Too Hot For Me

Dry days- 94
Days of rain- 85

It's been hot, today was awful- humid and hot.

Sunday came and was superheated and muggy, with drizzle here and there for good measure. Bottom line? I couldn't be arsed going out and suffereing in shit conditions.

Today was even hotter, but it looked like rain tonight so I went for a run. I did my 7km route, if the app is right (which I doubt) I did it in a shade under 30 minutes. Whatever the time I was hot and very tired.

4 weeks or so until the cross bay challenge. I pray it's cooler on the day or I'll be dead before I start!!

Frustration

Dry days- 92
Days of rain- 82

I felt pretty tired this morning after the Cadshaw Crush Fest. It rained all morning, but by 9am it brightened up so I opted for a look at Silverdale.

On my way up it pissed it down again. Brill. I decided to give Trowbarrow a go. Walking in I was surrounded by a cloud of mosquitos, and when I got there the Shelterstone was seeping. It was nice to see that some kind soul had taken a shit next to to Vitruvian Man, makes the landing even more fun. Asshole. I had a couple of half arsed goes on a damp Pit Problem, no chance. Vitruvian was also wet- the right toe hook was piss wet. I had a few goes at the Crouch method- right foot on and slap. I was getting the hold but failing to keep the right foot on the wet hold.

I looked at the Buccaneer, getting the lip but not getting anywhere near holding it. One to come back to.

I was annoyed by this time. I drove home, ate a Twirl and growled for 10 minutes. Then I went for a run. I managed 13km in 1:14:51, average of 10.4km/h. Still a bit to do in the next 4 weeks before the Cross bay death run.

Rick Fell Over

Dry days- 92
Days of rain- 81

After work I headed to Cadshaw to meet up with BeardyBeast and the Ginnster. BeardyBeast had brought some ladders for the arete project. We wandered in to the Red Wall, aware it was humid and still.

Red Wall wasn't in good nick. Everything felt greasy and nasty. Basically, I did Brian Jacques and Jump Arete and BeardyBeast did Jump Arete. He also suggested a different sequence for RoB going right had to the left hand sloping crimp then throw to the high edge. This felt a bit easier, 7B, but also felt more like a crap version of Brian Jacques avoiding certain holds rather than being the centre of the wall. The Ginnster didn't do Brian Jacques, his fear of success got in the way. The midges ate us.

We used BB's ladder to clean the "bnreak" on the Arete Project, then failed to make any progress on it due to grease. One to come back to. Did I mention neither Pasty Lord nor Beardy Beast did Brian Jacques?

Once anaemic from the midges we wandered back to the Small Quarry. BeardyBeast and I did Great War of France, or whatever the hell it's called. The Ginnster didn't, he did a variation that used big holds 10 feet off line. Then he fell over. We all looked at the Atom Rush, which felt greasy, off balance and a bit committing (sloping landing dontchaknow) so that wasn't done today.

After this we headed home. What an evening. Quite amazing. Although the Ginnster fell over. Fairy Steps tomorrow?

Another One Down

Dry days- 91
Days of rain- 80

Drizzle this morning, so once more the Aeon plan was shelved. I wonder where may be dry when it's drizzling, somewhere overhanging with some tree cover maybe.

Cadshaw was indeed dry. A bit greasy unfortunately, and very much midge infested. The crux today was not so much pulling harder, but resisting the onslaught of the midge. My envisigaed project felt hard again, I wasn't getting very good links on it today, although I did each move and refined the footwork. Then I noticed a foothold I hadn't looked at before and realised my original sequence for Jump Arete sitter was back on.

It took quite some time to do this, but then when I did it felt OK. Although I tried to then film the start from a different angle and took ages to do the move again. I had originally thought this would be 7b/+, and seemingly R-Man had thought similar. Since it felt OK today, I'll go with 7a+ for the moment.

After this I managed to repeat Brian Jacques via R-Mans's original sequence, which is about the same difficulty as the Lanky sequence once you get the body positioning right.

So there you have it- another project done, and only 2 more to go at Cadshaw- I just need it to be less greasy.

On a seperate note, the new Peak guide arrived on Friday and it's brill- inspired to get back and try some stuff! Oh, and I'm ober half way through War and Peace now- hurrah.

Jump Arete SDS first ascent from GCW on Vimeo.

Fickle Conditions

Dry days- 89
Days of rain- 79

After work I headed to Cadshaw for another crack at the projects. I was disappointed to find that the wall felt very greasy. There were also a lot of midges, and they were hungry.

After a while I was still pinging off the sloping edges. Finally I linked from the sit to the foot swap before the dyno to the jug, and fucked it up. I never got as far again.

With better conditions I know I can do this. The moves feel harder than anything I've been on recently, including Aeon/ Poison etc, and there's a few of them.. At my limit- well, beyond it until the day it all clicks into place.

Thanks to everyone's comments/ e-mails/ texts recently. It is appreciated.

Busy day

Dry days- 88
Days of rain- 78

Yesterday I ran home from work in the scorching heat: 9.38km in 56:31. Felt ok actually.

Today I cleared my Dad's attic and went to see the solicitor. Then some dick nearly ran into the back of me on the motorway near Leeds.

May try to get to Cadshaw for an hour tomorrow.

Aeon Session

Dry days- 86
Days of rain- 78

I had 90 minutes at Fairy Steps today, bit of a wind down after days of house clearing and getting forms/ certificates sorted.

I tried this when BeardyBeast crushed it ages ago, couldn't touch it at all. MOre recently on a day when I saw Johnny G in his car near Trowbarrow I managed all but one of the moves. Today it felt sweaty and greasy. I got the moves done individually, including the one I'd failed on before (the slap to the final sidepull form the undercut). I had a go at trying to link it. I managed to get from the start to the undercut but the next two moves are going to be the stoppers for me. It's a pretty powerful problem, but I think i can do it. Like Poison, it's one I just need to work at to link it, and then get my 7C tick in 2011. Hmmmm.

2/3/1937- 8/6/2011

[IMG]http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk163/CyLwiki/11GarethandDad.jpg[/IMG]

A Decision

Dry days- 81
Days of rain- 77

For the last 12 years I've made decisions affecting peoples' lives, and their deaths. Today I made a decision.

A 74 year old, terminally ill. No quality of life. Lying in bed, aware, but tired of it all and unwilling to engage. The eyes still see. But a shadow, a shell of the former formidable, strong self. Where has all the power, the strength, the humour, gone?

A phone call from the consultant in ENT. A professional conversation. What do I want to do from here? Carry on with drip feeding of fluids, PEG nutrition- keeping the shell alive?

"No. Put him on the end of life pathway". The voice is clear. Calm. The sentiment truly meant.

But this isn't just some patient. The link goes beyond this. This is a father. My father. The one that raised me. The one that made me, well, me.

I know I am right, the decision is sound. He would hate to be sustained as a shell. He deserves more, I know this and I know my words ring true. But in the same breath death is condemned. I have decided for him- to die, not to live.

That feels odd. Unsettling. I am confident, but nausea is there. Power over life. Death. What is my right in all this? The correct decision, surely? But it means death. A quandary.

I write this knowing that in a few days a busy, and emotional, period of my life will begin. Is this cathartic? Therapeutic? No, not really. It just feels hollow.

I made a decision today.

Progress?

Dry days- 80
Days of rain- 77

I had a couple of hours this morning. I had planned a Silverdale trip, but when the Ginnster became free from 9-11 I had opted for somewhere more local, probably Cadshaw. This morning I got up to find it was pissing down hence Silverdasle was out, so we opted to look at Snakey B wall which often stays dry in the rain. When we got there at 9am, after fighting past a cycle race, we found the rain was driving in the wrong direction and nothing was dry. Soaked and demoralised, we left adn opted to risk a Cadshaw visit.

We got even more soaked on the way in, but when we arrived the Red Wall was dry!! The Pasty Lord had a look at Brian Jacques, coming pretty close to holding the crux move again- very body position dependent. I had a little look at one of my other projects (viz RoB sitter into Jump Arete). I did Jump Arete first try, still a funny problem. I also managed the individual moves for RoB sit start. Then I managed the jump from the RoB crimps to the Jump Arete jug, only taking some skin off. The final move was the transition from the original RoB to the slap to the jug, which means moving the left foot 12 inches to the right. This is a body tension move, but after a few methods I found a way of doing this move. So, all the moves done. I had a try at linking it today but it wasn't to be. My left ring finger was still numb after the day I did RoB anyway, that foul crack hold is nasty, but it's even more numb now.

Ah, well- I know I can do this. It feels a bit harder than RoB, probably still 7B+ though. All I need to do is go back again to try the link, if the rain holds off that is.

Video Update

Dry days- 80
Days of rain- 76

A few bits from Wednesday, plus the unfinished project. May head back there tomorrow with the Ginnster and have another look.

Bits and Bobs from GCW on Vimeo.

Revisiting the Nemesis

Dry days- 79
Days of rain- 73

Well, today it was dry so I went to Almscliff. I warmed up on the Keel, and after a bit of memory bank searching I remembered my sequence. I managed to do it from the start to the chip, and from the chip to missing the pocket. The right toe locky thingy didn't feel as secure as it used to, and I was still just getting tips in the pocket.

I tried Underhand, which felt harder than I remember. Then Ed's Dyno, which felt like 7a and I was getting a hand on the top, why I didn't do it I don't know. I finally managed that stupid polished 6c/+ traverse on the same block. Then a brief look at Silver Trout reminded me I couldn't do it.

A similar story with Demon Wall Roof. I can easily get the high crimp, but then switching to the undercut and moving feet into the roof is impossible. Disillusioned and with a bit of Font elbow (left) I moved on.

I looked at Hunter stones, which hurt my skin so I ran away with tail firmly between legs and headed for home.

I stopped of at Calf Crag, did Cookie Monster to a top out made entirely of scrittle. Then failed on the 7a+ round the wat, although it looks to have lost a pebble. So that was that.

Video to follow, too much brandy to drink to do any editing ;-)