"momma cooked a breakfast with no hog"
Irrespective of Mr Cube's living arrangements, no AK use was mandated from my direction, and I amassed two new crag ticks and three new problems 'in the satch'. Which was nice.
The cast list fluctuated as the morning wore on but at 1400 three set out in a Rotherhamwards direction to investigate new and exotic rocks. Access is tricky so we will say no more about locations. The trickiness of access requires a quick and quiet exit from your vehicle and demeanour at the rocks, which leant an interesting muted quality to both the frustrations of failure and the celebrations of success. Additionally, because its not public knowledge, so the foilage is abundant, clearly illustrating the damage of a thousand feet, pads and other climbing detritus. This place is of limestone, and derived from magnesium rather than calcium I was informed yesterday - the rocks where compact and of high quality, if perhaps a little dusty and more crumbly than their calcified cousins. The access situation is both a shame and it isnt. I like that its not in the public domain - selfishly, but it's a shame that its not 'allowed but unknown' rather than 'not allowed' group.
Furtively, we set about warming up - and i felt rubbish. Slow, tired and heavy. I worked hard mentally to stop from thinking 'oh well, thats it then, might as well just take pictures' and to try to get on it. The flask of black gold was instrumental in achieving the desired mental state, added to the arrival of Sam and Harry although the battle wasnt won yet. Dave showed us a 7b+ on the far right with a tricky pull from a heel to some slopers, before a wild slap to the finishing jugs. He made it look so easy. All of us tried, Sam was quick, Harry was quicker and Dylan and I had to give up. For now.
Bizarrely, there's a fireplace in the middle of the crag. Everyone moved station beyond it, to where the hard stuff is. Sam, Dave and Dylan started trying an 8a called Riverman which Dave did before xmas - it looks totally improbable. Harry and I have more realistically set our sights on a 7c called Nazarene which starts a la trigger cut - in the middle of nowhere on two crimps, only here, these crimps are dreadful. Harry settles his hands and stands for 30 seconds staring at the foot holds, psyching himself up for this most unlikely of pull ons, his body tenses, his leg twitches and he jabs his toe rightwards to a head height foot jug, his left foot feels underneath and behind for a toe hook and he is locked in position. His focus changes back to the next hand move, and bam! he hits the next handhold, sinks into the bicycle clamp and reaches through - its on, he only has a move to do, but he falters and fails. I'm excited! the problem looks feasible! I pull on and dont get my foot right and am immeadiately back on the ground. Harry does the same and we ruminate how your first go can be brilliant but lead to a thousand rubbish goes, going backwards in progress until you either pull it out of the bag and do the problem, or get tired and go home.
Sam pulls on and flashes the problem! I notice a subtlety of toe hook that unlocks the sequence for me and Dave and I both do it too. I think Dave might have flashed it as well - strong bastards! Dylan and Harry get fully stuck in whilst I go and look at the filth which is Riverman. I have no idea how anyone ever has done it - its well hard. I take my boots and go back to the 7b+ I tried at the start. Delightfully, and with a completely different sequence, I manage to do it. Back round the fireplace to film the action on Nazarene, both Dylan and Harry are getting to the top, Harry seals the deal and Dylan tries valiantly but slips off and gives up to save skin.
One car goes home, and the other goes to the 'impossible roof' to look at Serenity/Serendipity and 'in t'black'. Serenity looks dead hard, nay impossible, but this in t'black looks ok.
We get stuck t'black. The roof was originally called impossible roof as the juggy edge which you need to do in t'black fell off. Mike glued it back and Ned flashed the FA (well good effort). He gave it 7c. I thought it was hard for 7c, but it was the end of the day, although it probably suited my strengths. As the sun set on Rotherham we made our way back home. I felt emaciated, having only eaten a coconut and sultana bar since 1300 - probably why I managed to pull in t'black out of the bag. Spoke to Ned that evening, and mine was the 4th ascent.
Andy Kirkpatrick talks about the rat of success in his book 'Psychovertical'. He describes how the thing that drives us on is like a rat gnawing away, constantly needing feeding. When its been fed its satiated for a while, but then the hunger returns. The length of time the hunger abates for is determined to some extent by the quality of the meal. Although sometimes, getting a few good snacks down is enough to keep the rat fed for weeks... lets hope so, as the future is uncertain! #end
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