Gone Epic

This has been a back of mind idea for a while, but recent events have accelerated it a bit. I just acquired a canopy - it's an older one, but fibreglass, with a few windows and it fits adequately. I still have to check the waterproofing, but it looks good so far. I want something that can be set for camping in a few minutes, and is a practical way to live out of the car. Unfortunately the tub isn't quite long enough for a comfortable night's sleep, and I want some of that space to be available for other things, like bikes or bouldering mats. I chose to fit a platform on the left hand side, with storage space underneath, storing clothing and other things at the back, and the food box, stove and water at the front. A flap folds up from this to extend the sleeping platform, and I'll use an insect net over the back. I've fitted flyscreens to the windows of the canopy, and rewired the lighting so I can cook and read in there. It's tight, there's only 4...

It's a common refrain that people that are starting to train get injured more often. I'm just starting to train a little more seriously for climbing, I'll try it for a few months and see how far I can get, and I can confirm that injuries have been prevalent - however all of them have been acute, due to blunt force trauma, and with no connection to the training. The rock and some of the damage caused, it's thicker than it looks from this angle The first was a few weeks ago I was assisting with the rigging and supervision of a ropes training weekend with ISS at Nowra. I went to the ute to grab a tube of sunscreen from the glovebox, trying to avoid the inevitable sunburn. I put the sunscreen on the roof and reached back in for something else. Due to the angle of the car, I rested my left hand on the door pillar. As I turned to go I must have bumped the door, slamming it onto my hand, pinching the end of the middle finger. I swore a bit, opened the door and grabbed th...

Kookaburras laughing in the predawn light. Mocking.  A sleepless end to a sleepless night. A late drive with too much caffeine, the first night in a tent in months.  Not enough water to wet your mouth, but too lazy to get up.  Back aggravated by sleeping on the ground, and disturbed by someone moving in the early morning. Thoughts tumble through my head, questioning the decisions that lead to this point. I know I'm not going to sleep again. At this point I'm just awaiting dawn and others to start to stir. 

Binnie has concluded her journey, she lived the last 12 months with a heart murmur, and had slowed down a lot. She was put to rest on the property at Bermagui.

Now that I have my own bouldering wall, I've decided to get a little more serious about my training for climbing. 

Sometimes all it takes to have an Epic is to tell someone a ridiculous idea that's swimming around in your head. Sometimes that person will drive you to see the idea happen, and make sure that you succeed.  A few months prior to Callum's 28th birthday in 2015 he mentioned a plan, to climb 28 pitches in a day, all trad, all lead. While it's not a huge objective, for a relatively new trad climber it was a pretty big thing to attempt. Part of his motivation in telling me was to make sure that it happened, that there was someone to hold him accountable, as well as cheer him on through the day.  After a few months of training for volume, and making vague plans with areas of dense, easy lines the agenda crystalised. Start early with Booroomba ,- the walk in could be done in the dark, and there are a fair few easy lines on the North end of the Northern Slaps, he'd start with those, and see how many we climbed, leaving the Orroral Ridge crags for later in the da...

About 5 years ago a waterline was bolted down at Kambah Rocks using 12mm Dynabolts (non-stainless). The bolts have been slowly rusting since, as they end up under water whenever the river floods. I've been intending to replace them with stainless glue ins when time and budget allows, and when I can be sure it won't be used for a day or so while the glue sets. The plan was to do it at the end of this past summer. Sadly someone beat me to it, but did so in the most half hearted, incompetent way possible. Clearly someone that hadn't bolted before, and hadn't really done any research. They drilled new holes rather than pulling the originals, and drilled very close to the original bolts. The bolts stuck out from the rock a good 40mm, and the glue was an eyesore. On top of that, they had bolted the wrong anchors on the far side, placing them near an old set that were never used because they form a dangerous line, a few rocks come into play a little closer to the line than w...