Today should have been a full-on climbing day for us. Instead, the dang Cederberg mist blew in and hung around all morning. We still however, managed to get out for a couple hours in the early evening; a short 2 hour window of dry rock.
Our mission was simple, or shall I say “Paul’s mission.” Warm up. Send Black Velvet, 8a.
Mission complete.
Black Velvet, 8a
One hand…
…both hands! Send!
posted by arr
Five days lounging in J-Bay plus 1 “warm-up” climbing day plus 1 delicious chicken and dumplings dinner equals a well-prescribed rehab for Paul’s knee. So far so good anyway. Yesterday we spent a full 8 hours climbing on the Road Crew and Roadside boulders. And we’re back in action baby.
Getting right to business, first up on the day’s ticklist was Paul’s send of Purple Nipple Clan, 7c, a twisting slopey little-known gem under the Umbuli Roof. The famous Umbuli Roof, 7c problem, adjacent to Purple Nipple Clan, was what drew Paul to the roof in the first place, promised as a classic from the guides and fellow climbers. But upon entering the roof Paul was immediately drawn to the slopey non-existent orange holds of Purple Nipple and instantly bailed on trying Umbuli. Good choice. He briefly worked out the moves 2 days prior on our “warm-up” climbing day and yesterday made quick work of it, sending on his first go. No dropknees required on this climb.
Paul ticking Purple Nipple Clan, 7c
Next on the agenda was my quick work of the beautiful Roof on Fire, 6c+. The aesthetics of this climb are of the Rocklands norm: a boulder sitting precariously on a tall narrow pedestal, it’s bright orange underbelly roof propped up by only a sliver of an edge. I had tried this gorgeous problem previously when Mike and Raquel were visiting, but was a bit weary of the 8 foot or so cliff over which your ass hangs when you pull onto the climb. For whatever reason (perhaps being all psyched up from Paul’s Purple Nipple send or perhaps the hearty fuel of the chicken and dumplings dinner kicking in), on this particular day the aesthetics overpowered my wussy-ness. I erased the cliff from my peripheral and cruised the moves and ended up loving the climb so much I sent it 3 times that day.
Roof on Fire, 6c+
Left foot toe-hooked, right foot pressed
Pure rock climbing enjoyment: sticking the big move at full extension
Let ‘em cut and hold the swing
Match it up and cruise to the top
Totally jazzed from the morning’s ticks, Paul and I then hiked on over to the Roadside Boulders, hoping that our psyched spirits would cruise us up some more boulder problems. It was Paul’s turn now and his sights were set on the short, yet wicked powerful, steep and crimpy Caroline, 7c. Paul had tried this climb two other times since we arrived in Rocklands, but never after a rest day. Bonus. However…..his previous beta included FOUR dropknees, two of which were right knees. Negative bonus, times two. This seemingly significant fact didn’t seem to phase Paul though. He quickly worked out some new beta and within 30 minutes eliminated all four dropknees and climbed the problem bottom to top, straight on. The grade of 7c at Rocklands translates to about V9/10 for all you Vermin Scale climbers out there. And with a dropknee free send, probably pushes it closer to the V10 side of the grade. Alas, it ain’t The Vice, but still a worthy tick.
Paul crushing Caroline, 7c, dropknee free
More amped than ever, we next moved on to A Question of Balance, 7b, a climb that I’ve tried probably 20 or so times now. Just as the name implies, this problem requires a mystic balance-y move off of a left heel-toe-cam that I have yet to figure out. Unfortunately, I have no send to report on this one yet. I did however, feel signs of improvement. Sometimes the slightest inch of progression can feel just as good as a send.
Paul then decided it was time to seal the day off with a slam-bam finish with the dead vertical infamous Roadside highball Creaking Heights, 6c. Again, just as the name implies this problem is well, high and creaky. One must delicately move up the thin seam in the face on little sidepull crimps and slanted nubbin feet. About three quarters of the way up (in the leg-breaker zone), the climber is then faced with an enormous juggy stalactite feature, hanging down in the widening seam, beckoning to be grabbed and yarded on to gain the lip of the massive boulder. Only, the climber is not allowed to grab it. Because here is where the “creaky” part come in. Yeah, the stalactite flexes. Yikes. Fortunately though, if you keep it cool and just plain climb like a rock climber, the creaking stalactite-free finish isn’t so hard….or so I’m told anyway by Paul. Cause I sure as heck didn’t go up there!!! I used all my meager bravery reserves up on the first move of Roof on Fire, remember?!
posted by arr
Our much needed ‘vacation from our vacation’ is over now and we’ve settled back into simplicity here on the farm. Only now we’re kickin’ it at the Alpha Excelsior Farm versus the de Pakhuys Farm next door.
And life couldn’t be simpler in Liz and Connie’s charming 2-person Weaver’s Cottage. Like our previous accommodations in the de Pakhuy’s Blokhuys, there is no TV, no radio, and no neighbors. The cottage is very private, set far back from the main farm area and cute as a button. Not only does the little structure keep the rain out with an authentic thatched roof, but also comes equipped with a cast iron cookstove! The stove is the cottage’s only form of heat.
Having grown up as a child with wood heat and dinners simmered on the cookstove, I was beside myself with excitement to try our’s out….immediately. Majority vote (between Paul and myself) landed us on preparing chicken and dumplings on our next rest day.
Typically, the simplicity of our rest days match that of the quaint cottage. We wake up when our eyelids open (not when an alarm goes off), leisurely prepare and enjoy a nice breakfast together (not quick-kiss one another goodbye and grab a yogurt to slurp up on the commute to work), maybe check our email or read our books for a couple hours, and perhaps, if we need groceries for example, head into Clanwilliam and spend an hour or two in one of the town’s coffee shops. Then around early evening we usually start planning and preparing our rest day feast; always the highlight of every rest day that can last anywhere from 2 to 4 hours.
Up until now, most of our rest day feasts have been braais: meat and veggies or potatoes cooked over an outdoor fire. But now with our little cookstove, we were eager to try something new.
Around 6pm or so, Paul gathered some wood and started up the stove. Luckily, the temps are still dropping quite cold in the evenings, so our wood stove served a duel purpose, both dinner and warmth. I pulled our little hen out of the fridge and got to work.
After much waiting and simmering and waiting, around 8pm the chicken stew was just about ready for adding the dumplings. Having actually never made chicken and dumplings by myself (only helped, or usually just watched, my mother prepare the dish), I was a bit nervous of how the meal would turn out. All this waiting and simmering and waiting! Please get fluffy you little dumplings, PLEASE.
Twenty minutes later, I lifted the cast iron lid and peered inside, giving one dumpling a firm little poke with a fork, prying it open just a tad to check it’s fluffiness. Holy cow. I can’t believe it. I did it! Absolute chicken and dumpling PERFECTION cooked over a cast iron cookstove just like my momma used to make. I might as well have sent a v10 that night, beaming from ear to ear, proud of my accomplishment. 🙂
So, this is what it’s like to live the simple life; my day’s only crux being the task of preparing a delicious meal with my loved one. I think I could get used to this.
Weaver’s Cottage, Alpha Farms
Preparing our rest day feast
Chicken and Dumplings
Perfection!
posted by arr
Addo Elephant National Park, Eastern Cape South Africa
When we told friends and family about our plan to travel to South Africa many asked if we would have a chance to see any of “the big 5” animals. Our response was always no. Rocklands was in the Western Cape. The large animals (elephant, lion, buffalo, rhino, leopard, etc.) were in the Eastern and Northern Capes. It seemed such a shame to come all this way and not see any of the animals. But, thanks to my busted up knee our trip took a turn for the better (not the worse).
After driving nearly 1000km to J-Bay in the Eastern Cape I wondered how far we actually were from the nearest opportunity to see some BIG animals. Turns out, J-Bay is only 2 hours from Addo Elephant National Park. Perfect, we’re going.
We had no idea what to expect. I thought we’d arrive in the park and have to board some kind of open-top range rover which would give us a guided tour. Instead when we arrived at the gate the guard asked us if we would like a “hop-on-ranger” to ride along with us. I asked, “Does he drive the car for us?” The guard laughed and said, “No, you drive.” I laughed too and said, “We’ll take our chances, by ourselves.”
It turned out to be a good decision. Once you enter the “main camp” area you can drive yourself on any of the dirt roads throughout the national park wilderness. There is a map of the park that you can view near the gift shop which indicates where certain animals have been seen throughout the day. I quickly glanced at it and saw one vista in which lions, elephants and buffalo had been sighted. April and I got out our map and gunned it for “Carol’s Rest.”
At Carol’s Rest we were astonished to see elephants, warthogs and buffalo drinking out of a watering hole meters from a parked car! We pulled up next to the car and sat for several minutes watching the scene. The engine of our Volkswagon Chico was motoring a bit loud and the fan would turn on and off. So I decided to shut it off. Silence.
After about 30 seconds in silence we heard and saw the two largest elephants, with huge tusks bang their heads together. Apparently one wanted all the water for her clan and wanted the male to leave. April and I were both amazed. We were witnessing ‘Planet Earth’ at it’s finest. Then…the big boy, defeated by the big girl, turned our direction. He was obviously not happy. After he took the first step in our direction I heard the car next to us start up. Time to ditch this place and be out.
Big boy coming our way
Elephants are not the only animals at Addo. Here is our complete tick list of sightings:
* Elephant
* Buffalo
* Kudu
* Red Hartebeest
* Warthog
* Common Duiker
* Leopard Tortoise
* Caracal / Rooikat
* Vervet Monkey
* Black-backed Jackal
* Meerkat / Suricate
* Ostrich
Kudu
Leopard Tortoise
Red Hartebeest
Warthog
posted by pjv
We need a vacation. Ha! This hilarious ‘necessity’ was realized on Friday, sitting in our leaky and cold Blokhuys cottage, waiting for the rain to stop and Paul’s knee to heal. More rain was scheduled for Saturday and Sunday and Rocklands was getting lonely. Most of the climbers were escaping their soggy tents and heading to (or were already in) Cape Town for the weekend. Our spirits were anything but psyched. And to make matters worse (for him, anyway), I had developed the habit of calling Paul “Peg Leg” because of his straight-legged limp. Peg Leg and I needed a vacation from our vacation.
So we decided to do what we always decide to do when faced with a non-psyched situation. Bail! We got some travel tips from a Cape Town climbing buddy, packed up the chico and hit the road early Saturday morning for a 10 hour trip to the east coast of South Africa. Our destination: the surfer’s paradise of Jeffreys Bay or “J-Bay.”
And here we are! Lounging, resting, healing, eating good food, drinking good wine, and staring off into the Indian Ocean, occasionally dreaming we were surfers, not climbers, haha.
J-Bay
Me in my other life
Perfect coffee-drinking conditions
The famous “Supertubes” waves
posted by arr
A handful of scenes that have now become very familiar to us during our stay here in Rocklands:
Our Blokhuys cottage on the de Pakhuys farm.
The inside of our Blokhuys when it’s cold and rainy.
The front porch of the de Pakhuys Farm, where we connect to the wireless internet on rest days.
The drive to Clanwilliam.
Clanwilliam, the closest (only) place to grocery shop.
Bustling (haha) downtown Clanwilliam.
Our Chico rockin’ a modest version of the infamous “red stripe”.
Cederburg weather: cloudy, rainy and sunny….all at the same time.
Rocks, sunsets, and a full moon.
A lunar eclipse! (not so familiar of a scene for Paul and I, but for the South Africans, “eh, we get those all the time down here”).
Braais at our Blokhuys.
Drinks at our Blokhuys.
The de Pakhuys campground.
Nalle, the de Pakhuys lab.
The Fortress.
The view from The Fortress.
Flappers.
Wildflowers.
…and more wildflowers.
Sunset at the boulders.
posted by arr
Good News, Part 1:
Now that our celebrations are slowing down I’ve got a chance to announce that April broke through to a new level in her climbing! The other day April burled her way through a kneebar-free send of Minki V8. As April would say, “Yey!”
Good News, Part 2:
I figured out a totally do-able sequence on The Vice yesterday and started giving sending go’s.
Bad News:
During one of my sending go’s on The Vice, I heard a familiar CRACK sound in a heavily weighted drop-knee. I think I tore/tweaked my MCL on my right leg.
The trip is not over yet though. We’ve still got three and a half weeks here. And surprisingly, we are both still wicked motivated. Stay tuned for hopefully more V8 sends from April and dropknee-free/campus sends from me. ha ha.
posted by pjv
Yesterday April reminded me…“Whoa, whoa whoa. Wait a second here. Before we set foot in South Africa you said, ‘All I want to do is Nutsa V12, if I get that, then a V13 is just icing on the cake.’” April made this remark yesterday as I was getting frustrated at how difficult the moves on The Vice V13 were; getting paranoid that I might not have time on this trip to send it.
Oh yeah. Whoops. Earlier this year I also said I’d do anything to send my first V12. I said I’d retire from bouldering and take up route climbing again. My friend Karl just laughed at me and said I’d never dust off my rope. He’s probably right because as soon as you break through into a new level in climbing you open the door to a whole new list of amazing climbs. Your tick list grows and grows…really big.
Here in Rocklands you have to put things into perspective. Think of it this way. By purchasing my plane tickets to fly here I basically entered a contest to win a climbing spree. When I was little all I wanted was to win a shopping spree at Toys-R-Us. I imagined pushing a cart through the store, piling in toys. My Rocklands experience isn’t much different. I keep pushing my shopping cart through the boulders and keep collecting more and more boulder problems. It’s crazy. I’ve won the contest after all.
However, there is one dilemma with this bouldering spree. Each time I pick a new boulder problem, the send may or may not come easily. I may not always be able to add it to my tick list immediately. Completing a climb takes a finite amount of time and effort and it’s that time and effort that reveal the stark reality. The reality is: Our trip has reached the half-way point. We have less than one month until departure.
Last week, I took inventory of the list of problems that I’ve collected and those that remain outside of my shopping cart. Uh oh. I’ve got a lifetime of climbing around me and less than a month to send them all!
Where to begin?
Ok, how about I start at the top of my scale, V13. There are certainly plenty to choose from. My first pick was Ray of Light.
Setting up the finger lock Ray of Light
Missing the dead-point into the slot Ray of Light
Trying to figure out the power endurance finish Ray of Light
Unfortunately, after two days of effort I bailed on Ray of Light. The crux move was extremely hard, low probability and was super tweaky on my left middle finger. It involved getting a left hand finger lock in a slot and dead-pointing to another slot with my right hand. If I managed to stick the dead-point, which was extremely low probability, the finger, still locked in the slot would say “HELLO! I’m still stuck in here,” while giving off a nice bit of pain. That move was followed by another low probability toe hook. If I was ever capable of doing all that, I was then faced with a 10 move super power endurance battle to the finish. Awesome climb but not for me, not now. This climb remains on the Toys-R-Us shelf.
Next, The Vice V13 at The Fortress. I’m will decide by the end of the week if I’m going to go for it. I’ve made some good links but there is a low probability move mid-way into the climb that seems to suck a lot of energy out of me. In fact, after each session I need almost 2 days of rest to be able to climb again. This climb takes everything I’ve got, plus more. To be continued.
Freezing and trying to get motivated for The Vice
Armed Response V13. It’s so close to The Vice I just have to try it. But usually I’m so dead tired from working The Vice I always bail.
The Armed Response Boulder
Tea With Elmarie V12. I can definitely do this one. This might be a little soft but with another chance on it, fresh, a send is nearly guaranteed.
Black Velvet V11. Definitely going down, maybe next session. It’s a huge dyno!
First move, big lock off Black Velvet
Second move, match
Set feet
Launch!
LAUNCH!!!
Stretched and Pressed V11. This is an extension to a climb called The Rack V8 (one of April’s big projects). It has a huge lock off/weird mantle section that I haven’t figured out yet but I know as soon as I unlock the mystery it’s going down.
April working The Rack V8. Stretched and Pressed goes up and right.
Stretched and Pressed goes up and right.
Gliding Through Waves Like Dolphins V11. Now with a name like that, I’m definitely going to glide to a send any day now.
Spider on the Roof V10. Crazy finish that I haven’t worked out yet but it will go. Check out how weird one of the holds is…
Spider on the Roof, V10
Tomorrow I Will Be Gone V10. Haven’t tried it yet but next time we go to the Road Crew boulders I’m going to try it (We’ve been planning to go back to Road Crew for 2 weeks…and keep getting sidetracked by The Fortress).
Above, just right of center: It is the arete still in the sun
A straight-on view of the blunt arete: the giant block dead center in the photo.
Cedar Spine Sit V9. Looks perfect, will try soon.
Caroline V9/10…next session, guaranteed. Assuming I don’t go to The Vice first.
Maniac V8. Next session when we go back to Fields of Joy and if I don’t get on Macho King V9, or No Late Tenders V11, first.
John Denver V7. Next session at the Campground Boulders. Mike almost sent at night while the baboons nipped at his toes (he and Raquel went on a mission their last night and almost sent!)
Oh…and Steak House V13. I did the moves accidentally because I thought they were part of Spider on the Roof. I thought, damn these moves are hard!
Oh…and after running into a old acquaintance from Japan he told me about a ton of other climbs I should check out including: Black Shadow V13, Green Mamba V13, and Madiba V14.
Forget this website posting stuff…I’ve got to get climbing…..AHHHHHHH!!!!!!!
So you see my dilemma?
posted by pjv
Intermixed with all the bouldering projects out on the rocks, another major project that Paul and Mike have been sessioning together over the last week is the small bottle of deadly hot sauce that Mike purchased at the Clanwilliam grocery store: Bushman’s Hot Az Hell, HOT12. This innocent-looking little bottle has proven to be one of the boys’ hardest projects of the trip. An 8 day epic. They’d been hitting it hard, working the bottle pour by pour, sip by sip, with no rest days.
After the first day’s session, it was readily apparent that this burly little red-hot fighter wouldn’t go down easily. A homegrown Cape Town recipe, rated a “12” on the 0-10 Hotness Scale, Bushman’s Hot Az Hell is not for the faint at heart (as depicted by the sketch on the label: a half-naked, bicep-bulging bushman with hunting bow drawn, ready to release his chili-pepper-speared arrow into his next beta-spraying victim). As Paul and Mike put in their first burns on the bottle, raving about the stellar taste, Raquel decided to give it a few go’s herself. A southwest native with tastebuds honed for this kind of torture, Raquel was absolutely devastated after her first attempt. She got totally shut down. Sadly, she realized this project was out of her league and had to leave the crankin’ to the boys.
And so it was on. The Boys versus The Bushman’s. Night after night, the boys burled their way through the bottle, sweating and swearing as they slowly inched toward completion. During each night’s session they would discover a new key technique that would get them closer to the send. The first key they figured out was to eat a few bites of the evening’s dinner *before* applying the sauce, to properly warm-up the tastebuds and reduce the risk of flash pump. The next breakthrough they learned was to administer the sauce through the use of “dipping ponds,” thus cutting the portions into smaller, more manageable moves, versus trying to tackle the whole gulp at once. And finally, Paul surprised us all by busting out an amazing link mid-week by means of ending his meal with a giant glass of milk. Mike (also a southwest native and much more of a hot sauce traditionalist than Pittsburgh-born Paul) taunted Paul for this approach, claiming it as “un-pure” style. Paul just brushed this off as mere jealousy of his amazing sporty power. Stupid trad’ies.
Slowly but surely though, the boys pressed on together. Indeed, there were a couple of nights when we’d all finish dinner with a feeling of dread, staring intently at the half finished bottle, desperately worried that Mike and Raquel’s short stay here wouldn’t be enough time to pull off the send. But our worries soon vanished around Day #6. “This bottle is GOIN’ DOWN!” And they were right.
Finally, on Day #8, the send was inevitable. Over a dinner of soup and grilled cheese sandwiches, lit by candlelight and toasted with yummy glasses of Western Cape red wine, the last few drops of the Bushman’s Hot Az Hell went down, smooth as butter. The bottle was at last empty. Woohoo! Way to go boys. Congratulations on your hardest Rocklands send to date.
Now we’ll see if they’ve got the nerve to up the ante: Bushman’s Revenge, HOT14! This product is EXTREMELY HOT!!! Keep out of reach of children. Avoid skin contact. Watch out.
Paul sweatin’ out Bushman’s Hot Az Hell, HOT12
Mike working the final moves of Bushman’s Hot Az Hell, HOT12
The final sequence to Mike’s send of Bushman’s Hot Az Hell, HOT12 :
A backlogged post.
posted by arr
If you’ve ever seen the climbing video Specimen there is one climb that stands out in your mind. The Rhino: a large, horizontally hanging block situated at the back of grassy meadow whose overhanging roof seems to defy the laws of gravity. From a distance it’s profile looks like that of a rhino’s. To any rock climber propelled by aesthetics, this boulder beckons to be climbed.
Upon first arriving in Rocklands, Paul and I were a bit concerned that this classic-looking boulder problem was not in any of the online guides we had with us. How could this amazing feature not be documented? Was The Rhino a top-secret gem that one had to trek dozens of miles through the bush and boulders to find? Our worries soon dissolved however, on our very first day hiking into the Rocklands proper. The Rhino was the first thing we saw.
Last week we endured an extremely cold and windy bouldering day up at The Fortress (the place where Paul and I saw the leopard!). Paul sessioned The Vice, 8b while Mike, Raquel and I put in sending go’s on Colin the Librarian, 7a. After numerous failed attempts at getting our fingers warmed up, Mike and I sucked it up and embraced the numb tips and sent (primarily so we could go put our gloves back on!). Raquel came oh-so-close on her go’s, missing the dyno jug by a mere inch or less. Meanwhile, Paul burled his way through more exciting links on his project.
After the planned ‘few hours’ turned into ‘the majority of the day’ up there, we finally decided enough was enough. We were all chilled to the bone and needed to head into the sun and down to lower ground, hopefully where the wind was less brutal. Time for warm coffee? I asked. Time for sunny bouldering, Mike and Raquel suggested. Time for The Rhino, Paul announced.
After some minor bushwacking and trail finding, we crunched our way through the dry grassy meadow and were soon standing under the belly of The Rhino. Surprisingly, the overhanging feature was a lot narrower than we had all imagined (compared to it’s massive length). The Rhino was quite a skinny beast! His mid-section spanned only about 3-4 feet. Also surprising to us was the cold fact that the wind down here in the meadow was just as strong, if not stronger, and the temps were starting to dip as the sun went down.
Cold or no cold though, if there is one trait readily apparent in my husband as a climber it’s his dang persistence, especially when it comes to amazingly aesthetic lines…even more so when the sun is setting and it’s time to head home, haha. He thrives on squeezing every last morsel of energy out of the day. If he says “it’s time for The Rhino,” he’s straight serious. There is no half-hearted ‘see how it feels’, ‘give it a few tries’, ‘save it for tomorrow.’ Oh no. Not Paul. It’s Rhino time, baby.
So as we all stood around shivering, hungry and cold, too tired and cooled down to give the moves any serious effort, Paul stripped down to his t-shirt, pulled onto the rhino’s skinny little neck, and promptly cranked out the climb with his trademark “woohoo!” Take a seat on Paul’s tick list, Mr. Rhino.
Paul sending The Rhino, 7c
posted by arr
