Posts Tagged ‘Scones’

return to scugdale

Monday, July 6th, 2009

Sorry, we didnt have any cameras.

After Tuesday's rainy debacle Clare, Ewan, Kirk and I headed back to Scugdale with a mission plan to solo every route at HVD or under at Scott Crags. We estimated this at about 50 and gradually this mutated into a secondary mission plan – to climb our ages. This was all very well for Kirk, the baby of the team at 28, but somewhat pants for me at 50. We had just acheived Kirk's age when it all started going horribly wrong. Wet stuff was definitely falling from the sky. After a scurry to a cave we decamped back to Swainby for tea and scones.

Tea and scones had, we poked our noses out again. The sun was out – back up the hill went the two little cars. This time we applied a bit more urgency. Ewan's and Clare's ages were acheived (I'm not saying in what order or at what point) with only a slight diversion for Kirk and Ewan to do Pingers (VS 5a) – me and Clare, more disciplined souls, stuck to the mission plan. Finally, down to the last ten, ominous rumbles were heard and an inky black cloud loomed. All attempts at calm dissappeared in the race to achieve the magic number. With two left to achieve disaster struck – the end of the crag! Inspiration struck – race up the nearest HS then finish off in style on Pingers, a clap of thunder sounding as I reached the crux hold.

Then inspiration struck again – with 50 routes ticked it was time for pints of beer all round as the heavens opened!

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Posted in Climbing, Crags | 3 Comments »

Flapjack, Scone or Shrooms? All this bouldering is making me hungry.

Wednesday, May 27th, 2009

Finally the sun showed up, so Peri, Will and I decided to get out of town and touch some dry rock. Caley was our destination (before the nettles, ferns and disposable bbq toting chavs take it over).

We settle in by warming up on the Sugarloaf Boulder and I scare myself (again) on Sucker's Wall. Then Peri decides to do battle with the notorious Boot Crack, luckily we have a couple of spare dinghy anchors that fit in the offwidth crack. After much cursing and only a small amount of blood loss, Peri tops out and drops the rope for me to lead. I realise Peri has moved the big cam up higher while leading and borrow a size 40 hex from Will and somehow fit my super large ships anchor (5 Camalot) into the crack as well.

While I had been belaying Peri, Will had found a good problem around the corner, Smear Arete, 5b. We all have a go, Peri attempting the harder looking LH version and taking a couple of flyers off it.

Finally we head deep into Blair Witch territory and move into the woods below to The Flapjack and The Scone Boulders, where Peri announces that she is feeling hungry due to all the food names of boulders.

We have a good time trying out very balancy slab problems and a couple of thuggy mantles, full marks must go to Will. He threw himself at a 5c problem on The Scone, multiple attempts, finally succeeding as dusk came.
Routes done,

Sucker's Wall V0 4c
Boot Crack VS 4b **
Smear Arete, B3, P9. V0 5a
Smear Arete Right V1 5b *
The Flapjack, Problem 3 V0 5a
The Flapjack, Problem 4 VB 4c
The Flapjack, Problem 5 VB 5a
The Flapjack, Problem 7 V1 5c
The Flapjack, Problem 8 V0 5a *
The Scone, Problem 2 V1 5c
The Scone, Problem 3 V2 5c *
The Scone, Problem 4 VB 4c *
The Scone, Problem 5 V2 5c
Peri's stomach was making so much noise by now, that the poor lass had to forage around on the walk out and luckily found several large juicy St George mushrooms. She told us they were for breakfast, but she probably scoffed them on the way home.mushroom-formation-072

Note. THESE ARE NOT THE ONES Peri picked, but a photo I took last year at Caley. Are these edible Peri? They look horrible.

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Posted in Bouldering, Climbing, Crags | 1 Comment »