Seems the more injured I get the less I write. Such is life, I will fill you all in on what's been happening since my last post.
As you might have guessed I didn't return to Saint Julien Rock as we had originally planned. We forgot the guidebook that day so instead we returned to finish up the climbing at Ubrieux. I still was taking care to avoid reinjuring my left forearm so I warmed up on what I thought was a 5 called "Cupidos" as it turned out it was a 6a+ (5.10c). Thankfully it was climb that lent itself to good footwork so I didn't have to expose my forearm too much while cold.
Next I got on another slabby route called "Paradoxe" a two pitch route but only 35 meter that was 5 (5.9) and then 6b/6b+ (5.10d/11a). It has some really fun moves on small feet and a great undercling finish (under click is a hold that face upwards so you can only use it when you are above the hold). I was pretty happy with this route, I gave it two our of three starts.
To finish the day I got on a climb called "La Pas Decisif" which I graded 6c+ (5.11c) after completing it. The route was has the best crux, you start off climbing sustained 6a+ (5.10c) moves to get up on a slab on sidepulls (hold that are facing veritcally so you have to lean you body way from them and pull on the sides to use them). Part way up the slave you reach a good stance that is where the wall kicks back from slab to slighly over hanging for about 8 feet. You work you feet up to the transition point of the wall with you hands on a think crimp. Then stretch up and catch a sinker jug near when the overhang curves back into a slab. You then build your feet up on a small foot hold for you left and your right goes on the crip you used to get to the jug. Switch your right hand into an undercling while locking off you left. Then throw you left hand to a small edge up and left 2 feet. Move your left foot up to a great foot hold. Then hold then holding your right hand tight into the under cling you bump your left hand another foot and half to a hero jug. The climbing ease to 6a+ (5.10c) till you hit a technical slab for the last 4 meters. I didn't get the onsight but that was in large part due to not wanting to lock off on my right arm and throw for what looked like it might have been a big hold.
Adrian climb enough of the routes that I hadn't to complete 95% of the routes a Ubrieux so we declared the crag done and we went home.
The following day (Friday the 14th) we had plans to climb with Ollie from out gite. Ollie had plans to go back and climb a 7a+ at the "Roch De L'Aiguier" near Tarendol. Adrian wanted pictures and you can see them as I posted them on crackbook: Tarendol Pictures
Since I hadn't done it yet, we decided to do the very exposed "Grand Arete" route which goes right up the edge of the fin straight to the top. The route is 4 pitches and since Ollie had done it before he gave me the good pitches. He started up a 5 (5.9) pitch which was more of scramble up to the base of the fin. The next pitch was for me, the 6b+ (5.11a) crux pitch which moves up on the side of the fin then moves back out onto the edge where its about 1 meter wide. The exposure is wicked and the climbing fun until you get to the end of the pitch where the hold stop being incut and the feet disappear. I got my right foot up on a chip and then using open hand edges rocked up onto it. Just as I was going to make my next move to catch the finishing judge my right right foot blew off and I found myself hanging from the rope. During the fall I band my left thigh on the wall, I'm not sure if that was the rock Ollie saw falling or if the foothold I rocked up on broke. Either way I have a nice bruise form the affair.
After a moment to recover form he fall I got back on and hiked back up. This time I stayed farther left as I couldn't find any better foothold than the one I had used last time. I moved up really high on the not so good holds and threw my left foot up and opted for a beach whale plus mantel move to pull through the crux. Unfortunately, I haven't done enough mantel moves and wasn't warm enough and while pulling through the move I heard a velcro sound form my right arm this time and then a snap. It wasn't bad but didn't feel nice either. I got to the belay and brought Ollie up to my position. I wasn't in pain for the most part and I knew the rest of the climb was easier despite the next pitch getting the same 6b+ (5.11a) grade as the last pitch it was more sustained climbing as opposed to being a single hard move.
So up we went, I followed then completed the route with the final very exposed 6a pitch which was worth the full three out of three stars the route gets. See the pictures Adrian took of the route if you want to see what I mean. We rappelled off the same way I had the previous time when I topped out the fin off of Dolf. We went to the ground and grabbed something to eat and drink. I wasn't in great pain so I decided to lead another 6b+ called "L'Eau a La" to get back to the ledge where Dolf starts and the route that Ollie wanted to do. I made the moves but found certain right arm positions were a painful so I avoided them.
Adrian need more pictures of the vertical gray upper walls so I went and got on a 6c+ (5.11c) called "Libertine". This is the climb right next to "Passage a Aveux" that many of you commented about on facebook. Needless to say it has amazing big moves on a seemingly blank wall and has a couple hard pulls which might even bump the grade up to 7a (5.11d) but I couldn't be sure because on the second crux you have to do a low right arm lock off to an insecure left hand and a high right foot highstep (bringing your foot up to a hold around or sometimes above, as in this case, hip level) which I couldn't do since I hard torn a muscle (Flexor Carpi Ulnaris) in my right forearm. I lowered off since Adrian had gotten the pictures he needed for the book and he cleaned my draws off and called it a day.
All the night and the following day I applied ice as often as possible to the sore areas. Adrian wanted to climb and since the day before he had only taken pictures while Ollie and I climbed. The torn muscle is pretty specific hand positions belaying wasn't a problem. We set out for a new location called Maulecene to see if it was worth including in the book. It turned out that the climbing while good wasn't worth noting in a book where it would be purchased as a holiday guidebook. The location did have other interests as there was the ruins of what looked like a cement factory/mine. We got to climb around in, it was neat because there was a mine shaft going into the side of the mountain (James I thought of our spilunking adventures are Smith) and at the mouth of the tunnel it a overhead walkway to these giant silos that had a place for fires underneath.
We then headed into the town of Vaison-Les-Romains for some dinner and exploring a new town. The place was pretty cool. It has castles dating back to the 12th century and before. Though we didn't find it there is a Romain theatre among other ruins in the town.
Sunday I had a crazy experience today. Ollie, the owner of my gite, invited me over for his daughters 4th birthday party. I had met a few of the people there already as Adrian and I had looked into alternative gites for our move at the end of the week. The owner of one of the gites we looked at was there and the person who showed us the other gite we are considering was also there. That isn't the funny thing. The person who showed the other gite, she is living on the top floor of that one and is a Canadian from Edmonton name Gabriel. Gabriel is 29 and has lived 20 years in France, during that twenty years she spent one year in Vancouver. She went to Waldorf school in Lynn Valley and get this... she know Lonny Bastien who went to that school. Lonny and I played football on the Razorbacks together in High School. She even came out to see one our games in at Norgate park so I'm nearly certain we have met if not been introduced. Small world.
The other amazing great part of the birthday party was spending time with Aria the old french lady who live up the lane we walk through every morning to go climb. I got to sit down and talk with her for about 1.5 hours. It was really fun to connect with her. She has an amazing spirit, we talked a lot about traveling and reading and her daughter, Sophia, who is pharmacy school and how she does humanitarian travels to place like Laos and Chile. I could go on and on about how much fun it was talking to Aria but I'm sure the details would be a touch boring. Just wanted to share the joy of connecting.
Today, I did a long walk up to the next town over and a crag that we haven't been to but is only 3 KM up the road. It was good to get some exercise and did some stretching. The right arm is feeling pretty good today so maybe if the weather holds I'll get back out on the rock tomorrow and do some active recovery. I hope everyone back home is doing well.
Love you guys,
C
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