What I've been up to recently

Have spent the last Few weeks since getting back from Stanage mainly battling against the rain. Have ben having little success at that though. But did get one decent trad day at my local, Jackdaw Scar. The weather was great and the conditions were perfect. Still we didn't manage to do an awful lot. Evan started up TD Corner which I told him was a moderate (was actually a MS) but even he didn't realise this till he checked the guide back home. There's a lovely 2 star crack on the end bay at Jackdaw Scar called Ivy Crack, which is E1. Due to not getting out much on trad. I'd still yet to climb a HVS, and therefore had only climbed my first two VS's at Stanage the other week. None the less, I wasn't fussed about the grade. I saw a nice route and wanted to climb it. We set two bouldering mats on the ground as the first piece of gear was going to be a way up the climb. Falling on to the mats the first time. I did it correctly the second time and was over the crux at the bottom and had my first piece of gear in. The holds were greasy and sometimes wet and I was starting to wonder what the conditions would be like further up. I made my further up. The climbing was getting noticeably easier, I was climbing with a clear head. I then got to a point where I could get into a rest position. The holds above me were soaking and I soon let doubt come into my head. I was a way up from my last bit of gear, and suddenly noticed I was running out of gear placements. I stopped thinking as much about my feet, and started trying to find handholds. I wasn't particularly nervous but I let doubt fill my head. The next thing I knew I was being hurtling 6 metres down through the air down towards the ground, then I came to a sudden halt as the rope caught me, pulling Evan in mid air, which gently lowered me onto the mats on my back.
"Are you alright?" asked Evan.
"Yeah!!!!" I replied.
I was feeling ecstatic. For me taking my first lead fall this early on in my trad climbing days was almost as good as climbing my first E1. I had climbed enough of it to know I could get to grips with it. And most importantly learn to trust everything; my gear, my partner, the rope, etc. I'm not foolish enough to think, that I can now climb without having to worry about danger or thinking I'll not get scared again. But I certainly know that any fear I'm having while leading a well protected route is irrational, and it is only a flaw in my head that's making me scared.

I've been going to Kendal aswell. I think my indoor bouldering grade might have dropped slightly but I'm sure it will get to what it was and then improve further through to the summer.

The other day I met up with Evan again. And on the spur of the moment we decided to go up Blencathra in completely the wrong gear. The snow was soft but everywhere and it was bitterly cold, considering I was dressed for a day bouldering at carrock fell. We also were in standard boots with no crampons and one dmm fly ice axe between us. Got some decent photo's though, despite the muck on my camera lense.

That's all really for now. The weekend is coming, who knows what it will hold, then there is the christmas holidays at the end of next week, and at least right now there is snow on the hills!

Ethan