Yesterday saw an awesome plan successfully executed. Dartmoor as a day trip? You must be mad! Well no, not really, not for CUMC. The long distance to the moors did not deter these brave souls; instead they embraced the time as essential mental preparation for the intense pain that the Dartmoor granite was to bring.
Our first stop was Bonehill Rocks, probably the most famous bouldering venue on the moors. Owen, Cafers and I were treated to a wonderful description of the place by Jack *The Tour Guide* Turner who pointed out all the beautiful problems he had ticked in his previous visits to the crag. We warmed up on a nice traverse with an awkward mantleshelf at the top that was sharp enough to draw quite a bit of blood out of my left arm; what a start!
Bored with the warm up I went and tried a rising 6a traverse that wasn't to bad but took a few attempts... then Owen comes along and flashes it. This was to set the standard as to how the rest of the day would pan out. After a few more plays our tour guide, Owen, Cafers and I headed down to Greg's Dyno section to have a go at the Dyno (V3 6a). I think I was expecting something the size of Deliverance and instead got a little boulder which can be topped out from standing. Nevertheless, the dyno was awkward as it involves slapping to a razor crystal edge that if isn't hit just right will shred your hands to pieces! I got it after a number of tries at the thrutchy mantle at the top. Time to move on!
This time to the Baby Slab area where we were joined by Mat *Feed the Pony* Larkins. Whilst Cafers and Mat tried the 5 on the left of the slab, Owen quickly sent the 6a on the right. This left Jack and I trying to follow in his footsteps. After a bit of a fuss we both got it and just in time! As my brand spanking new shoes were suddenly devoid quite a bit of rubber on the front, much to my aghast!
We then had a little meet up with the girls, Hurricane Jess and Mountain Lucy as well as Jack Number II who were trying an interesting rising crack just to the right of the Innocuous traverse. Owen tried the traverse, which seemed quite a bit harder than 5b. Jack was once again touring, showing Cafers an interesting problem just to the left to work. Meanwhile, I went and had a go at the ultra classic Rippled Wall (V4)upon which I got completely shut down upon, unable to even do the first move!
By this point all our fingers were screaming from the pain of the granite crystals scouring they were receiving. Indeed, I had already lost a sizable amount of skin on my right arm and chest, and we had only been climbing an hour! So we went and had lunch. Duncan, who had hurt his foot and thus wasn't climbing, was having a good time sunbathing and reading some random Russian book. So we all had lunch around him and had a little chat and a sunbathe ourselves.
Periodically, Owen, Jack and I upped and had a go at Jack's 6b project. Once again we were shut down; not even getting close. This was probably due the intense pain that was screaming through our fingers at this point. Owen flashed a 6a to the left whilst I got it on third attempt. Lastly for Bonehill, we went and played on the warm up slab area. Cafers and Dave had much fun on a highball 5c slab. George , despite much shaking, steeled himself together and made an impressive onsight of the route. Dave took a big fall but was ok!
The girls, Mat and Jack soon come running over to have a play. I finished on problem 25, described as "V3 6b Undercut nose on left. Start on slopers to either side of the nose. Sneaky toe/foot jam on left." I turned the jam into a really crazy rock-over which leaves me in a bit of doubt as to whether I get the 6b tick. It was still crazily hard though! Sadly we wanted it to be a new problem so we could call it College Girls Exposed but after checking the online guide book it looks like this was not the case :(
Next, Hound Tor. Here Duncan taught Dave and Cafers how to do their first traditional climbs. Whilst the rest had fun soloing the classic VDiffs found in the area. Owen tried to make an impressive onsight solo of an (unbeknown to us) E1 but instead jumped off in what seemed like an unerringly similar recreation of The Sharp End fall we were talking about a momenet before.
*SCRRRRRRRRRRRAPPPPPPEEEEEEEEE* That was all my skin on my left arm tearing loose on the aptly named mantle Skin Graft (5c). Unfortunately I failed on that first attempt, and on the next three! I finally got it with a freely bleeding destroyed arm.
We continued to climb but the energy was draining fast and soon we were sitting at a picnic table outside the Hound of Basket Meals burger bar with a cup of tea and an Ice Cream; sun burnt, scratched, bruised and aching but completely content with the brilliant days climbing that we had just had.
Next week, Barrel Zawn!
