Back to the glorious rain....

...but it does mean we have a good excuse to do some steep bolted limestone redpointing.

Off to Rubicon Wall in Water-Cum-Jolly dale, we drove, i had already had one day working on the route 'Rubicon' (f7A+), i arrived, started clipsticking up it, when i look down, and think back if you will, to the day i had at Stanage in the snow (earlier in the blog), I met a guy on the train and walked to the crag with him, we there he was. what a fluke, totally by chance, Luke Holmes had come to the same crag on the same day, to to the same 'effin' route as me, what are the chances?

So anyway, i topropes it a few times, to make sure i could still do the moves, and it was dry and clean. Luckily, it overhangs, and has trees which keep the top section dry, as it was rain quite heavily at times. All was good.

Quickdraws in place, and sequence memorised, i set off on the lead. quickly climbing the 6A+ wall at the base. Undercut fingerlock with left hand, reach round the quickraw with my right, i slapped up with my left, and then matched. clipped the next 'draw. the next move was hard, but not the crux. cross-over to a crimp with my right hand, throw my right heel up, level with my chest, left hand level with my right, and pop again to a thin pocket, bounce, and throw for a flat hold with my right. with my feet swinging off, it feel great, again i clip. take a rest, then reach out to a tiny intermediate crimp, before deadpointing rightwards, now, the crux, a lock-off on the crimp, and reach to a juggy side-pull. i have done it i thought to my self, pumped out of my face, i launch up for the jug on the lip, without a thought of footwork, and i fall, i turn round after a 3metre fall to see proberbly 15 of the dreaded ramblers, stood, hands over eyes, thinking i was dead...

the next time all went smoothly and i had lead my first f7A+.