I've decided to don the resoled Thunders, at last, and scarper up a wee slab. Something that requires no twisty bendy back work, or gut-busting haulage. Just a nice steady stepladder. Sunstroke is the go - a grade 9 slab of 120m over three short pitches. It has such a benign slope and textured surface that CB and some pals once climbed it solo (unroped), in light rain.
CB and I have a guest with us today, so he gets lumbered with carrying the two ropes up the hill from the carpark and then back down to the base of the crag. Which is just as well, as I'm not yet keen on carrying much weight.
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| Aptly named "sunstroke" – not the place to be on a sunny day without head-to-toe covering. That's a climber on the far left, by the way! |
I'm feeling confident, despite the odd "boo" from my familiar dragon. I have my dragon-slayer capsules tucked safely in my pack and I'm happy to be out on the rocks with CB again. All the same - getting to the base of the climb coincides with the usual major bowel movement despite my having "evacuated" already this morning. Si-i-i-i-i-i-i-gh.
CB takes the lead and our guest feeds out the rope while I disappear into the scrub to dig my customary hole. I'm "piggy in the middle" of the two boys. My legs feel strong on the first pitch. By the second pitch, to my amazement, I can feel the old dragon tugging at my heels again and my legs start to quiver. "You've GOT to be joking!!" I'm so-o-o-o-o not buying into this ... it just goes to prove my observation that "there be dragons" for me no matter what the grade of climb.
I'm steadily padding up the slab, safe and sound as can be, and breathing into my footwork to steady those ridiculous shakes. Next time there will be magic anti-dragon capsules in my pocket and I'll down one right at the start of the climb.
Anyhow, we have a great day on the rock, without getting sunstroke.
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