It was the start of a rad trip, with the weather being cloudless days at one extreme, and thunderstorms at the other! We spent a bit of the first morning cruising some of the easier routes..here's Dee cranking on Camelot 10:
Alex and I tried Trojan 25 that afternoon - after working the moves, he sent it next shot. I did it the next morning 2nd shot - it is an amazing climbing, but for me it was a fight all the way until the anchors. Many thanks to Dee for the photos.
That afternoon I climbed with Gerry Narkowicz for a while, doing Horn Piece 13 and then Tanin 19, which were both amazing routes. Gerry sent Trojan by the end of his trip just after we left which was rad! For the next few days we kicked back and did a few easier things, like eating and bouldering. I did a couple of the super easy classics, like Tiptoe Ridge 5 and Spiral Staircase 8, the latter was in a thunderstorm just as we got to the top, which was pretty special.
However Mind Arthritis 27 was one of the highlights of the trip, a route we both tried for the next couple of mornings. Forging its way up into space (hence the name), it's just around the corner from Trojan on the Pharos. An initial boulder leads to a juggy break, then it's game on up the headwall: mantles, gastons, crimps and deadpoints on some of the most amazing holds I've ever seen are the meat of the route. After trying it a couple of times, I decided to devote my time to other things, as realistically I wouldn't have done the route before we left. Alex thought the same - here's some photos of him on it (imagine the route kicks back 20 degrees, rad!):
However Mind Arthritis 27 was one of the highlights of the trip, a route we both tried for the next couple of mornings. Forging its way up into space (hence the name), it's just around the corner from Trojan on the Pharos. An initial boulder leads to a juggy break, then it's game on up the headwall: mantles, gastons, crimps and deadpoints on some of the most amazing holds I've ever seen are the meat of the route. After trying it a couple of times, I decided to devote my time to other things, as realistically I wouldn't have done the route before we left. Alex thought the same - here's some photos of him on it (imagine the route kicks back 20 degrees, rad!):
Some more rain came, and we did a few different things: Arachnus, a really cool 120m grade 9.
We headed up Ali's on the Bluffs to have a look at Final Departure 27 which is a mind-blowing line. Alex ventured up the classic Missing Link 17, and we all had a grand time on the uber-classic Muldoon 13. On our last day, I did some more easy climbs on the Organ Pipes, and ol' Turbo (aka Alex) came agonisingly close to onsighting Orestes (23/24), pumping out on the final traverse, two moves from the finish. Here he's starting up it:
So Araps was an awesome experience, and I had heaps of fun just going rock climbing and hanging out. I'll definitely be back to finish business with Mind Arthritis!
