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