Saturday morning just gone I woke up before the alarm, mind you it was only set for 4:45 and I’m usually stirring by then.  It could have been earlier but for the first time that Rongy could remember I chose a later start.  My excuse being that it had been a big couple of weeks at work, that combined with the soaring temperatures and blossoming peppermint trees I felt like I had been knocked about a bit.  As 6am arrived I was waiting at Welly Dam for Rongy and wondering how much noise to make seeing there was someone camping at the base of the crag:

It was due to hit 39 degrees where we had chosen to climb, but this trip had been organised months back so there was no cancelling.  As you’ll know Steve’s sister and brother in law are over, so Jules and I had organised a surprise gathering of climbing friends to celebrate Steve’s 50^th, which was a few months back now.  Rongy and I started our morning ahead of anyone else and we had soon bagged a couple of fine routes to get the arms moving.  Dennis rolled into the carpark as we started route number 4, and by which time the happy camper had left:

By the time Dennis had finished his breakfast and got himself sorted to have a crack at the climb, Howsie and his family arrived who were shortly followed by Mario and his family.  It was a time for some people who had never met to get together, as well as getting the crews from the various base camps in the south west together.  A gathering that was long overdue.  Denis hadn’t been climbing for about a year, but still managed to get up the route with only one fall at the puzzling crux right near the top, just when your arms are starting to tire:

We had organised for people to bring ropes and quick draws, as there were a number of people who don’t get out much.  So we had already considered that ropes would be left on lines to allow the less confident to play about without needing to lead anything.  Fergus was ready with his homemade sling harness to have a bash, after Dennis.  But Frank decided that he really didn’t need to be roped up to have a go.  He managed to get both feet of the ground but quick as lightening was back down.  Allowing his brother to head up with the rope:

I then jumped on a route that we don’t do often enough, as it feels a little intimidating.  Mario had in mind to lead this one.  He has been coming up here top roping heaps of routes to get his climbing fitness back, and this was one of the routes that he had been working.  But I jumped on ahead of him and surprised myself by getting a clean ascent, I had a little wobble at the crux but managed to keep my balance and held fast.  Then Rongy, Dennis and Mario all had a bash before we cleaned this line ready to move onto the next challenge:

Rongy took on the challenging Chasing Mason, another route we don’t often play on.  After he came down more and more people turned up including the normally nocturnal Peppy/Busso boulder crew of Lou (who dragged Jake along), Glen, Geoff, Nana, Gav and Moni; as well as some who are seen more regularly in the day time like Craig and his family; and of course not forgetting Lisa.  There were a few people who didn’t make it, which sadly included Steve, Jules and Mick.  I had an inkling they might not the night before but it was confirmed that morning:

Unfortunately Steve had ended up going into the emergency department.  He timed things badly on the first attempt being a Friday night as he ended up not getting seen, having to then go back in on the Saturday morning.  Even then it took hours to get seen and did not get out until the afternoon, long after we had left the hot box of the Welly Dam quarry with the temperatures heading above the mid-thirties.  It was however too late to cancel the event and so we continued to climb and have fun, and I know Steve would not have it any other way:

As the morning wore on others got their leading head in gear with Dennis managing some fine routes, including an impressive lead of A Walk in Central Park as the last climb of the day when it was getting really hot and sticky.  He held his focus despite some disco legs going on, while he was some way above the gear.  Gav also jumped on the sharp end for the first time in years, and whether to be away from the crowds or maybe he’s just a sun worshipper, he hit Block and Tackle in the full baking hot sun, the mad fool:

The ropes were going up everywhere but there was also lots of chit chat happening.  It was not just a band of merry climbers; as there were picnic blankets out, kids running amuck and Craig’s mob had even brought Murphy and a lamb.  Henry was a star when he got half way up Murky Corner.  He finally had enough just a bit higher than where he is now, where he turned around and found a rock armchair from which to watch everyone so far below him.  Mario and Rongy were slipping off their respective routes, tiredness, unfamiliarity and stickiness all playing a part:

While the climbers climbed, the kids played and non-climbers enjoyed good company and the shade of the trees, there was also a bit of slack lining going on.  I definitely saw Denis, Glen and Howsie give it a crack, and while I know I’d be hopeless at it myself it looked like they too could use a bit more practise.  That said Howsie’s 180 degree turn was getting pretty slick, that is at least when the kids weren’t shaking the slack line to make him fall off.  The BBQs were never fired up, it was all too hot, but there was food floating about to keep the energy levels up:

Then slowly on, just as they arrived, they left.  Rongy was off for a dive, Lou and Jake were going mountain biking (and I hear that Lou had a hissy fit, so I’m guessing she didn’t like the tracks), Howsie and Craig’s families went in search of some cool river pools for both the little and big kids, Lisa and I headed home to get to the beach, and others went to sample cool liquid of another form.  So while you couldn’t make it Steve we all thought of you and are wishing you the very best, and we’ll have to have a another Welly Dam session for your 51^st:

The bushfire warnings were all out with a hot weekend in the south west of Western Australia forecast.  With our coastal climbing spots threatening to get up to the mid-thirties it was time to be sensible and have a proper early start to get out and back before the heat really hit.  With that in mind I was heading out to the usual meeting place, in Capel, just after 4am and it was already chasing 18 degrees.  Our destination was a bit more of a trek today, so we needed to allow two hours to get to the crag, making the early start even more sensible:

Steve was keen to take his sister on a real adventure.  So we had decided on Bob’s Hollow, as it has a proper 4WD access track that is just the sort of thing that he had bought his car for.  With a week since his chemo pump was taken out, Steve’s energy level were up and he was all revved up for this one.  As we made the rocky journey, in the last few kilometres, I took got out of the car to take some footage of the worse sections.  This ploy allowed me to walk these sections rather than be shaken about as the car tackled the tire ripping limestone rocks:

The journey, while being the longest for our local crags, is worth the effort as the place really is spectacular.  Steve opted to “sort some stuff out” back at the car before joining us, so Rongy, Jules and I set off on the short walk track to the main cliffs.  As we walked past the increasingly taller and steeper limestone walls it became evident that we would not have the place to ourselves.  One, two three, four, five… no six routes had draws hanging from them, we had either found the largest crag booty ever or another group would be returning:

All of the equipped routes were at the far left of the crag, and we had already decided that we would be climbing at the right hand end.  The reason being that the grades were more forgiving and the routes less steep.  Rongy and I were convinced that Jules should lead the obvious warm-up.  As she stared at the steep towering walls it was evident that we had more confidence in her ability than she did.  So instead we warmed up on some of the other lines with Rongy taking the sharp end first on Stalagasaurus, which despite the runout finish never fazed him:

Jules was next up and took her time to figure out the rock and get her head into gear.  In part I think she was wondering what Steve was up to, so I had wandered back to check and found him still pottering round in his car saying he would be with us in a few minutes.  From what I can gather he has been overdoing things a tad of late, very unlike him… not.  So we needed to keep an eye on how we was tracking today.  When I go back Jules was struggling to get into this cave, but once she had a rest in there she made the final push up the steep finale without a hitch:

Steve was still not in sight so Jules wandered off to check on him, leaving Rongy and me wondering what to climb next.  We investigated a route that he had talked about, as we were walking in, and one I had no idea about.  Of course the route existed making me wander if I had missed it in the guide, but I’m glad to say that I hadn’t (nor the route that goes straight up on trad gear) and as such for my first lead I jumped on a climb I had not been on before.  Escalade De Rasior was a great line and I’m a bit gob smacked that I hadn’t noticed it before:

As I was belaying Rongy up the route the Sterling clan was finally wandering back.  It was obvious that while Steve’s energy levels were up he was still a little addled, a sure sign that he had indeed being over doing things just recently.  In his defence there is a lot of research out there to show that being physically active helps during chemo, both assisting with improving your ability to cope with it and speeding up your recovery time.  It’s just a question of getting the balance right, something he has not quite mastered yet:

Steve was OK for belaying so we encouraged Jules to jump on the route we had just finished.  We both felt it was a good climb for her, being less steep and more technical climbing.  Rongy meanwhile picked off the obvious route for the day, going in search of snakes.  I was pleased to see he was starting to feel it, as he rested on the bigger holds to shake out to get rid of the pump that the lower section of this route is sure to provide most climbers.  The route didn’t disappoint on the snake front with a baby Carpet Python in a pocket near the belay anchors:

It’s always a bit intimidating climbing with Rongy as he has such good stamina.  Shaved Cats has some great sequences low down and I too was looking forward to the bigger holds to shake out.  I had already been feeling that forearm burn on the first two routes, so had wondered if I’d manage a clean ascent.  With a bit of focus and some good footwork things slipped into place and I was soon staring at a small python head sticking out of a pocket.  It was quick to pull itself back into the safety of the pocket, so I cleaned the anchors while Jules did the same:

Once we were all back on the deck there was no getting out of it and it was time for Jules to jump on the obvious warmup climb of Lovers Nuts.  The most protected route here, which makes it a great one to try as a first lead not having such a spook factor.  I think it is fair to say that she loved it, there were certainly a couple of moments in which she had to work on the moves and her head.  Rongy however is an unforgiving belayer and wouldn’t let her rest on the rope unless she fell.  Said enjoyed it as she had a very big grin on her face at the top:

Steve was finally starting to feel right enough to climb so he set off up Lovers Nuts while I decided on Juggernaut.  With two ropes on the go there were not as many images being taken and I didn’t get Steve on rock, but I heard he did OK and only had one rest.  I did however have to take the following image, as it is the only time the No.11 hex (which you may recall from last week’s climbing) got used.  Not that it was really needed with all the rope slings on this line.  I do like this climb as it is long and exposed, but in truth I had another reason to jump on it:

My main reason for choosing this line was to avoid the gnarly finish of the other possible line of Unknown, as my arms were getting tired.  But also I wanted a second chance to see our scaly friend.  Sure enough as I was traversing to the same belay anchors of Shaved Cats, which this line shares, he came into view and was on the move.  In fact he was moving in a direction right across the path I had to take to get to the anchors, perfect!  I slowed down and took my time making Rongy wonder if I was stuck, but he soon figured out what I was up to:

I spent a long time hanging about watching the snake weave about in the small bush, trying not to be to invasive and scare him.  Eventually I left him alone and pulled up to the anchors and came back down.  Steve had also finished his line by then, so we swapped over.  Rongy not having climbed Juggernaut before pulled the rope and led it, while I led and then decided I should down climb Lovers Nuts.  We knew that we were coming to the end of the climbing, so I wanted to make the most of the opportunity to work myself:

Once we were both back down we left Jules to climb Juggernaut with Steve belaying, he was being sensible and decided that one route was enough for him today.  So as Jules seconded up and cleaned the line, Rongy and I went to the left end of the crag and joined the throngs.  There were lots of people, ropes everywhere and I counted some seven or eight routes being worked at the same time.  So with the gear preplaced, Rongy started up Dependence Day.  The last time I did this line was with Kym I found it desperate, so I was a bit nervous:

Having watched Rongy take a couple of falls, one very spectacularly, my misgivings only grew stronger.  No pressure though as it was not our gear so I could come down at any time… until the owner asked if we could clean the route for him, as they were done on that line.  So I set off and with the rope above me didn’t need to expend as much energy as Rongy did.  I surprised myself and made it all the way to the last move before being spat off, completely and utterly gassed.  It does however give me confidence to have another bash sometime, maybe on lead:

As the image above shows the flies were out (in force), it was also hotting up and time for us to make a move.  Good timing as when I came down Steve and Jules had just walked over.  We sorted the gear, had a bit of a gas bag with some of the other people there and then left them to it.  Looking back at the crag, as we walked out, we reckoned they maybe had half an hour of shade left before the place became an oven.  It was a hot walk out and on the drive out I stayed in the air conditioned car, which Rongy drove this time to allow Steve a well-deserved rest:

Just in case anyone was counting we mostly managed to get an even number of routes in, although Steve was the odd one out (for which he is forgiven).  So on the way back it felt like we deserved a bit of self-indulgence, and we stopped in the Carbunup roadhouse and got ice cream and chips!  I questioned the combination but it worked well and went down a treat, even though we had to have our dessert before the main meal.  Now Rongy was a bit surprised we managed to get six lines in with the time we had available, and you may wonder why:

Having left home at 4am and noting we left the crag at 11’ish we should have had ample time to get six lines in.  Well… unfortunately while Steve’s energy levels, post his chemo, are undoubtedly not going bad the chemicals seemed to still be impacting his brain, and he had changed the plans with all but me… and I was left hanging in Capel for an hour before they rocked up.  So as I listen to Depeche Mode as I type this, it is A Question of Time.

Steve’s sister Jules and her husband Michael have come over from ole Blighty to look after him for a bit on his road to recovery.  So seeing Jules has dabbled in bit of climbing herself Howsie and took the them out to Moses Rocks yesterday.  As suspected Steve tried to smuggle in an extra rope and a bunch of his gear, which was completely unnecessary as Howsie and I already had two racks and ropes.  So the first task of the day was unpacking Steve’s bag to ensure he didn’t smuggle in any unnecessary weight:

Michael is not really into climbing like Jules, so when she got up at 4am he politely accepted the offer to join us and then rolled over and went back to sleep.  Howsie and I were not really aware of all this until too late so we had packed as if there would be two parties climbing, but with only the four of us we really didn’t need to Sherpa in as much gear as we did.  Importantly Steve and the jet lagged Jules were able to travel light and dawdle behind us at their own relaxed pace as we made our way along the well beaten track:

We had intended to climb on Saturday so Glen could join us, but the forecast of fresh westerlies and a 5m swell suggested that the rock would be somewhat greasy.  Today was forecast for gentle westerlies and a 2-3m swell so Howsie and I were still expecting a degree of greasiness.  However, even on arrival the rock felt good.  Dry, good friction and no salty residue in sight.  With that I thought I’d warm up the proceedings with the worse crack to protect, the rounded and flared crack of Hands Up is even scary to lead with tricams:

Jules followed second, and we had no idea what to expect.  But she jumped on the line and was soon skiting her way up, with a pause at one location until I shouted to chicken wing it.  This threw her as it was a technique that she had not heard of before, but once she sussed it out she was off again and soon she was at the top with me with a big grin on her face.  Howsie only has the one rope, a 60m single which we thought was complete overkill for here but as things turned out it was great when you need to get four people up one route:

He was keen to jump on a few lines that he hadn’t been on before, or at least couldn’t remember climbing before.  So he set off up Many Hands, but instead of using all the crack systems up this line he stuck to the right.  The last time I came we Steve we worked out that the line in the guide is best spilt into two routes, each with their own distinct style and they can be kept completely independent.  As before we all trouped up after him like sheep, and there is good reason why we climbed in this fashion:

Steve is now in his second bout of chemo, with fortnightly treatment that will last for ten sessions.  On Saturday the pump came out after the first round of chemo, and understandably it was making him feel pretty crappy.  So he was not going to be leading and we did um and ah about whether he should climb at all.  But these were lines he had done many times before and not too hard so with a rope above him we allowed him to indulge in the first two climbs.  The smile on his face was gold, and that in itself is a magic medicine to keep spirits up:

While Jules has climbed before she has not been doing much outdoor stuff and certainly not much traditional leading.  So she was keen to start things off slowly and follow us up a few lines.  However, as with most climbers who start their career in Blighty it is impossible not to want to get on the sharp end when there are trad lines to be bagged.  So with that and to get a flavour for the rock and what it offers for gear she tackled Kiddies Corner.  After the successful lead Steve decided to sit this one out, a sign he was tiring:

Now before Michael and Jules had come out, it was pretty clear that we would end up taking them out to some climbing haunts.  So Steve suggested that Jules bring her favourite piece of gear and make sure it gets used.  So we took her No.11 hex when we were leading and tried to use it on every route.  For those familiar with Moses and the type of protection it offers you may laugh and say it was a fool’s game.  However, we did eight climbs that day and we placed it on route for five of them and for the other three it was used for a belay anchor:

I was up next and seeing the rope was already there at the foot of Cornish Nasty I thought why not.  The bottom was fine, cruising past the crux using a knee bar, but then I got to the top wall.  I started yoyo’ing on the rounded holds of the steep finish, and for my last attempt I slowly and steadily crept further and further left escaping the elephant’s arse finale.  It would have been disappointing if it had not been so comical how it played out.  Howsie and then Jules did not however cheat with the sneaky left exit, instead powering over the top of the crag:

We had not intended to hit the more awkward and harder lines, it just seemed to be playing out that way.  So Howsie eyed up Fat Slags another nervous climb because the first third, which is thin and balancy, is protected by a single cam that just never seems to look right.  We do know it holds as we have tested it ourselves, but that doesn’t help when you set off.  Howsie managed to put all that to the back of his mind and steadily made his way up this fine line.  Just by watching Jules thought it was not one for her:

Steve however, who had now sat out on two lines liked the look of this one and promptly said he really should try this one.  I guess after laying down for two routes he was somewhat recuperated and energised. He managed to follow up but did take a few rests on the rope, which thankfully didn’t cause him any issues.  Each time he refocused and set off on the battle again, claiming that the rock felt greasy and that was why he slipped off.  Following up last I can safely say he was talking hogwash, despite the forecast and last few days the rock was perfect:

Jules was up next and she was keen to try the line I had pointed out to her when we first arrived.  Wheely Thing wheely must be climbed, not only is it brilliant but it will gobble up an entire rack if you so choose.  I won’t lie, and as she worked her way higher all three of us fell silent.  It was a little scary as she placed a few pieces less than we were expecting.  I guess that I’ve forgotten how hard and fearless the true trad climbers are, and this time Steve sat out while Howsie and I enjoyed the crag classic:

It was after this line that Howsie spotted a whale, which promptly disappeared. We got back to our bags and Steve had suggested that he really should do a lead so he too could place the No.11 hex.  With much conflict we managed to find a short easy line that looked a safe and possible.  Before we moved all the gear over the whale popped up again, in fact there was more than one and there could have been three.  They provided us a great show of tail splashes, fin raises and some mini breaches, so we stood and watched them for quite a while: 

Then a pod of probably 20 plus dolphins came along and cruised along the waves occasionally surfing in towards the rocks before heading back out.  With dolphins in the foreground and whales in the back drop the three of us stood in tranche, having forgotten that Steve had already wandered off.  I’m pleased to say that when we had eventually grabbed our gear and caught up with him he had a change of heart and decided that leading probably wasn’t the best idea.  We all wished we could have recorded that statement, a rare sensible moment:

So instead Howsie was up again and looking for something new, and I pointed him to Pickup a feisty crack followed by a traverse on small feet and somewhat insecure handholds.  He was looking good as I leaned over to take some snaps.  But it was clear that he was tiring and at one point I could see his fingers slowly but surely uncurl and slowly lose all possibility of holding on.  How he managed to snatch with the other hand and get a better hold above I’ll never know and by the look on his face I don’t think he does either:

It was too much for Jules so she bailed and I scooted up after Howsie before making the obvious statement that while we were all pretty gassed that was only seven in the bag.  Steve was keen to get back and so Jules and he started to walk back.  I then quickly romped up No Balls, a route you won’t find written up anywhere but one Craig and I did in June last year when we did eight lines and all FAs but we never wrote them up.  It didn’t take up long to both get up this short but sweet line before packing up:

We scampered over the rocks, everything was still bone dry and perfect even the boulders along the water’s edge.  Ahead Steve and Jules could be seen as dots on the beach, slowly wandering along in the soft sand.  Despite taking a bit of a scenic route back along the water’s edge Howsie and I were soon feeling out legs as we walked over the dune and back to the carpark.  They had only just got back before us and hadn’t loaded the bags in the car, so we hoofed it all in the boot so we could get Steve out of the sun:

The AC went on and we were soon on the sealed roads, at which point the seat went back and Steve was soon snoring his way home.  I think it is fair to say that Jules loved her first trip out on rock in our patch, and is looking forward to another trip.  Steve too had a marvellous time and all that fresh sea air (with copious amounts of sun screen to avoid getting sunburnt) was just the tonic after the first round of chemo.  Next weekend he’ll have had a week off the chemo and will no doubt be chomping at the bit for the next trip out:

I do have to apologies to Steve, as he had wanted to me to make use of his images of me climbing.  Unfortunately he didn’t get the images to me in time, so I got away with it once more…

After bagging a few too many lines at Welly Dam last weekend my shoulder gave me the tell-tale signs that I had been pushing things a bit too far with recent trips out.  So I put the call out for anyone interested in a more relaxed session this weekend.  Mario was keen and we headed out to Lost Buttress for some lower grade trad fun.  It promised to be a warm day hitting the mid to high twenties, so we had a reasonable start to beat the heat.  We did however decide to walk in from the main crags at Wilyabrup, so rock hoped our way to arrive at just before 7:30:

We walked past the Northern Blocks, Bookshelf and lastly the Playground, the boulders were at times damp and slimy and I took a tumble taking some bark off.  Not the best start to the day but nothing too serious to stop us.  On arrival we decided to start from one end and work our way across picking off one line after another.  The first two lines fell pretty quickly especially when Marion led, as he didn’t place much gear at all.  To speed things up that bit more we had also brought a static and set it up on the ring bolts that Kym had kindly placed here: 

Despite the boulders on the walk in being damp the rock seemed to be in good nick.  The only thing that made us stop to think and take things a bit slower was the top-outs.  Lost Buttress is not a well frequently crag and the tops are littered with sand, friable rocks and vegetation; but while these top-outs can feel sketchy the routes themselves make it worth the effort and risk.  Soon we found ourselves tackling the next two lines, up both sides of the big imposing roof, the centre piece of the crag:

The waves today were crisp and clear, and with my untrained eye they looked big and perfect for surfing.  The occasional wave looked to form great barrels but today was not a day to sit around and watch the waves waiting for that perfect picture.  So I took some quick happy snaps  whenever I heard the ocean roar that little bit louder to signal a big set was in its way in.  The mist was trailing behind the waves, an easterly was kindly pushing the salt spray back out to sea saving our climbing gear from being coated and needing a rinse afterwards:

Mario took the best line of the day, the left side of the big roof has one of the most epic positions for exposure that you will find on any crag in the south west.  Stepping out on smeary footholds right out to the arête before needing to make committing move to get into the corner above, all on great rock with awesome gear.  After this line we skipped the next route, after all we were supposed to be taking it relatively easy today.  So in a way we didn’t hit every route, in fact there were two we missed out being Leap Frog (sorry Lou) and As the Crow Flies:

Sure enough the surfers were out, they were huddled out in the deep blue while the big sets seemed to pass them on either side.  That said I’m no surfer so I’m sure there was a reason for that.  While we were out the rescue helicopter flew over us several times, no doubt keeping an eye out for sharks in close vicinity to any surfers.  However, on at least two occasions it circled round and came back to where we were hovering just out to sea while we climbed.  No doubt they probably thought we were mad, but personally I think that of people who go surfing:

We kept trucking, and soon I was ambling up the second best route of the day, very direct and nicely sustained.  This route happened to be a Rob Crowder creation, he and Kym had invited me to get involved in establishing this place in 2013.  While Marion and I were chatting mentioned he had climbed with Rob a lot down at Bob’s Hollow.  Rob disappeared from the local crew and seemed to live at that crag for quite a few years meeting up with the Perth crew.  But it seems he has also disappeared from that crew, and we wondered where he is now:

Today was Mario’s first time at placing tri-cams, he had seen them before and taken them out on second but never placed them.  He fiddled about with them quite a few times, but just didn’t quite have the confidence with the placements he found. Often after mucking about for a while he simple shoved a cam in, but on the odd occasion he did trust them.  Another piece of gear that he was keen on trying to place on every route was the No.4 cam, so the biggest piece of hardware seemed to follow up every line only being used a couple of times:

This is one of the times it was used and thankfully so.  This is the piece that held after Mario managed to pull a (large) toaster sized block off, and promptly came off himself from a meter or more above this piece of gear.  In fact from here he is in the above image.  He bounced down, with the block hurtling to ground and crashing to my left where it spilt in two.  It was his biggest fall on trad and while he was a little shaken up, after a rest and some water he was back up there to finish the route off:

We kept moving leftward, and I got the most ordinary route after which we were both kinda wondering why.  But it was in the guide, so we ticked it off.  Then it was onto two more routes for which most of the climbing was a breeze, until you had to get up the top headwall.  While the lower sections were a ramble the upper wall was very worthwhile.  Mario’s had some great face climbing and mine required thugging up to get established in the crack on the arête with no feet.  I had no one to blame as I put the route up, and eventually I solved the puzzle again:

We hit the last route of the day at the left end of the crag just in time as the sun was starting to peel over the top of the crag.  This route was the scene of my worse climbing fall, when a large hand hold came off and spun me off the rock while I was soloing.  This time however Mario was using a rope and gear, which included a tri-cam that he was prepared to trust.  I think we may be able to convert him to the tri-cam way of thinking yet.  With ten fine routes in the bag we were happy to call it a day:

We packed our gear and pondered whether to carry the offending hand hold out as a memento, I had done that with the one that knocked me off but Marion decided a photo was enough for him.  I’m pleased to say that the boulders were dry as we rock hopped back, so there were no more mishaps.  As we passed the Northern Blocks we spied a climber yo-yoing up and down below the final runout headwall of Corpus Delecti in full sun.  We both agreed rather him than us, even more so when back at the car the thermometer indicated it was 26 degrees:

If you are keen to check out the lines we climbed check out the mini-guide: Lost Buttress.  The question I have is whether Marion will treat me to a spectacular fall every time we head out.  So far it’s been two out of two with a big whipper last weekend from the top of Welcome to Edges and today’s was even more impressive, I just hope they don’t get more spectacular each time…

I canned a Saturday trip to Wilyabrup on what promised to be a perfect spring day just minutes after organising it, due to my daughter asking if we could head to Perth to go to the aquarium.  A place where we used to go on a regular basis when she was younger and haven’t been to for many, many years.  While I may seemingly live and breathe climbing, when you get a rare opportunity like that to spend time with your teenage kids, then climbing takes the back seat.  So instead it was on Sunday that I left home, as the sun was rising:

It was a glorious morning with just a bit of mist making the morning sun glow that golden colour for longer than usual.  I couldn’t help but stop at the bridge out of Peppy Beach (above) and then again the bridge over the Capel River (below) to take in the view.  As I drove onto the second bridge two pelicans had left the flock and flew just feet above the car, geez they are big birds!  The winds had turned today and the sea cliffs were not likely to be the best option, so I was heading to Bunbury to Pick Steve up before then heading out to Welly Dam:

By the time I’d picked Steve up from his new digs and drove to the National Park it was a clear sky with only a hint of clouds about.  The forecast was for a good morning, rain threatening after midday.  Welly Dam offers great access and with fully equipped routes you can knock a heap off pretty quickly, if you have the stamina.  So with no need to rush, we took our time and even stopped to move this unfortunate Echidna, which had fallen foul to some inattentive driver, off the road.  I’m not sure how they couldn’t have seen the poor creature:

We arrived at the same time as Mario.  I met him sometime last year and have kept in touch, but never climbed together.  He’s been away for a while and not climbed much so was keen to get back into shape.  In fact he is so keen that this was his fourth consecutive day to climb at Welly Dam.  The previous three have all been top-rope soloing missions.  So I wasn’t quite sure how we would go, while his previous visits had been only for a couple of hours this place isn’t easy and four days on the trot was going to be a tough challenge:

Steve settled into one of our beach chairs.  Everyone who has used has used these claims they are the most comfortable beach chairs out there.  From this prone vantage point he was able to enjoy the show, have a good banter and rest up as he has been instructed to since his operation.  With that I was on first lead and took on the delightful Barbie Q, a fingery climb and maybe a tad feisty for a warm up climb.  Mario then wanted to get take things easy and get his leading head back into shape, so jumped on This Murky Corner:

We moved Steve’s chair about the wall as we picked lines in the middle, then right, out left and back in the middle again.  While he loved the chair he was also conscious that he does need to move about a bit and so he also walked up to the toilets when needed.  Being in parent mode I made him message me at crucial times such as arrival and departure to make sure he was going ok.  On his return he found us on Shock Therapy, so settled on the old light foundation which provided an idea prone position, so as not to crane his neck:

Next up was Welcome to Edges, Marion was going great but his arms were starting to tire.  Shock Therapy had been a little damp making us pull on the holds a bit harder, other than that the rock was in great condition and this was boosted by the fact that there was minimal humidity in the air.  He was looking strong, from below, and was soon at the top only needing to clip into the last anchors.  It seemed like he had it in the bag but then he dropped the rope, he tried clipping again before shouting I’m done and coming off and took a good fall:

After shaking out he finished the route off and then we decided it was time to put Steve to work.  He soon had the kettle went on and while we were waiting for it to boil I jumped on a route that Steve had said he would like to watch us climb when we first arrived.  How could I say no to the crag classic and so we climbed Ear of Fear and finished just in time for when the teas were made and ready to sip.  Mario was feeling it now and so we stopped for a natty before carrying on, he admitted he would struggle leading but was happy to second: 

So with that we moved Steve and the chair to the next location and ticked Savage Sausage Sniffer.  I was feeling in good shape and Mario was enjoying building his stamina up, so with that and seeing it was close to Steve we then ticked Victim of Authority.  A route that would normally give me the hee-bee-gee-bees on lead, as it has some pretty exposed run out sections that could result in a nasty fall.  But today I was climbing well, and it all fell into place.  We decided that Mario needed to get on the floppy end again and so it was over to the carpark slabs:

He climbed Old School and seeing we were there I climbed B Young.  Topping out I thought we were done for the day, some great routes and we had finished on an even number.  But I got it wrong, as Marion rightly pointed out, so after making doubly sure of the tally it was time for one more route.  And, independently of each other, both Mario and Steve suggested Ebonie Road was the one to finish on.  One for me to lead as Mario was getting really tired now, although you would never have guessed it with how he cruised up that last line:

I don’t think it will be long before Mario is back up to full strength and he will be dragging me up the harder lines.  We then packed up and headed out, Steve and I drove out the scenic way, both because it is nicer but also because Frank was having his birthday party down at Big Rock.  We popped in to see Frank and the gown ups, included Ram and Howsie.  After a good catch up and declining the offer of birthday cake we kept moving.  Steve was starting to flag so I dropped him straight home, leaving the beach chair with him as he kinda grew attached to it:

Today was the first trip out that felt like a big group, there seems to be a growing keenness to get onto rock by the local south west group.  It was supposed to be a cold start after a clear sky night, followed by blue skies and light winds.  So Rongy and I were a tad surprised when as we approached Busselton and could see rainbows.  And as we travelled on the rain came down.  We decided to trust that things would be OK and kept going.  We also didn’t let on to Wiggins, Steve, Glen, Alan or Mark, who were planning to join us a little later, of what it was like:

It reduced to a drizzle as we walked in to the cliffs of Wilyabrup.  This is the best place to go when there is a bit of a pose, as it has a great variety of route styles and grades so there is something for everyone.  Not surprisingly we arrived to an empty carpark and had the place to ourselves.  By the time we were climbing the drizzle had gone and the sky out to sea was clearing up.  With no wind it was feeling warm and so we started in T-shirts, on a couple of relaxed warmup routes.  Evidence of the downpour was lying about on the ledges and top of the crag:

Hope and then Glory were the obvious climbs to start on.  Rongy was a late joiner to the days group and also provided me with an opportunity to get out a bit earlier, something he is not afraid of.  When we made plans for the earlier start I mentioned that my bag was already packed, with a rope and only passive gear.  This was due to me expecting a cruisy day, based on the others due to arrive, and so adding a bit of spice by not using any active gear.  Rongy took this as a sign that regardless of grade passive gear was the go, so that is how we started:

The wind was picking up making us wrap backup, and while it was cold this was a good thing.  The compact gneiss of Wilyabrup, a hybrid of granite and sedimentary rock, isn’t very porous and as such regardless of how much it rains once it has stopped and the wind blows it is quick to dry.  So as the rest of the crew turned up they found me at the top of one of the projects that Steve had in mind.  I was happy to report to Steve that the rock was in great condition, should he want to have a bash at the line of Inner Space today:

The capping roof under Hope Buttress became base camp, and it has been a long time since I have seen it so packed with gear, sacs and ropes.  So much so that it seemed like there was enough gear to tackle something much, much bigger than the cliffs at Wilyabrup.  While the boys jumped onto the two routes that we had started on Rongy was up again.  He had already decided on a route that he does not get on very often.  This meant that we moved away from the pack, which felt a little antisocial of us but we soon got over it:

Rockfish Dreaming is a feisty number, the top headwall is full of small holds and being as steep as it is it can quickly pump your forearms and make you feel very exposed.  Rongy paced himself well and climbed upwards towards the now blue sky in search of the sun.  He managed to bag himself a top belay spot in the sun, and watched a pod of dolphins cruise past as I came up second.  I had to dig a bit deeper than normal bearing down on the small holds a bit too much, as my forearms started popping out like Popeye’s:

We then re-joined the group, Wiggins had run up Hope with Mark and then Glen in tow.  Steve meanwhile had enjoyed the delights of Glory, with Alan and his noodle arms quivering up on second (self-confessed).  With them still busy on those two lines I plumped, after a suggestion by Rongy, for what I reckon is the best mid-grade trade line at Wilyabrup.  Golden Buttress provides a varied range of rock features, great exposure and just about enough gear.  I then made Rongy hang about on the last good hold waiting for the sun to cast a good enough shadow:

Wiggins was keen to follow up on second, so I sat in the sun for a bit longer looking out.  Unlike Rongy I wasn’t lucky enough to see any dolphins, but with the view of the rugged coastline and a blue sky I wasn’t complaining.  Wiggins was taking his time and purposely so.  He is nursing an injured shoulder, it’s an old injury that seems to plague him.  He was also cleaning the rack as he was climbing, something I like to do (unless I’m getting really gassed).  It makes you hang about a bit longer, forcing you to use good technique and find rests in unlikely positions:

When we got down Glen and Mark had disappeared.  We were told they had gone to the far northern area of the main crags to tackle Stormcock, a route that I have never been on so I’m keen to hear what they think of it.  Meanwhile to even things up Rongy was up for one more line.  He again picked a line that he had not done very often.  This one has a very gnarly move to get established on the hanging arête above the main wall, but that didn’t stop him and soon it was my turn.  The top move had me working harder than it should have, I was tiring:

As we climbed Steve took on and beat Thunder Thighs, it took him a while to figure out his gear in the lower crack but after that he motored on and used nearly all of his large tri-cams on just one route, which may be a first.  Alan was feeling better on his second route, getting used to trusting those stick boots once again.  Meanwhile Wiggins, as all this sending was going on, was taking the opportunity to gather a bit of footage from above with the promise of another video being made.  Back down on the deck Rongy and I were pretty content and called it a day:

We left the others to play, and play they did racking up another couple of great routes of Road Trip and Hitching.  As Rongy and I walked out a few more climbers and mob of eight boulders, the later looking like hermit crabs, were heading in.  It certainly felt like Wilyabrup was getting busy, by SW WA standards!

You may recall that last weekend I was not at my best, but that said Rongy and I still had a great session at the Northern Blocks with me following up every route.  This week I’ve been a bit up and down, Lisa suggested I may be experiencing a dose of manapause or possibly worse the early warning signs of man-flu.  I had popped over to Glen’s for a boulder on Thursday, where we were joined by the elusive Lou.  I managed to boulder a bit but like last weekend it felt like I pumped out way to fast.  So this weekend I needed something low key and fun:

It was an obvious choice, Castle Rock.  The place that offers easy stuff, as well as the absurd which I knew this bandy crew wouldn’t be touching.  I was joined today by Glen coming back from his broken foot, cancerous Steve and learning to climb again Mark.  So I felt fairly sure that things would be steady as she goes and a bit of a laugh.  We didn’t head out till mid-afternoon and while this place can heat up at that time of the day, yesterday there was a stiff wind and the sun dipped in and out of the clouds making for ideal conditions:

Steve was busting to get on the sharp end, he’s set himself a challenge to get to level one UK army fitness level.  This was almost immediately after coming off chemo and radiotherapy some four weeks’ish back.  He was also keen to see just how well he was going as he has a couple of projects at Wilyabrup that he wants to tick before stage 2 of his treatment, when he will go under the knife.  I showed him the new line here and liking the look of it off he went.  He had me nervous as he went through the crux sequence, but he pulled through with much relief:

Meanwhile Glen also started on the floppy end, he had already said that he wanted nothing too hard today.  His foot is still healing and therefore he has been advised not to overdo it.  Indeed when we picked him up, Kathy made the point of saying “don’t break him this time”.  What with his recent years of various injuries I think she is a bit over having Glen as a cripple limping round the house.  So being sensible and just wanting to get his gear in the rock he played on the cracks to our left, which while great fun and worthy lines never made it into the guide:

Seeing Steve had done such a good job on his lead I could sense that me taking on one of those easier lines to the left was not really going to meet his needs.  So I plumped for the crack up the arête.  The bottom wall was fine but as I stood ready at the shelf looking at the undercut block self-doubt was creeping in.  Despite being able to place great gear above, as I started to layback my way upwards I had that strange sensation creeping back into my arms.  I dug deeper than last weekend and polished the job off, although that said the challenges were shorter lived:

For this route for some reason I had always come into this crack from the right looking at the rock, it was as I was doing this that Steve questioned why.  This was the first time I had led it direct, and I have to say it is a far better way to climb it.  As I was climbing it was also Mark’s turn to tackle the cracks.  He was placing great gear and enjoying the feeling of leading on trad.  We both set up anchors ready to belay the other two up.  Steve gobbled the route up, even stopping at this point to pull his sippy mug off his harness to have a sip of coffee:

We then decided to move over to the dark side, here the sun didn’t shine and the rock had a slightly damp feel.  A result of the big downpour on Friday.  Mark and Glen were keen to test their ability on the sharp slab, but not keen to lead it, and Steve had his eye on a route he’s battled with several times.  With slightly damp rock and a silly (even by my standards) high first bolt he decided to rap in to pre-clip the first bolt.  This would not detract from a clean ascent, if he finally managed it, as stick clipping the first bolt is standard sports climbing practise:

Mark had come here during the week with Andrew, and there was mention of how they had tried hard to get this route.  It has small sharp holds for the first half, the sort that will eat away the skin on your fingertips.  Today with prior knowledge he was keen to hit it again.  It’s on from the moment you get both feet off the deck, small finger piercing crimps and equally small footholds.  It’s not a place you really want to hang about on too long, but the next moves require smears for feet and full pressure on those finger tips so you have to muster your courage:

While Mark took layers of skin off I set myself up in a comfy position to allow me to watch Steve, and get a better camera angle.  With the first bolt clipped he made short work of the bouldery start, he even got into the layback sequence with relative ease.  From there he inched his way up the layback.  Working out how to clip the bolt he swapped hands a few times and continued to move up until his feet were above the first bolt.  Then he fell, his distance above the bolt plus rope stretch allowed him to gently reach the ground and roll onto his back all in slow motion:

Both Steve and I were in fits of laughter, as Mark looked on a little stunned and Glen… well he’s used to these antics.  Needless to say I moved closer to the rock for stage two, and I’m pleased to say that Steve clipped the second bolt from lower down reducing the risk of another touchdown.  He then battled hard and long and finally topped out with numerous falls along the way.  As we hooted and hollered on our line Mark’s fingers admitted defeat and went up the left flake, then Glen surprised himself as scooted up the slab with ease:

Steve and I continued to play on our line.  With a rope above us we both had several runs on it.  The luxury of the rope also allowed us to try a few new approaches, checking out what is the best stance from which to clip that second bolt.  We even went so far as to have a bash at down climbing the line, which while fun felt insanely difficult.  Needless to say my arms were feeling ok on this line, more than likely due to having had the rope above me.  However, after the third ascent I started to feel them tire and I knew it was time to move onto new ground:

As Steve and I got ourselves sorted for the last line of the day Glen was already getting down to business up the fun leaning flake on the arête right of the sharp slab.  He wanted to get that gear back in touch with rock, as it has been gathering dust in his garage way too long.  We watched for a while as I got ready to take of the slab, and it was shortly after this that Glen got himself in a bit of a pickle.  He got some gear in above but was standing on the rope so couldn’t pull it through, so had to make a move up before clipping the rope, we all held our breathe:

I’m glad to say he held it together moved up and then almost forgot to clip the next piece he had put in.  Then looked down and said that he had given himself a fright doing that, but it’s alright Kathy we didn’t break him… this time.  I got myself ready and launched up the slab, the holds felt a bit bitey but not too bad as I worked my way up past the first bashed in carrot, past the sling on the ledge and I soon had the second high bashed in carrot clipped.  Just in time to take a few snaps of Glen taking his time to top out so he could fiddle with his nuts a bit longer:

I was happy to have felt really good on my route, there is no more man-flu in me!  Steve followed up, but not before a false start when he knocked off one of the start footholds.  The climb never presented him any great problems, so he declared those projects at Wilyabrup were on and needed to be ticked before October.  As we sat atop Glen admitted that his foot was aching now and it was time to stop, so after Mark followed up admiring Glen’s gear, we all wandered down and started to pack up.  By the time we were walking out it was getting dark:

Castle Rock gave us the tonic we all needed, thrills and spills with a good dose of banter and laughter… plans are already underway for a trip Wilyabrup.

Rongy and I headed out on Sunday for a bit of fun at Wilyabrup.  We decided to get there early, so as we were driving west on Metricup Road five minutes from our destination I could see, in the rear view mirror, the sun starting to inch it’s way above the horizon.  The sky seemed hazy and as a result the sun was a deep red.  It was not until it had broken free from the horizon that it turned into the more familiar brilliant yellow.  We got to the carpark to find four cars and a bus parked up, not taking much notice of them we shouldered our packs and wandered down:

Rongy had hinted on the drive down that we could have diverted and gone to Smiths Beach.  However, for those who have experienced that place you’ll understand that it is not the sort of trip you just decide on.  You need to mentally prepare yourself for the routes there, whereas Wilyabrup is like a familiar old friend.  That said we had talked about how it would be good to jump on those less frequented climbs, and so we started Verbosity which while less climbed is one I’ve done a bunch of times.  The rock was a bit damp, which we put down to the early start:

However, as I belayed Rongy up the first route I was watching the waves, and it was clear that while there was only a light wind it was a landward breeze.  I could see the fine mist that normally trails behind the waves being blown toward the cliffs.  This meant that the greasy feel of the rock that the mist and salt residue leaves was not likely to disappear as the morning wore on.  So as we scrambled back down after the first climb I was left wondering what to tackle next, I had in mind to pick something on the Fat Chance Wall as this is probably the least climbed area:

With that I jumped on Slapping the Fat, a climb I have only once many years back done before.  The bouldery start with limited gear, and in these conditions, felt very sketchy and I climbed up and down a number of times before committing to the crux.  From there I eased into the climb and had a great feeling of satisfaction of having gone for it.  As Rongy followed me up we saw the first of many other climbers, in fact on this trip the place was to be the busiest we had seen it in many years.  We lost count of how many people rocked up both walkers and climbers:

One of those less trodden routes that Rongy had in mind was Woman Accept If For What It Is.  I led this one for the first time only recently so I had a clear memory of how sketchy it could feel, while water was not dripping down the face it was greasy and as such the first half was pretty serious.  It was then that I heard a “hello uncle Krish” and Henry, Charlie, Oyukha and Craig appeared.  I had to focus on Rongy leading, but once he was in a safer position we had a chat and it only then dawned on me that it was their bus in the car park:

Craig was not climbing, but when they had got up and saw my car there Oyukha said that they should bring down a thermos of tea for us.  So it was that Rongy and I had an unexpected but very welcome tea break after a couple of cracking routes.  Then it was time to get back to business and I drifted back to the Fact Chance Wall to a climb I have done a few times, but always get super scared on.  The perfectly named Blubber Boy is a steep and sketchy slab with some small gear.  Despite the conditions I felt more comfortable on it than ever before:

As I belayed Rongy up Mick rocked up with a tour group, and was shocked at the crowds he found.  He asked what we were considering next and Rongy had already made his choice which unbeknown to him was one of Mick’s routes.  So Rongy got to hear about the line from the first ascentist, not that he gave anything away.  Stormbringer is not pushover and has an unspoken reputation, so much in fact that I have never seen anyone climb it.  I have only ever seconded Craig up it many years back and since that experience have shied away from it:

The lower section is steep and brutal.  Once you leave the comfortable looking stance above you may have reasonable handholds the feet are on smears and the longer you ponder over each move the more your strength gets sapped.  On my last attempt I floundered there for ages and Rongy didn’t fare much better this time.  The upper wall then seems to offer loads of options for handholds but they are slopey and less than comfortable at the best of times, so it takes time to find the best ones.  Today they were horrendous making it even harder work:

After making a clean ascent of the energy sapping first section I then seemed to lose all forearm strength and struggled on the upper section.  Eventually making it with my veins popping out.  So for the last climb of the session I made the sensible choice to jump on Mid-Wall Crisis, a route that really was new ground.  I’ve not being on this line nor either of the two routes that it makes use of.  I missed a crucial hold and made one section much harder than it needed to be, which drained me and led to me hanging in my harness to recover before slowly finishing the line:

So on this busy day when there were ropes all over the place, by choosing those less popular lines we managed to avoid the crowds and queues.  Despite being less frequented routes they were all great fun, and despite being in less than perfect condition we climbed them in good style, until the last two.  At least we both have unfinished business to attend on our next trip down, when hopefully the rock will be in better condition.  Which is likely as on the walk out we saw a sure sign on improving weather coming; Pink Fairies and Purple Enamel orchids:

As we walked out at midday a group of eight were walking down to join the throngs.  We never understand why people climb so late on hotter days, but in a way are grateful they do.  Finally we were back at the carpark and it was packed, all the bays were taken up and cars were lined up on both sides of the road.  It certainly seems strange that with all those people climbing today we were still able to find quite spots on the cliffs and stay away from the crowds and off the beaten track on routes that really deserve more attention: