climbing at mt arapiles/climbing in the oven

it was insanely hot... that's all that really needs to be said... i mean it was over 100 degrees every day. we tried to hide from the sun... but failed at certain key places... like belaying ledges and things... the result... i was very hot and enjoyed sporting some ridiculous hair styles due to an attempt to cool off...

so you all remember john and mica... the two australians who i climbed with at paynes ford/golden bay in new zealand? well they live in australia and just so happened to be around melbourne when i was arriving, so they picked me up from the airport and took me out climbing at mt. araps... they are totally badass and it really was lots of fun...

here's the sunset and some sprinkles of rain as we drove from the airport to the climbing place:

here's the scene i woke up to... excellent beautiful trad cliffs... and this is only a part of the whole place... (it was dark when we drove in):

here's mica before we did our 5 pitch route:

here's me belaying john up the first pitch (don't worry... i've dealt with the mullet since that photo... now i clip the back up):

the view from the second belay ledge. i think. could be the third...

the sun was really hot... and the route below here is really cool:

me looking stupid from one of the belay ledges:

john doing a step across to start the third pitch:

john doing a chimney to start the fourth pitch:

john looks hilarious with a mustache on the 4th belay ledge:

a better photo of this classic route i want to do next time i go there... the only scary part is the wrap rings are on that precariously balanced boulder on top... who the f thought of that?

clearly the heat has warped my mind:

john wraps down:

i am miserable in the car (no ac and the windows down just blows hot oven like air in from across the flat planes):

this really fun route john and i did (here's john leading it):

and you can see i got to lead belay double ropes... it was fun:

here's me sunburning on top:

the sun made me feel like this:

also i think i look like a funny prep school boy... anyway, here's me on top again... i was bored while i was waiting for john to play around with one of the pieces i couldn't get out...

here's how that climb made john feel (it was a solid 5.10 trad lead route... not to mention really hard for me to climb and clean... sooo tiring... the gear was all really good and hard to get out):

and this sums up mt arapiles:


so yeah. i still love climbing. but i think the lesson of this story is that i never wish to live in or near a desert/really hot place in summer or whenever it is hot... which rules out austin and australia and all places near the equator. so that's productive...

now i'm in melbourne... i've been on the beach at st kilda for a week now... i'm leaving for tasmania tomorrow and i'm going hiking there/chilling out for a week. then i'm off to sydney for three days then i'm off to cairns for 5 days to snorkel or something then fly back to melbourne so i can fly home... whoo. it's going to be busy. i'll try to put up some pics soon in tassie or syndey...


notes/replies:

stella: that's excellent that you and a snow day. i am insanely jealous because i never got anything of the short... besides the time the truck ran into the telephone pole and cut electricity and we had half a day off... even the tornado didn't cancel any of my classes.... but i suppose you were there for all that... anyway. yeah. hugs and kisses.

nancy: glad to hear that you are happy for snow. i'm going to try to watch the videos, but i might not be able to until i get home... so remind me. i bet they're sooo freaking sweet and hilarious. i miss you a lot. just so you know. oh and that drink is v... if i remember, i'll try to carry a bottle on the plane with me (they have it in aus), but they'll probably not let me do that...

jess: i love you too. and i can't wait to play. xoxoxo

team awesome and akaroa!

where to start?! this past week has been completely mind blowing! before you get too excited, i'm going to tell you that i haven't done anything crazy or exciting in the sense that it couldn't be done in little old ohio... anyway. long story short, i've been in akaroa for the past week (well, a bit less) and it's been fucking awesome! i stayed at this hostel: the cher la mer. anyway, here's akaroa from the hill:


and near the beach... but this isn't the nice beach:


and what made it so freaking sweet was the company i had there. i needed some time with some really awesome people to give this trip a nice conclusion. the weather was great the first day and a half, but then it was all cloudy the rest of the time, but my spirits soared. i first met this great british guy, mark, who was super cool and who i played shithead (a card game) with for many hours. we also went to see this french movie: the valet... which was hilarious.

i also went sailing in akaroa... i got a tour of the bay and saw lots of dolphins and cool rock stuff and cool seals...




so here was the boat i was on:

then colin came along... and he somehow was totally a perfect addition to the card playing, movie watching, music chatting group of mark and me (and occasionally tim... a guy who worked on the sailing boat and lived at the hostel) we named ourselves, TEAM AWESOME and we conquered the town (which was so small... there was no town), so we really just played shithead all day and night and took turns cooking feasts for each other... here's the boys (well mostly colin that night) cooking:

and the result: (yes, i'm the one with the wine and the beer... tee hee)

we went to le bons bay one day and wandered around... super cool. mark evaluated the sand quality:

and colin checked out the surf...

then he found this guy was having a bad hair day:

i found a bone:

and we went to the movies and saw volver... which was also great (the movie theater in this town was sweet!!)

we adopted a stray cat... who in turn brought us a dead mouse... we named him charlie:

and we really got along with everyone at the hostel... so we drank until we could drink no more the night before we left...

and when we were leaving, one of the staff actually said, "you guys can't leave... you're like the furniture." i was touched. it such a perfect chill place and the guys and the other people we hung out with were all really awesome. i mostly chilled with mark and colin, but i also had long chats/played shithead with the guy named tim, who has had a sweet life of lots of sailing and who worked in denali this past summer doing restaurant work... we had so much fun talking about that place... here's us playing shithead and talking films and religion with tim:

i also met this bad ass girl from juneau, alaska... stephanie. she has traveled the past 2 (american) winters to norway and other cool places and who is a glacier guide in ak in the summer... and she was only 18... crazy. anyway, it was sweet!!! yay for akaroa... anyway, the plan is to go to the farm tomorrow and hang out for the day, have a bbq on the beach if the weather is ok and then drive to chc on thurs and take off. it'll be really sad to leave... but since hanging with colin, i kind of want to come here and do a year graduate diploma in wine making/selling... hmm

anyway. i love you. xoxoxoxo!


replies:

stella: you are so totally sweet. i have nothing new for you since i facebook messaged you. thanks for enjoying my last story. it really looks like you're living up your senior year, which is soo freaking awesome. i'm super excited for you and everything. and if i haven't told you yet, your hair looks sweet! do you wear dresses and things like that all the time? because it is totally sexy. i think i'm getting a mullet again... tee hee. anyway, i'm still super excited to hang out... even if it is a week or two later because of silly spring break schedules... poo

nancy: you're right. i hope school isn't killing you... hugs and kisses. miss you girl.

alone camping and a few days with ben and justin

so, i successfully rented that crash pad thingy. it's pretty nice but a little awkward to carry around because it has no strap... all in all, i'm satisfied to have something to catch me when i fall. let's see, so here's my most recent adventures:

i drove up to castle hill and pitched a tent by this lake about 15 min drive past the climbing... free camping!! yay! here's my sweet setup:

and here's my beer cooler:

and i'm a happy camper:

the weather was good for the first couple of days, so i spent all my time climbing different exciting boulders at spittle hill and quantum field... sorry no climbing photos... i was out there all alone... here's one of my hair having a sweet day:

oh and here's some scenic shots from the road:


then the weather took a turn and rained like there was no tomorrow :( so i was stuck in the car for hours the one afternoon...

i read:

i drank tea:

but it had powdered milk... not as good:

and i sat there and listened to music (and obviously took funny pictures of me...):

but pretty much i felt like this:

so when i woke the next morning and it was still raining, i packed up and drove to town to see if i could entertain myself there... when i got in, i got a text from ben saying that the plans had changed and him and justin wanted to come and play with me asap. yay! i drove up and hung out for the night then we left the next afternoon (after mustering the hoggets off the valley) and headed to chc. we went climbing at the roxx that evening and drove out to the lake and camped out. the next day, we went climbing at castle hill. it was sooo fun. the boys did really well with their new shoes. we all climbed a bunch of V0, VI, and VIIs. justin even got 2 VIIIs. it was awesome! here's a shot of me:

hehe... i'm really just laying on a rock... and here's a shot of the sweet VII crack we all did... it was really good... a bit sharp without tape...

and here's ben on a really fun VII slab:

then we went back to town and swam in the town pools/spas. the weather was really nice the next day, but we were all a bit tired/sore from all the climbing, so we went to sumner beach and walked around and got ice cream. the next day, the weather wasn't as nice, so we climbed all day at the roxx. then on saturday, we went to hamner springs and played mini golf... here's justin:

and swam in the hot pools all afternoon. then the boys had to go back to the farm to muster all the sheep for crutching... (shaving around their butts so they don't get maggots...hehe... i bet they look hilarious after that)

so now i'm back in christchurch. the plan is to spend some time researching stuff to do in australia and book some things. then if the weather is nice, i'll spend some more time at castle hill. then hopefully i'll go to this fun little french town thing that has nice beaches and hang out there. then i might go up to swim with dolphins and go to the farm for one last night and then i'll be off for australia... crazy!! i only have a week and a couple of days left... ahhhh! i don't want to leave at all, but i do miss you all. why can't you guys all just move out here? that'd be perfect ;) anyway, i love you. xoxoxo


mmm, yes. replies:

erin: that's sweet that the comp will be on st. patty's day! i am soo excited to see everyone! i'm definitely not going to be in shape for competing, so i hope you guys want some help setting!!! ;) i hope you're enjoying the winter and still have some time for climbing between all the business of school! almost done, right?

stella: i'm trying my hardest to stay cool ;) you can tell me if it worked when i get home. you guys are going to have such a sweet time out at j tree for break. holy crap. that'll really be sweet. i bet you're climbing so strong now. i just got this feeling about it. i don't think i'll make it out there if the comp is when i get home. i'm going to stick around for it and then i think that the vegas trip is a go, so i leave for that on the following friday... but i'll keep thinking about it because i love you so much. anyway, you should cut your hair to this length. it's soo easy. and i haven't washed it in weeks! but i don't know what your hair looks like now... maybe i'll have to check facebook... i bet it's really long now. and totally sexy. hehe. i miss you girl. kisses!

nancy: you are crazy as per usual. but i love you, too.

caitlin: solo traveling is sweet... and scary and quiet, but mostly sweet. i've really been enjoying it so far with the car. it's really best to have a car or to have a bus booked or something. i've met tons of people who are traveling solo, like me... and lots of them are hitch hikers. (well all the hitchers are boys... but it's still cool). anyway i had a hard time licking myself on the face from the one you sent back... so i just spit on my hand and rubbed it on my cheek ;) hehehe. sorry to hear you're not in school. but at least you have more free time now ;) i'm glad you've been enjoying kendall. i miss it so much, but not as much as i miss you.

jessi: you and i have a lot in common. and i like that. i still miss you, too. but i'll see you sooo soon. and it'll be sweet!!! :) i'm also into smiley faces today... hmmm. keep an eye on steve... the trouble maker... hehe

steve: i hope this one was short enough for your liking... i'm glad nara's teets are doing well. oh, and her puppies, too. ;) my right eye just watered because my contact is drying out... and it looked like i was crying... and a tour group of asian people walked by and stared at me... it was excellent. i miss you, too.