cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus banksii).  The respective songs are quite distinct, with the former sounding like a drawn out and relatively high pitched ‘wa-EEE-lah’, and the later a deeper and more guttural ‘karak’:

My last image from Ambergate Nature Reserve was the close up of the hairy green and maroon flower bud.  Due to the long looking nature of the petals, I’ll guess is a spider orchid and it is likely to be different to any I have seen this season.  It should come into flower within the week if not before, although I doubt I will remember where I found it and I only spotted one specimen.  It did at least give me hope that more is to be found at Ambergate in the coming months, and I’ll probably head back in a few weeks.  This morning, fancying a second trip out without too much of a drive, I popped out to the Capel Nature Reserve:

The first image from here being two flowers of a Purple Enamel Orchid (Elythranthera brunonis) both of which are yet to open.  There were load of these all over the place in full flower, and while these are beautiful to see I also feel, like the unknown spider orchid, the patterned bud is equally pretty.  Above is one of the Snail Orchids and the image also includes a specimen that is in seed formation stage of life, as proven by the engorged ovary at the top of the stem.  Insects pollinate the majority of Greenhood orchids, which are nearly always tiny flies or mosquitoes.  And like the Hammer and Duck orchids they use deception created by a chemical attractant:

However, once the fly or mosquito has been attracted to the flower there is a second stage of the process that uses entrapment to seal the deal.  The insect is encouraged to enter the flower to the point it loses balance and falls in, but in some Greenhoods the labellum will detect it’s presence and move forward to trapping the unsuspecting insect.  Just long enough for process of pollination to be more likely to be successful, before allowing the insect to be released.  Even though Capel Nature Reserve is less than 30km away from Ambergate, as the crow flies, the floor was littered with orchids including hammers, ducks, cowslips, enamels, greenhoods, and spiders:

There were also, like at Ambergate lots of also the Rattle Beak Orchid (Lyperanthus serratus) yet to flower, but I did spot the above one that was ahead of all its colleagues.  Being dull green and brown some feel this orchid can be hard to spot, but to counter this they are relatively big; have a tall, upright and distinct base leaf; and have multiple flowers on a thick stem.  I haven’t tested the theory but the flowers are supposed to rattle if shaken, I am however unable to find out how or why this happens.  In looking into this I did find out the scientific name serratus is derived from the Latin word ‘to saw’, serrare.  This has been used to refer to the prominent white teeth like calli, spread on the end of the labellum:

Unlike Ambergate, the Capel Nature Reserve has no formal paths.  There are wide sandy tracks that criss-cross each other, although vehicular access is also restricted so I am not sure how these have not become over grown.  At times they peter out and this leads to needing to tread carefully through the scrub, as above.  Looking both down for what may lie underfoot, as some orchids and other plants are very small and inconspicuous, but also looking up to make sure you don’t end up destroying a spiders web.  While you’d think the below spider would be easy to spot, the image is deceptive as it is a mere half a centimetre long:

I found lots and lots of Splendid White Spider Orchids (Caladenia splendens), which were only just starting to come out here a week back.  But I also came across just as many if not more Chapman’s Spider Orchids (Caladenia chapmanii).  This is considered to be one of the most attractive of the Caladenia, i.e. spider, species and is commonly found with multiple flowers clumped together that enhances the visual display.  What strikes me about this species is the huge variety of colouring and patterning, including white, cream, pale green, red and deep maroon.  This is shown below and is why I have included four images, and I will leave them to do the talking:

Beginners luck

The rain fell as we walked down towards the main cliffs of Wilyabrup, not that it has ever put me off heading out for a climb before.  However, today I was joined by a work colleague, Sam, who had never climbed before, neither indoors or outdoors.  So it didn’t feel like it was the best conditions for his first introduction.  We’ve been attempting to organise a trip for well over a year, but he foolishly dabbled in mountain biking some time back.  This resulted in him coming a cropper and breaking bones, dashing our plans.  Today however was the day, and the weather had been looked pretty good until we walked in:

We also picked a friend of Ash’s up on the drive down.  Claudia has climbed before but not for a long time.  I was happy when neither of them batted an eyelid as the rain set in, and we continued onwards.  With one complete newbie and one with only distant memories of climbing, we spent a good length of time just talking through the basics.  This also allowed the weather pattern to run its course, with the shower passing over and the promise of better condition’s rolled in behind the clouds:

We spent so much time talking about the basics that before we even started climbing Ash appeared, indicating it was at least nine o’clock already.  He’d been out for a trail run this morning, which I was aware about, explaining his slightly tardy arrival time.  I also found out that there had been a bit of karaoke going on at his house last night.  So while it may look like he is in pain above he is in fact blasting out the songs that were lingering in his mind from the night before.  Whenever I have introduced anyone to rock, I’ve started sensibly to allow me to gauge how they are going:

Everyone got up the first route of Fairy Floss (grade 12).  It’s not a hard climb, but has a tricky mid-section where some delicate footwork is required.  A good test before we wandered round the corner to a slightly longer wall.  Here Ash was happy to lead Setting Sun (grade 15), which he did as Sam, Claudia and I watched a whale frolicking in the bay.  There was a bit of flipper action, but no breaching.  The slightly broader and less elongated flipper indicated to Claudia and Sam that it was likely to be a Southern Right Whale, and much to our delight it stuck about for several hours:

Ash intended to set up a top rope to allow others to jump on the climb.  But while he was sorting things out on top I asked Sam which of the climbs on this wall most appealed, purely from a visual inspection.  He reckoned Tom Thumb (grade 11), a fun looking chimney on the arête.  So after a quick bit of instruction I quite literally put my life in his hands, as he got to have his first go at belaying.  Next to us when Ash had set up the top rope Claudia didn’t like the look of the line he had led.  Instead she fancied the crack immediately to the right, which the top rope allowed her to try:

Below Ash was getting the last of the songs out of his head, as Claudia maybe started to regret picking Tom Thumb direct (grade 15).  Sam was however very happy with his choice and was making easy work of the line.  That was until I told him he also had to take the gear out, and I then made him down climb the route to the first bit of gear and start over.  Even this didn’t break his stride, or enthusiasm.  Beaming from ear to ear as he made his way back up to where he was and then all the way until he got to the top:

Seeing Claudia hadn’t cleaned the gear off Setting Sun, by going up the route to the right, Sam and I sorted that, which could only be done by us both climbing it.  And after that Claudia had to head off, so her and Ash departed just as the sun started to come out and bathe the crag and us in warmth.  Sam was keen for more, showing no signs of tiring despite three successful climbs.  So we shed some layers and cracked on, picking an even longer line and one that I thought may be a bit tough:

But I was mistaken, his footwork, body movement, and cool and steady approach belied the fact that he had never climbed before.  And while the crux of Hope (grade 14), which was the thinnest bit of climbing we had done yet, did make him stop and have to have a think.  It didn’t take him long to work out a sequence that suited him.  I was still not keen to keep bumping the grade, just to prove a point.  So when he was keen for more, for the next route I picked Thunder Thighs (grade 11).  Because like Tom Thumb the aesthetic of the line stand out:

Sam was still chomping at the bit, and this time we really did increase the difficulty.  We had looked at Waterfall Second Folly Direct Start (grade 17) earlier, and the upper flake is an imposing but very striking feature.  It just begs to be climbed, and had immediately drawn Sam’s attention.  At the time I felt it was dumb idea, but so far he had not only managed every route with a clean ascent, but done so with style and composure.  So we went for it, and finally he had to admit his forearms were pumped and a climb had been a real challenge:

Despite this he still managed to get up without a slip or rest on the rope, and was also up for one more route.  Not even put off when I suggested climbing with packs to we didn’t have to walk out afterwards.  We did however pick a more reasonable route to do this, First Climb (grade 11).  It was of course another clean climb, making it seven out of seven, which I have to say I am pretty impressed about.  Better still I reckon Sam may have caught the bug.  You could argue that it was beginners luck, but with climbing I really don’t think that argument holds an weight: