A trip to Perth

Being on holiday has given me the time to explore a few more areas that I haven’t been to before so after living down in the sleepy SW for almost 10 years I finally headed up to Perth to see what the climbing was like up there.

One of the reasons I haven’t bothered heading up to Perth to climb is it take two and half hours to get there from where we live, in addition we have great traditional crags in beautiful settings only an a hour from us. However, it was time to make the trek and see just what they were like. In addition to a mob of smaller places there are two main quarries in Perth and we plumped for Statham. So after leaving home at 3:30, picking Chris up and having a food stop we finally rolled into the quarry just after sunrise at 6:00. Chris wandered straight over to look at a great ragged crack line that went up the highest part of any wall in the quarry:

We decided however to start on something less steep, to get used the rock and allow us the time to wake up. However, the guide we had was some 20 years old so didn’t have even half the routes we could see, but we plumped for a fun looking slabby pillar that had three lines going up it. I set off first as Chris hadn’t touched rock much over the last few months, so was the first to clip the bolts. As I worked my way up I got a view of the outer areas of Perth which included some residential but also a mob of industrial areas criss-crossed with power lines:

Chris was slow on second and not feeling it. But for anyone who climbs with me should know that it is not that easy to get out of leading one for one, so up he went on the left side of the pillar. The rock is hard but also brittle and there was evidence of many flakes and sizable chunks littered all around. You needed to check the holds as you used them and for the most they were good, but occasionally you felt something creak and it was enough to make us that bit more cautious on the first few ascents we did:

It was not until the third line on the Pillar that Chris got into it, making short work on seconding me up the central blank looking slab which we considered the best of the three lines. Maybe it was because there were less loose flakes, or the sun was peeping into the quarry and warming us up:

So all fired up, and after a sip of water Chris headed back to the line which caught his attention when we first rocked up. A ragged looking crack line that looked like it should go natural but was fully bolted. It didn’t look too bad but as he started up it was obvious that once again looks were deceiving:

He perceived taking his time and resting whenever possible, finally getting to the top sounding exhausted but happy and thoroughly enjoying the line. It wasn’t I lowered him that we noticed that the line was overhanging by some three meters, a bit of a sign of why it was so tricky. But it wasn’t till I got on it that I really understood, the holds felt slope and it kept you off balance for a lot of the time. A great line and lead:

The sun was beating down now so we wandered over to look at a few other lines in the shade A few other people had been playing on one climb earlier in the morning. They had to bail and rap down to get their gear so we guessed it was tricky, but looking at it is didn’t look appealing. So I went for the great looking open book corner that has a superb looking line of thin flakes up the guts of it. The line was pumpy and sustained, with a great thin finish which I felt I was about to slip off at any moment. We both loved the line and were starting to get to like the place more and more.

It was really starting to warm up as the clock was heading towards midday, so only a quick stop for a bite to eat before we went for the next line. This one looked the least intimidating of the lot so far but was in full sun, a mixture of short walls and slabs proving to be yet another fun line. Yes there is finally a photo of me, heading up after Chris led it:

I had spied a great looking line, a thin flake up a steep face but it was in full sun and after one climb in the sun we decided it wasn’t the best move. With not much left in the shade we went back to the line that hadn’t looked that appealing to us and which we had seen the other people bail on. It was my lead so I went for it, a steep and strange line which was technical with no rests. I managed to get most of the way up before my strength was gone. Even after a rest I slipped off the next move making it the first led fall of the day! One more bash and I get through with arms screaming out:

Chris got to the same spot and then fell, it took a bit of working but he got the last moves. This image gives an idea of the steepness of the wall and amount of energy left in both of us by now. So once Chris came down we decided that would be it for the day, but not until I went back up the line and got it clean on top-rope:

It was only coming up to 2pm so plenty of day light left and people were still climbing. It was surprising to see how many people were coming and going all day, but being so close to Perth why wouldn’t you grab a few hour sot get a climb in. Still we had been climbing for some 8hrs and really enjoyed it, knowing that there were other lines we liked to the look of making a return trip sometime worthwhile:

Couldn’t resist ending with this one, it was not an uncommon sight. The amount of holds that were being held on by glue was quite amazing, none from what we could see where actually placed and glued, but many were glued in to make sure they stayed put. I’ve seen this practise used at a few places in my climbing time but have to say it is probably the most amount of glue I have ever seen used at any crag. Still it is quarry climbing with bolts so why not glue as well eh, and in saying that there were some stonking lines and the place was well worth the trip:

Smiths Beach

There was a blue sky and we had a few days of dry weather so it seemed like a good idea to head out. With other things to get done Lou and I didn’t want to be out too long so we plumped for Smith’s Beach, due to its easy access and short walk-in. On arrival at the car park I noticed that the swell was up and thought it may be a bit wet in the zawn……………..

Sure enough when we got there the swell was creating waves that headed straight into the zawn swamping the bottom half like I have not seen it before. The right wall with the easier lines that I was hoping to jump was sodden:

Unperturbed we were still keen to jump on rock, then I realised that I had left my shoes at home so I squeezed into Lou’s shoes (only one size down) and jumped on lead. I got a bit unnerved on the first lead what with the wet rock and extremely atmospheric conditions, so ended up off line and onto a climb with a horrendously slopey and reachy top out. I bottled out and escaped right, but I didn’t let Lou off that lightly:

After one line of soppy rock, but with the great friction Smiths offers we were eager for more so we jumped onto one of the crag classics – the line I intended for the first lead. The waves came in sets and some were enormous and poor Lou got a bit wet while belaying me, but don’t stress we were sensible and made sure we were both anchored in at all times:

Strangely for short periods the ocean seemed to calm down and the zawn for a while was not covered with white water, but it never lasted lie that for long and the sound of the waves was relentless:

For the final climb we decided to head further up the zawn away from the treacherous waves up a direct, rounded crack that offers plenty of friction holds with technical balancy moves. This side was fortunately in the sun so  wasn’t quite as wet. A perfect climb for a day like today and a great pitch to finish our quick morning climb:

As is the norm when climbing at Smiths, with it abrasive rock and need for jamming we both left a bit of bark behind on the routes. But we walked out with big smiles on our faces thankful for yet another great experience:

An afternoon on the beach

While summer is on its way the thermometer still hasn’t gone much above 25 but the still calm days are here, so it we went for a play on the beach this afternoon:

We picked up Chloe from next door and their dog Cruiso, and off we went:

In case you were wondering what Elseya and Chloe were on/in, the tricycle is obvious but the trailer is in fact a dog bed we made into a buggy today that has been a source of much fun:

I took down my snorkel mask and decided that I would head out to see what there may be to see in the sea:

In addition to the waving weed there were many hidden gems in the rocks such as this sea urchin:

There were also many types of weed such as this cabbage leaf, made even more pretty by the light that gave everything an autumn feel:

There were some fish about, not many in numbers or variety except for one period when I found myself surrounded:

They didn’t seem to mind me duck diving and swimming alongside them, so I was pretty happy with my first snorkel of the summer:

While I spent a lot of time underwater Lisa, kids and dogs were having a lovely time of it splashing in the shallows and lounging on the beach.

Another Day Out

There has been another blip in the wet weather for a few days, which let the sun come out to play. So Chris and I took advantage and drove up towards to Perth to visit a crag neither of us had been to before. Boomer Crag doesn’t have heaps of routes on it but it is nestled in the hills and has a completely atmosphere to the coastal crags that we normally visit.

I left home at 5:30 and we timed the journey perfectly arriving at the crag at half an hour after first light, and as we stepped out of the car we were greeted by a biting cold wind:

The setting didn’t disappoint us being surrounded by lush green vegetation and sporting great views over the valley. The crag was also sheltered from the wind which was a bonus:

I jumped on the first line a great cracked slab, which provided beautifully sustained climbing. Graded at 15 it felt a fair bit harder but that may have been due to the rock being so cold, making our fingers tingle and toes ache:

Chris then plumped for an inviting looking climb that was slightly stiffer at grade 17, it looked a fine line starting up a crack and finishing up a round arête:

The bottom crack proved to be stiffer than expected but with perseverance and time (I won’t give away how long the first 5m took!) he was soon firing up the fantastic blank arête in great style:

Next I jumped on a grade 17 slab, the description of which said it was a bit run out in the middle. I didn’t have too much trouble other than a screaming calve muscle, and relished the thin exposed moves. As Chris followed me up he was showing signs of tiring:

While there was still the crag classic to bag, an awesome vertical crack. It was Chris’s lead and he didn’t feel he could do it the justice it deserved. So we decided to leave that for next time, but as he was climbing with me he wasn’t getting out of his next lead. So for the next one he piled on all the gear we had:

He was soon heading up yet another great line, a grade 13 leftward rising traverse that girdled the whole crag. It had some airy moves in great positions and left some of the best moments till last when the rope drag was greatest (Chris probably not even half way in this image):

We then packed up and headed back to the car, but before heading off decided to check a short 10m crag that was right on the road side. It sported four bolted lines so we decided to bag a couple before finishing. The climbing was very contrasting to what we had just been doing but was equally fun, we were not sure of the grades but reckoned on 17ísh for both:

Chris was the last one up so I left him to get to the first clip (which was some way up) before I put him on belay, just to get some good shots. Rest assured I did put him on belay after he clipped the first bolt, so we both ended yet another brilliant day out safely:

Meanwhile back in Bunbury Lisa and Moo were out with the two poodles doing more dog training. Something they have both been really enjoying (as are Sooky and Nicka the poodles):

Today’s session was a bit of a get together of all the training classes and they held competitions in which Elseya and Sooky, as has been the case in all the dog training exercises, kicked Lisa and Nicka’s butt!

Mount Frankland

The last few weeks have been pretty wet but there seemed to be a break in the weather so Steve, Leanne, Chris and myself decided to head out for an overnight climbing trip to a place called Mount Frankland. The is a huge granite monolith with great long slabs which start in the Karri forest floor and then emerge above the tops of these tall majestic trees. We were taking a risk going our mid-winter but it all turned out ok:

We arrived early Friday afternoon to find the rock damp and in places running like a waterfall, after the rain of the last few days:

It was straight into it finding a few lines that were dry enough to all does small holds to be useable. It took a degree of self-confidence to use and trust them but the friction at Mount Frankland is great:

Chris got the top of the first climb, calves burning and head exploding from focusing very hard to get up the damp line:

The second line we bagged was better and after the first 10m was dray and and in great condition:

By now Steve and Leanne had finished walking round Mount Frankland and also up and down it, having felt on arrival to the rock to be too wet for them. Steve decided to head up to bag at least one line on the first day:

While Chris followed me up a line that had water just about running down it Steve and Leanne were topping out as the light faded:

For a moment it seemed that the rope might not want to come down but with a bit of grunt and Steve finally helping out there was a sigh of relief:

Chris meanwhile was enjoying a final decent of the day in the dark:

We walked out in darkness and set up camp. Steve was determined to light his one match fire and tried very hard:

Unfortunately the wood was a little damp, and it seemed for some time that he produced more smoke than flames, leaving poor Leanne to get colder and colder:

Eventually, with five matches, some tissue, a bit of card and also some sizable fire lighters Steve was successful:

We were up and the crack of dawn, being welcomed by a dry morning which was a promising sign:

On the walk in we spied some great mushrooms and I couldn’t resist taking a photo:

Chris set off on the first lead, the rock was much drier but also very cold this early in the morning, and his fingers felt it as he crimped down on the small holds:

Steve and Leanne were not far behind us and soon we were both heading up a couple of great three pitch routes:

Yesterday all the routes were single pitch, so today we purposely picked some multi pitch routes to get above the trees:

It was Leanne’s first multi-pitched climb without someone helping her at the belays, and she was relishing the experience with a great big smile:

Steve was also a very happy bunny as despite being mostly a bolted area be was able to use his newly bought toys a rather large number of tri-cams:

Leanne was climbing really well – tackling the tricky slabs, using the small holds and trusting her boots on some quite technical and sustained slabs:

Chris and I fired up one more two pitch climb as Leanne and Steve descended, as a true couple side by side (how romantic!):

Finally Chris topped out on the last pitch of the trip, quite exhausted. On the walk out we found more intriguing fungi so yes I had to stop again:

Back at the camper we sorted the gear, made a cuppa and food for the road and then drove home to get back in good time before dark. So in the end we scored a great mid-winter trip:

Driftwood Bay

Alan and I headed out for an afternoon climb yesterday and plumped for Driftwood Bay at Willyabrup, as it had a number of lower grade 20m climbs so Alan could have a bash at leading:

In comparison to the main walls and northern buttresses of Willyabrup this crag certainly looks scrappy and was a bit of a bush bash to get to. As such it is not likely to see much action and there was little evidence of anyone else having been here for sometime:

Alan hasn’t led many climbs so I set off on the first lead so he could get his head into gear. We both liked the look of the right hand wall that offered two routes (in the guide). I headed up the 13 leaving the 11 for Alan and found it to be a good sustained line with great moves but at time tricky to find gear. The top of the crag is littered with strange limestone formations, very uninviting for belay anchors for I set up a rap station just below the top:

Alan followed up and it was obvious from his face that the climb was harder than he thought a 13 should be and I have to agree, but then a grade is only a guide. This image shows why the crag is so aptly named:

Undeterred Alan set of up the grade 11 working his way up carefully and finding far more gear placements than I found (all of which were text book placements and bomb proof). He however didn’t mange the top headwall and crept left to finish up the line I had just done:

I then spied a line in-between the two we had just done, but seemingly sharing the line up the final headwall on the grade 11 that Alan had just attempted. With a short but fiery overhung jam crack to start and balancy final headwall it proved to be a worthwhile line (based on the grading at the crag maybe a 15). The top headwall as the image below shows was quite thought provoking and was no way an 11 (we now reckon the 11 probably should up the right hand side of the headwall):

Alan’s leading head was gone by then so I jumped on a line a bit to the left that looked to go up some pretty inconsistent terrain. However, the first half went up a sentry box that provided brilliant moves, gear and positions – it was awesome. It got a bit broken after that but still provided enjoyable climbing. Alan followed up feeling relieved he hadn’t tried to lead this one – another Driftwood Bay 13! With time to try one more line I headed for another 13 with a fun looking hand crack to start with. I ambled up the 20m with 4 bits of gear much to Alan’s surprise, but when he followed we agreed that maybe a grade 10 was probably more like it. A nice way to finish the afternoon’s climbing:

So as we scrambled down for the last time we decided the moral of the story was not to just look at the grading, but also to look at the date of the first ascent. Assuming these have not been tampered with since they were first assigned you can add several grades to 1970 routes to make them comparable with more recent routes. Either we are softer or they had bigger balls – or maybe it was just our headspace on the day…….

Eagle Stone Rocks

We have just had a long weekend here in Western Australia and it was likely all the places were packed with campers, so Chris and I decided to head off on the public holiday, Monday for a few days, and head out after the manic period:

After carefully watching the forecast we plumped for a central Wheatbelt climbing spot some 250klm east of Perth, over the southern coast due to the predicted winds still being fairly high. It would seem a strange place to head as the landscape out there is as flat as a pancake (other than low undulating rises and valleys):

However, 7hrs after leaving home (a late start as I wanted to have breakfast with my girls J and then even later as Chris had vehicle trouble before he got to my place) we finally spied our destination, Eagle Stone Rocks:

We didn’t bother to unpack but grabbed the climbing gear and wandered up the hill to see what was in store for us. We spied a couple of longer grade 17 (VS 4c) routes that were basking in the evening sun so went to work. The rock is a hard fine grained granite, so fine that the smearing can be very hard. The holds vary but tend towards edges from the ultra thin to great crimps:

We managed to bag two fine routes just in time to watch the sun set as we descended back down to set up camp, a mighty fine way to start our mini-break:

Eagle Stone Rock as you see below sits in an island of flatness so how it came to be is anyone’s guess but we are glad it is here. To the north and east the rock is surrounded by Lake Campon, a salt lake usually, but due to our unusually wet September there were areas with water and the sometime brilliant white salt crust was not as obvious as it may sometimes be:

We set up camp and made dinner efficiently in the dark and wasted little time eating and drinking our fill before heading to bed for an early start:

Morning brought a crisp blue sky and wonderful lighting for a few happy snaps before we got down to business:

Most of the climbing here is bolted but there are some trad lines, so we plumped for a couple of easy grade trad routes to get warmed up after all we had all day. Chris got the wheels in motion with a short but fun grade 10 (Diff) crack and then I jumped with far too little gear on a grade 14 (HS 4b) crack that was harder than it looked, so had to down climb to get some more gear:

We climbed the morning away playing on a variety of fine lines, some really short 6m routes and some longer lines around 15m. Above Chris is at the crux of a fun but short 20 (E1 5b) and below on a fine 16 (VS 4c) with me showing my usual ingenious belaying techniques to mange to get images while keeping Chris safe:

The route that really caught both our eyes was a fine face going at 21 (E2 5b) that looked to have the holds you dream of, so off I set, then I bailed and Chris went up, then he bailed and I went up and between us we managed to get up but not in the best style. Chris then had a bash with the rope above him and even then didn’t manage to get it clean (as a fun video we took proves). Me, I was wasted so we had a short break just so Chris could dash down to get the sun cream and I could look out for some local wildlife:

As an interlude from more climbing images here is a very funky bug I spied, no ideas of the name of the lizard above or the bug below but so if anyone out there does let me know:

We managed a few more climbs but by 2pm we were both stuffed so headed down to get a bite to eat, sitting down was bliss and we dawdled for probably an hour or so before dragging ourselves back up the hill. We wanted something in the shade and so Chris plumped for this thin and balancy grade 20 (E1 5b), a vey nervy lead and he did very well to keep his cool (I put the camera down for the next few moves!):

I had a bash at one of the project lines, a fine looking flared jam crack (if there can be such a thing), not being fooled this time I took plenty of gear and had a fine if slightly scary time. Based on the grading so far that we had encountered we reckon it probably went at about 18 (HVS 5a):

After a long and warm day on the hill and bagging 13 routes we decided to head down event though there was still some light left, taking time to walk down and onto the salt lake while enjoying a very deserved beer:

As we wandered back to camp the sun was setting and gave a great chance to take a picture of the awesome natural feature that Chris liked the look of but was too scared to try. In part due to fining the place pretty tough and secondly it looks like a smooth strenuous arm jamming crack going at a cool 23 (E3 6a):

Back at camp and a chill with one more beer before calling family and then getting dinner ready, we were not feeling too bad after the day out but our finger tips were certainly a tad tender and raw:

I had a play with the camera not really being very successful, but wanted to take a shot to show everyone the myriad of stars that were out each night for us:

Morning came quickly, a good nights sleep in a very peaceful place, we were greeted by the very thin slither of a moon as daylight took over. We had a cup of tea while watching sun rise over the salt lake and then got stuck into it:

We decided the day before to leave two fine looking lines for our departure morning, one a mixed route 19 (E1 5a) with a great looking flake at the start and another a project that looked equally fine. I started off up the flake with my wires in hand, it was a tough and slippery start and took several attempts to warm up and get going but once into it enjoyed the line immensely:

As Chris followed me up I looked out over our camp site and the lake behind it marvelling in just how peaceful a place this was:

Soon it was Chris’s turn for the last route of our trip. By now we were accustomed to fine feet and small crimpy hand holds, I couldn’t resist taking these images and just knew that Rhys would love them:

No words needed other than to say these holds were starting to make our fingertips scream:

Put them together anything is possible, Chris concentrating hard on those two holds (noting his left and foot are on nothing) and balancing his way up to get established for the next equally balancy and thin moves:

Nearing the top of yet another fine line, this images shows the 19 (E1 5a) flake and face I climbed, and we reckoned that the project route was probably of equally grade. Um… but maybe in hindsight it was more like a 20 (E1 5b):

Atop the mighty Eagle Stone Rock for the last time we were very satisfied and were ready to head home with sore arms, shoulders and fingers after bagging 17 of the possible 32 routes at this place:

Breaking camp didn’t take too long and we were out of there several hours ahead of schedule allowing us to take a slight detour on our way into Perth to just glimpse a couple of the quarries were the main climbing can be found near Perth. Having now finally seen them I know where I would rather climb:

A big thank you to Eagle Stone Rock and Nadia, Lisa and Moo for allowing Chris and I to indulge in our rock fetish for three days:

A windy day

When you have made plans to go out for a climb and then the weather forecast changes and there is suddenly a severe weather warning of gale force winds, high tides and damaging swells what you do?

Steve and I, being used to being out in inclement weather from years of conditioning in England were not put off by the possibility of less than ideal climbing conditions and met as agreed at 6:30 to head down to Willyabrup sea cliff, um:

Despite the wet drive down when we got to the car park, while there were puddles everywhere there was no water coming from the skies so we walked in. We arrived at high tide and the swell was predicted to be 6m and it was fair to say the water looked angry:

Fortunately the cliff is high enough and far enough from the water so we carried on regardless.  There was a strong on-shore wind so we thought there would be a risk of salt spray and wet rock:

As Steve led up the first pitch of Sirius (14 – about 4b) I was wave and cloud watching and wondering whether we would make it up the first pitch of the day dry:

Following up I was very pleased to find out that the rock was in great condition, with no spray (I still don’t get why) and bone dry despite areas where there was seepage coming through:

With minimal fuss I was off and got up the second pitch (again 14) relishing the dry rock and invigorating atmosphere. The wind picked up the higher I got but fortunately was blowing me onto the rock and not off it:

The only way we could figure to show what the wind was like at the top of the crag was this, I reckon and we could have flown a kite with the climbing rope:

So after two great pitches we decided to keep going, but stick the more reasonable grades in case things turned nasty. So Steve set off up Hope (again 14) and while armed with cams this was the first time he led the climb without using them:

I was again wave and cloud watching as he got higher, and once again the dark clouds seemed to be rolling in:

However the rain never came except for a few tiny drops, so we celebrated by doing a bit of ‘leaning into the wind’ which Steve with his nautical experience put at about 40 – 50 knots as it funnelled over the top of the cliffs:

To end the morning session I decided to head up Verbosity (13 about 4a), the start as you can see was pretty damp (to be expected in a corner in late winter) which added to the excitement:

The top half however was in the sun (when it was out) and the rock was wonderfully dry making this 30m plus pitch the perfect way to end our morning on rock:

Best of all, despite the threats of being drenched we packed everything away completely dry J:

As we walked out there was not a sole in sight, so we wondered how many people thought about it and decided not to head out. There loss as the weather and setting provided a brilliant and very atmospheric day out:

A misty moisty morning

Below are a few pictures from yet another fabulous morning out at our most prominent climbing venue in the SW corner of Western Australia, Wilyabrup:

Last week it was blue skies and very warm at the crag and this week when we arrived at 7am it was damp but didn’t seem too cold:

After a tricky overhanging arête on the first lead of the day Chris reached the top of this grade 19 climb just as the mist started to rise off the sea in the background:

The mist got thicker and thicker giving an eerie feeling, but was spectacular to watch:

We then noticed the mist coming off the land to meet the mist off the water and found ourselves shrouded in whiteness for a short while making it feel bitterly cold:

After Steve and I struggled to follow Chris it was Steve’s turn and he slowed the pace down on the classic grade 14 of the crag – Hope:

Once the finger tips had warmed up sufficiently to be able to feel the rock Steve romped his way up in fine style:

Rob and Louise turned up unexpectedly and joined in the fun:

Chris was on fire today and cruised up a second 19, completely unaware of the damp conditions.  Below Steve is following up and starting to feel his arms ache:

It was a short sharp session but very good, so suitable aching and satisfied we walked out as the rain began to fall feeling very lucky to have made the most of the morning:

Peak Charles

Last year I went on a week long climbing trip to the south coast and it was so good that we decided to do it again.  This year, however, we left it a bit late and the rains started to come in so we change the destination and decided on a remote 300m granite monolith approx 700km east of Bunbury and 100km north of Esperance called Peak Charles.  I had been here before in 2007 with Craig, a great trip marred only by the fact he had forgotten to pack his climbing shoes.  So this year I came armed with spare shoes and harness in case Ryan, Steve or Chris had forgotten theirs!

As we had a big journey ahead of us I left home at 6:30 in the morning to get to Bunbury, meet up with Steve and get an early start.  After saying bye to my two girls I headed off while watching the full moon go down:

There is a track that would have cut out 200km of the journey, avoiding the need to head down to Esperance and then back north. However, the condition of this track was uncertain but the friendly people at the Lake King roadhouse said we should be OK.  It was interesting that they were confident the first 100km would be fine, being in the Sire of Lake King, but after that the Shire of Esperance do not maintain their portion of the track so it can get dodgy.  The reason being that they want people to drive via Esperance(!):

We took the gamble and Steve experienced some bush driving, and as we had been told the first 100km was great. After that the track was much worse but still passable in the vehicle we had. Steve enjoyed the rocky, sandy, rutted and at times washed out sections of the track and by 2pm the crag was in sight:

As soon as we arrived we pitched our tents and sorted through the gear. The campsite is small but good with great spots to hide tents in the trees and has fire pits a table and of course bush loo. It was a shame that for the first two nights the other (noisy) people who turned up after us decided to camp right next to us rather than take a spot further away, but you get that:

After getting camp in order we had a little wander, note Steve with his fly net on. Yes there were flies but they were not that bad! Here he is playing on Mushroom Rock with the impressive Peak Charles in the background. We also managed to get phone reception so I could text and call Lisa and Moo each day which was lovely:

Chris and Ryan couldn’t leave in the morning so they drove through the night and arrived in the wee hours. So the first morning at the camp Steve and I up ahead of them. The walk in was better than I remembered, a 45min sharp rise up rocky ridges and through bush:

Steve had not previously experienced multi-pitch climbing, and what a place to learn! He was up for the first lead of the trip and we had purposely decided on a easy climb picking the classic Badile (grade 11). As the crag is so big after getting to the top there is a long walk down. Therefore, we had to carry our packs while we climbed making for an even more interesting first multi-pitch experience:

Steve set off and he coped really well but found some of the run-outs a tad concerning. The climb was six rope stretching pitches and we combined the line with a few from another climb, as they looked so good. Unfortunately I don’t have Steve’s images so can’t show you the mega corner pitch (going at grade 15) but if you are keen let me know and when I get them I’ll send them through:

At the top Steve was exhausted but thoroughly enjoyed the amazing experience and was up for more – phew. We also bumped into Chris and Ryan at the top after they had spied a nice looking two pitch chimney and got up that pretty quickly and were walking about the top terraces the same time as us. An hour’ish walk down and it was time to get the fire and food underway. Here Steve is trying to light the fire with only one match – it was more than one but I’ll say no more:

Day two and we decided on a slightly different approach. We picked Kwelaman a great grade 16 slab climb that has belay anchors that would allow us to abseil back down so we only took one pack up for food and drink. We intended to do the first four pitches (the best) and I set off on the first loving the thin moves, steeper terrain and at time run-out sections. Steve followed up in great style but it messed with his head big time and he had to breathe deep to control his fears:

Despite his concerns he pushed through and led two of the pitches and did them well. Occasionally he would have a go at the lack of gear and the exposure but kept his cool and kept going.  I have to be honest and think he enjoyed the experience of this climb more after we got back down to the ground:

Still he pushed through and even took time out to enjoy the scenery and other spectacular sights we were so privileged to have witnessed. We were particularly taken by the Wedge Tailed Eagles which circled high above us most days and at times we were almost level the them:

This image shows the track leading into the camp site well below us, Steve is getting ready to start up the crux (hardest) pitch, with a tricky sequence that he romped up. How can you not feel anything but great with such an outlook:

After we got back down all Steve wanted was food and a beer at the campsite, until he looked at this line and decided that he simply had to lead the classic first pitch of Beckoning Horizon (grade 19 – and very well protected). He ate the climb up smashing through the crux and revelling the whole way along it. The second pitch was equally awesome so I went up the next corner as well (again images are on Steve’s camera!):

After that deviation we again started back down to camp. As we went down we spied Ryan and Chris abseiling down another part of the crag. Watching them (and later we found we were right) it looked like the abseil rope got stuck. Fortunately they were able to free it without having to climb back up:

Day three and another time for Steve and I to head to the big walls, while Chris and Ryan went to find a small crag with some harder lines as they wanted a day without the big walk in and out. This time I was after a bit of self indulgence, as there is a climb called Juluka – grade 18 (which is the name of a south African band that I really like) that I didn’t manage to get on with Craig. To get there however there is an hour walk in followed by a traverse climb to get into the gully where the climb starts. Here Steve is setting off to access the gully:

Once in the gully the climb starts (and again Steve has more images) but to give you a taste here he is going up the first pitch. If you look hard you will see that sadly someone has retro-bolted this classic climb but we didn’t use the bolts. There are three pitches and each is brilliant and I took the middle pitch that traverses rightward underneath the rectangular roof directly above Steve which was brilliant:

Steve was smashed after this climb, not really surprising going up the big crag three days on the trot, so we decided to head back to camp. However, we were going to abseil back down into the gully to get our gear and then walk down but the abseil anchors were in a horrible spot that we really didn’t want to scramble down to them, so we had to walk round. It was in fact a much better thing to do as we got to look out at the great views of the salt lakes, surrounding land and see the magnificent wind sculptured rock formations:

We also managed to get a bit more walking in(!):

On the way down we found some beautiful natural rock art and I just had to take a picture or two:

There were also dwarf trees coming out of cracks and crevices these two being about a foot high at the most:

Rather than walk all the way down to the camp and back up we scrambled along the base of the crag which in most places was OK. In a few places the slab got a bit steep and in other places the bush was a bit thick, but it was a great experience. We also stopped at Spartacus Flake – an impressive flake stuck to the wall that looks like it will peel off at any moment. I had a whim to climb the left edge (a grade 12) and so we stopped and had a go. I got about 15m up before stopping as the next 20m or so required no.5 cams upward of which we had none so had to back off L:

When Chris and Ryan got back we heard how Chris had attempted a very tenuous looking seam with marginal RP protection, and had fallen from about 5m ripping all the gear and hitting the deck flat on his back. He was luck to land on the rope but did sprain a wrist, bruise his back and cut his elbow so Steve set up surgery and patched him up:

So with a big hole in his elbow, Chris was to be out of action. Steve also was pretty wiped out so they were to have a rest day and Ryan and I planned to head back up the big walls the next day:

The next day I did my usual routine of getting up at 5am to look at the sky, make a cuppa and get the others up. This morning was amazing, mostly a clear sky with a bright moon lighting up the cloud that hung over the crag like a crown. It is sights like these that make waking up early so worthwhile:

I took my time to get a few photos of the cloud formations before getting the cup of tea on the go, and had a strange sensation that maybe we would need to get Chris home today:

Then as went round to get them out of their tents and swags, Ryan said that he wouldn’t be up for going climbing as his eye was swollen up. He managed to spike his eye with a branch as they walked through the bush to get to the crag where Chris had fallen from and it had taken a turn for the worse overnight. Here he is looking none too good. On another note on cooking on the hot plate are two of Steve’s original and very tasty wrap with cheese and egg breakfast concoctions:

So as the day woke up we made the decision to head to Esperance and take the two walking wounded to the hospital to get checked out. So there is a lesson learnt, don’t take days out from the big walls to go cragging as it is detrimental to your health and the length of your climbing holiday! So we packed up and said goodbye to Robert and Saskia who also happened to be camping and climbing there while we were there (but their stories are another whole email – such as getting benighted on the big crag when the cloud and rain came in):

Once we got to the hospital Ryan and Chris decided that the 2 hour plus waiting time wasn’t worth it and we hit the road to get home before dark which we almost managed. The only stop we made of any great length was at Lake King to make some lunch:

If you look carefully you will notice that we shared this with the flies, and you will also see above that Steve had by now gotten used to the flies so the fly net became redundant. The good thing about having the trip cut in half was that I managed to get home to see Moo and Lisa earlier than expected and have more holiday time to spend with them J: