Feb 18th. Day 5 of our Mexican climbing sojourn.

9.45pm and I am wacked but I will try and describe our day.

Last night David while chatting to a friendly group of Texans got invite to go multi pitching with them. So G and I decided to do likewise. Neither group realized their hopes.

Dave left at 9 with his friends, G and I left an hour later, but we had done the laundry. We headed for Las Chimuilus a three pitch 5.8 , 5.9, 5.8 climb that we did last time, and which I had led pitch 1 . Well being Sunday morning EPC was noisy, it was already quite warm, and the first bolt was very high, so I decided not to lead it. Of course I was not very happy with myself. So G set off, crushed it and was full of encouraging words about how easy I would find it. Well I didn’t. So I tensed up, and then, three moves in a row my right knee gave me gyp and then came a series of moves I had great trouble getting through. Anyway I managed to finish the pitch but was in no state to continue, so we bailed. G lowered me off, but immediately ran into problems with kinks in the rope. That wasn’t much fun for her. Well eventually we were both down. So what next. Well lunch of course, but then? Choice one, go back to the house and sleep for 4 hours, choice 2: go another climb I led last time I was here, a much harder one (5.10a) – if I fail at least fail on a hard climb. Choice 3 …, choice 4 …

Choice 2 it was and it worked great. I led it clean with no problems. The put me in a much better head space.

The climb was not without incident though. I was about half way up when there was a cry of rock and 50m climbers left of us rocks came from way up and people dashed for cover. No one was hurt but two cars were damaged. (Geraldine did not hear the cry’s of “rock” and thought the sounds of rocks hitting the ground were gunshots! But she did not duck , and kept on belaying me)

The lady beside the car, note the lack of rear window, is sitting on part of the rock, another part is just behind the car. The front of the car also received a dent.

Anyway I was able to continue and but it out of mind, I knew nobody was climbing above us.

After this we moved a bit to another climb. Unfortunately I was not able to do the crux move on this nominally easier climb, so there went my good head space.

While finishing off this climb we saw David chatting to the lady who’s car had been damaged just below us. Apparently Dave had met her in Kentucky on his only other climbing trip. Also his group had got to their desired climb just after another group, plus there was another group already on the climb. 4 hours later the had only done one pitch, and carabiners and small pebbles were being dropped on them, plus people were trying to descend at the same time so they bailed.

Here is G cleaning the 5.10a I led.

Dave and one of his Texas buddies then climbed the 5.9 and another while G and I made our way back to house.

Being Sunday evening the Potrero was buzzing. G and don’t remember it being like this 10 years ago.

That’s the overflow car park just outside EPC.

Ok. That’s the day . Bed time.

M