BIG catch up!

La Marie Rose - Font 6a

phew its been a while and also a rollercoaster of ups and downs. Not sure how you do big catch-ups on blogs but here goes.

Saturday 20th - Monday 22nd March

P and I went up to Scotland for a friends wedding at Invergarry. We drove up Friday night to the Rucksack Club hut near Ballachulish and on Saturday drove up to Creag Meagaidh intending to do a fast and light trip around the horseshoe from Carn Laith to Puist Coire Adair. The forecast was not too bad and it was supposed to stay dry. We set off up Carn Laith into wind and clag, not knowing what snow and ice conditions would be like, but as we started along the ridge towards the plateau it started raining and getting more blustery. Visibility was very low and when we climbed up out of the bealach to Sron Coire a' Chriochairean we met a wall if neve, which was too much for fell shoes!! We would have been able to ascend the cut steps in it but if we found further neve of the same type later we would have had trouble with no points or axes, and no hope of finding these cut steps again in the clag, so we reversed the route back down to the van.

Total Mileage: 8m, Total Ascent: 3260'

We had a great night in Invergarry at Jen and Matt's wedding ceidlh, and it was slow going in the morning. After the happy couple left for their honeymoon - (Northern Scotland and Norway for the Northern Lights!), we gave into the inevitable that a day on the hills in heavy rain and gales was not what a hangover needed and went to the Ice Factor in Kinlochleven for some climbing on plastic. 

On Monday, we trusted the forecast and headed south of Rannoch Moor to the Cobbler, in the hope that it would be drier and calmer there than north of the moor. Well it was - just. A big boot ascent of the two monroes, Beinn Narnain & Beinne Ime, near the Cobbler in heavy snow and sleet showers! On the first summit a howling gale hit us and I had to crawl across the ground at one point! I'm not sure that it was a good idea to run back to the van from the summit of Beinne Ime in big boots! 

Tuesday - commute ride

Wednesday - indoor session at the local wall

Thursday 26th March

I took the day off to head out on Leg 2. I was a bit miffed as I'd originally wanted to take Wednesday off for this but couldn't because of meetings (which where cancelled last minute!) and wednesday was a much better day. Thursday was wet to start and wet pretty much through out the day, falling a snow and sleet most of the time up high, but the main issue was the wind. Gale force westerlies. I set off from Threkeld with the aim of recceing to Seat Sandal and then returning along the tops via a straighter route. 

I got the line slightly wrong up onto Clough Head by drifting rightwards so corrected on the old track to the stile over the intake fence - all in a heavy snow shower, and a real side wind! I then realised that this was going to be a really tough day, unless the wind let up! I was under schedule time to the summit despite the route errors and was looking forward to the running along the Dodds to Hellvelyn, however that was not to be, it turned into a battle as shower after shower came in, on hefty winds which meant I struggled to run even downhill at times, and always at an angle!! While the doubts nagged in my mind over how far I should go before turning back I kept ticking off the summits, Great Dodd, Watson Dodd, Stybarrow Dodd and on up to Raise summit. 

Here finally I seemed to start escaping the showers, and although the wind was still really strong, at least the cloud had cleared and I could see the summit of Hellvelyn with its large rotten cornices on it. The first people I saw where on the flanks of Low Man. I then enjoyed the run over the summit of Hellvelyn, Nethermost Pike and Dollywaggon Pike. All my times where around about schedule and given what I was battling against I wasn't too disheartened!! 

I decided to carry on until my three hours was up, which got me half way up the ascent of Fairfield, so as things had brightened considerably, I ploughed on to the summit and then reversed that and up onto Seat Sandal. Decision time!! What to do?!? Well the showers where closing in again and the wind had been swirling all around the ridges, meaning I'd never know whether I'd get a head or a tail wind, so I bailed.... slightly!

I dropped down off Seat Sandal to Dunmail Raise, and jogged back to Thelkeld in the valley via the footpaths. I still got battered by hail on several occasions and made it back to the car in 6 hours, feeling pretty whacked!!

Total Mileage: 24.45 Total Ascent: 6500'

Friday 27th March - Sunday 5th April - FONTAINBLEAU!!

I had plenty of time to recover from this latest effort as on Friday P and I drove to Hull and caught the overnight ferry to Zeebrugge and headed down to Fontainbleau forest for a wee bit of bouldering. I was soooo excited about the trip as we hadn't been there for three years and I find the forest beautiful and magical, but also really nervous as I've been doing a lot less climbing in the last few months and knew my strength had gone!! I needn't have worried, we had wonderful weather, good conditions and I climbed the best I ever have there!! 

I think the difference this time was that it was just P and I, we weren't on our way anywhere else or on the way back from anywhere - it was all about the bouldering! And I also gave myself a wee talking too about my fear of highball problems, top outs etc. I set my self a target on the second day - to do La Maire Rose as Bas Cuvier - the first 6a in the forest (done in 1946!).

Sunday we walked from the gite in La Vaudoue to Roche Potala and Rocher J.A. Martin to walk off the car and ferry journeys and ease ourselves into the climbing. It was a cloudy day, but cool and dry. Didn't do anything of note but got in the swing. Went for a 5 mile run in  the forest afterwards to loosen the legs. 

Monday we went to Bas Cuvier in sunny skies, although there'd been a frost over night. It was after a wee play on La Marie Rose that I decided to go for it properly, but the problem gets the sun all day and it got warmer and sweatier and I kept coming off the slopers near the top, again and again dropping onto the crash pad. Eventually I had to admit defeat as it was too sweaty and my skin was starting to suffer. We had a great time wandering round ticking off other problems and P ticked off a couple of 6c+/7a's too so he was chuffed. Repeated the 5 miler in the forest after climbing.

Tuesday was Cul de Chien day, and it started a warm up of half the yellow circuit at Diplodocus before heading to the sea of sand, with P sending the Toit de la Cul de Chien third go - 10 years after first trying it!! It was a hot day in the sun although a cool breeze was blowing. I was really happy that I was finding problems of the blue and red circuits within my ability for the first time, although as with all problems at Font, even 'easy' ones can be impossible!! I spent a fair bit of time on a steep blue which got only 4b but took ages to me to work out!! Was too tired and stiff to contemplate a run in the evening.

Wednesday - a rest day... well sort of! We had the road bikes with us and went out for a leisurely 35 miles with a long french lunch in the middle, made slightly harder by a fierce headwind on the return leg to the gite!! Sun all day and no clouds!!

Thursday I woke up nervous, P had encouraged me to go back to Bas Cuvier to try La Marie Rose again, in the morning before the heat got going. We headed there and after two attempts, I managed to latch the top sloper and hop over the top. Felt sooo fantastic to finally do a 6a and a famous one at that! I felt pretty drained after that effort mentally, more than physically, so the rest of the day which was spent at Apremont was fairly gentle for me, although I had a play on Science Friction too. I didn't do it, but that was more out of lack of time spent - I'm fairly sure I could've done it with a bit more time. P sent La Lune among others so was happy!!

Friday was a humid and cloudy day, and we had a bit of end of trip blues, but still had a great day at Roche aux Sabots, where I made an effort to tick many of the blue circuit. Saturday was a return trip on the ferry, and the drive home.

Sunday 4th April

We arrived back mid afternoon to blue skies and warm air, so quickly unpacked the car, and headed out on road bikes for a short spin to relieve the lethargy. Just a 1:15 hours on the local lanes, in shorts!! Ah... spring!

Monday - commute ride

Tuesday 7th April

Rode to work and back and while at work organised a mountain bike ride in the evening in the Duddon. One of our night rides from the winter, and it was a lovely evening to be out - made even better by sheepdog pups at High Wallowbarrow farm, friendly porkers down the road and a right good pint or two in the Newfield afterwards!!

Work Ride: 23 m

Mtb: 9.7 m, 2300'

Wednesday 8th April

A short trail run late in the evening to loosen the legs - 4.3 miles. Used two of the shallow climbs as hill reps repeating twice. Flushed a barn owl out of the hedge at one point, wonderfully white against the yellow and green of the gorse.

Phew... well it was a big update. Apart from the stats that I've not downloaded yet, that's what I've been up to recently!! It has been up and down, as I'm full of doubts about my fitness for a BG attempt, which is getting close now... but I know I have to give it a go!! Maybe I'll have more of an idea after tomorrow.....