Chris's Boggy Blog

Friday 21 August 2009

Muchalls DWS fun chapter II

So it preyed on my mind for about a month. Got back from holidays and checked tide tables, not great. Checked weather, not great. Then a calm sunny evening, high tide at 9 pm, Far from ideal, but Scott is daft enough to give it a go, so off we set.

The sea was dead calm, the cave looking decidedly gloomy. Better prepared this time - dry thinner wetsuit, dry shoes, chalkbag, and secret weapon - waterproof porch.

So off we go, along the same section as last time, the cave incredibly atmospheric; water laps echoing, and doves cooing up in the rafters. The moves feel easier with a bit of chalk, the rock greasy but hangable. The moves delicate and balancy, the holds small but crisp. I get to the end of the foot rail and onto the shakeout holds before the stepdown, which feel a lot metter with a bit of chalk on the tips. Stepdown goes OK this time, a small shout of relief. And then another stepdown, moving down adn round the small overlap, gettin a wee bit pumped from no warmup and hanging on a bit harder than I need to, due to being slightly gripped and greasiness of rock. Then another stepdown, and a feel round the far side of the arete for some hope. A small quartzy hold occasionally pokes its head out the water and if I can stay on it I might have a chance......

Foot feels good! and a reach up brings a friendly finger jug, fondled lovingly in the dark. Reel it in, step up and onto the liferaft ledge and relief. I shout to Scott to come on over and try and lean out to offer him some advice, but he flounders on the stepdown move and is in.

It's now pretty damned dark, so the torch comes out and on, the tiny beam stabbing at potential holds beckoning towards the semicircle of light at the exit arch. Scott swims around and volunteers torch holding duty while I try and pick my way across. A tricky bridge and rockover manouver in a potentially risky place with a lurking ledge at head level, but a waterdab for the foot stabilises and onto easier ledges moving further right to the bulges that lead to the exit. Increasingly harder moves lead across to a sloping hold, which is just about hangable with both hands, feet now blind due to a bulge, torch or no torch. Slap to a tiny crimp, try to match, but it's never going to happen, so time for a swim. The water is amazing, and the torch looks like a light sabre underwater. An inspection reveals just two moves to easy ground. Just two moves, but a yawning gap between done and not done. Life.

The First pitch, however is good in it's own right and worth of a name and grade, as it can be reversed to escape;

Greased Darkening, 20 m, French 6a, S0/1 at high tide due to slightly slabby nature of rock, otherwise escalate to S2 or 3 for other states of tide. If there is any swell it is best avoided, as the shape of the arch funnels waves and could be dangerous.

Wednesday 12 August 2009

Muchalls DWS fun Chapter I

While we were developing the boudering around Muchalls a few years back, we contemplated the possibilities of some DWS in the Grim Hole. All you can see of the left wall is apotentially blank looking face to an arete, whereafter lurks the unknown a blank section on the map emblazoned with the words "Here be Dragons" . In my mind it was a scary place, greasy, blank, seeping, with loose rock and lurking boulders below the surface of the sea, mines placed defensively against fragile bodies plunging into the unknown.

One rare hot summer afternoon, I got hold of neighbour Scott Muir, and asked if he fancied heading down the cliffs for a swim. My shoulder was still in recovery, so I figured a bit of swimming would do it some good. Scott, ever keen, was up for it, so we headed down and donned full wetsuits, hoods, gloves and fins. The Grim Hole seemed a logical starting point, so we took the plunge at the entrance. A few days of calm hot weather had allowed the water to clear, revealing very little in the way of hazards, and as we swam into the arch I gazed upwards at the walls. The rock looked excellent, but greasy. Not a lot of holds, but what was there whispered suggestions in my ear, possibilities luring like a siren's song. At the end of the "blank" wall and just around the arete was a nice comfy ledge above sea level. A liferaft floating in a sea of verticality. After that there were a few easy ledges, then a low exit arch to the safety and security of the light on the seaward side. And, more importantly, deep boulderless water throughout. At the seaward side is a natural divingboard, and we couldn't resist launching off it into the deep, enjoying the spa bath sensation of bubbles all around when we surfaced. On the opposite wall are high ledges, and we both committed to launching off these, each higher one giving confidence, and the chance to disengage the brain for a second before launching. After a swim to the seastack and back, I had to have a go at traversing the wall and seeing If I could unlock the secrets. In wet wetsuit, chalkless and in toeless old rockshoes I set off. A row of good handholds carried me most of the way across the wall, desperately wanting chalk on the rough but greasy rock. Small waterworn but frictiony edges offering some relief from arms not used to hanging on so hard. The row of holds continued across the wall, but seemed to fade to sloping greasiness above a roof. Here there is a temping looking footledge lower down, so a couple of balancy downclimbing moves, overgriping annd scratching with toes brought temporary relief. At this point there is a small jutting roof, with good holds if you can find them. Here i realised the folly of the wet fulllength wetsuit. Now nicely saturated with water, gravity was taking it's toll, and the water was seeping out the legs, down the ankles, and soaking the shoes from heel to toe, as well as the holds I was resting on. Time to move on, to success or disaster. It didn't take long. A step down and across onto a smear with wet rockshoes was too much for tis dicy gamble with the laws of phsics, so time for the plunge! The security of the liferaft would have to wait for now.

Thursday 18 June 2009

Summertime.........

and the living's easy....

No sign of fish jumping, although a couple got snacked by diving birds during the session. Not much cotton either, high or not. Just the rolling green fields of NE Aberdeenshire. Darryl and I took a punt on a blast up to Philorth on Tuesday night to make most of what appeared to be Northerly swells and southerly wind, that were making Aberdeen look an unappetising mess. Wind was a bit too strong, and waves were a bit wee, but we made the most of it and got a couple of fun log rides. Sun was shining and just the two of us in the water.

Here's a couple of raw GoPro clips. They need editing and apologies for spitting, poo stance, foot shuffling (not got stepping through down at all), and stupid dismount!