So, we went to Arapiles, despite the dubious weather forecast. We climbed, it rained a bit, we sheltered under boulders, climbed some more, got rained on, climbed again, Sair found booty, had a delicious pub meal at Natimuk, slept, got up, climbed, I found booty and then climbed some more. Then I ate Squinky the Candy Cane Elephant as we drove home. It was an uneventful weekend.
Springtime views out over the paddocks of the Wimmera plains.
Cath starts up Hell for Leather (15) on the Atridae, after our earlier ascent of Muldoon (13). Later in the day we wandered up Resignation (15), for some multi-pitching fun, before heading back to camp, then helping stretcher out an injured climber from Pedro – he was ok, but wear your helmets kids!
Sunday morning brought a lazy late start, then an all-girl ascent of Kestrel, a funky 13. Then after running up a few routes in the Organ Pipes, we have the ubiquitous Pilot Error shot, as Corey seconds up on Sunday evening.
While Mela moves past the Bouldery Start on Tarzan (13), only to reach the Awkward Bulge.
Then, rather unfortunately, a vanload of us had to drive back to Melbourne (via Spaghetti Pizza in Horsham), while the others keep hanging out at Arapiles for the week. Damn them.
spent the weekend at arapiles. we didn’t get a whole lot done. wandering up a climb on dunes buttress on sunday, we managed to spend at least an hour sleeping on one of the belay stations, watching the hoards streaming up missing link, with none of us feeling particularly motivated to do the final pitch of our own climb. in the end i was convinced to do it, on the grounds that i’d been climbing the longest – despite my defence that it was someone elses turn, as i’d just led the last pitch (just being probably an hour ago by the time we got around to moving again) . and my convincing arguments that corey should do it because he was stronger, or that maria should do it, because she’d led the first pitch. all of this over 25 metres of grade 12, mmm, sweet summer apathy.
a few photos from the trip …
corey’s attractive rope, shimmering in the sunlight
Jacki and the combi (transport of choice for Arapiles trips).
The evil thief possum that stole our chocolate – GRRR!.
