Karma... Of sorts

"Karma is a concept in Hinduism which explains causality through a system where beneficial effects are derived from past beneficial actions and harmful effects from past harmful actions, creating a system of actions and reactions throughout a person's reincarnated lives."

I mentioned, at the end of yesterday's post, that I was considering taking in Reecastle Crag today, with my shunt, so that I could start working some of the harder routes. This is all in the name of making further inroads on my new summer project; leading all of the routes up to and including Penil Servitude (E5, 6b).

The sentinel of Reecastle.

The great thing about the day - apart from being back in the Watendlath Valley, with blue skies overhead and nice dry rock beneath my hands and feet - was a little find, whilst racking up at the base of the crag, in preparation for fixing a line down Thumbscrew (E3, 5c). It was a Wild Country Rockcentric and as is the norm with crag swag, I clipped it to my snapgate of large passive pro and carried on with my day. Obviously I'll return it to the owner if they ever come forward, but it just seems so strange that I lost gear yesterday, and then today, I found gear.

Cal Reid of Needle Sports on the headpoint of Daylight Robbery (E6, 6c).

Back to my day. I worked Thumbscrew (E3, 5c) for the majority of the afternoon and now feel I've got the moves wired ready for the headpoint attempt once I find someone to hold the ropes. I also began work on Inquisition (E4, 6a) and after one and a half attempts I threw the towel in and headed for home. It's going to take me some time to get to a point which mirrors the point I am now at with Thumbscrew and was with, with MGC (E2-, 5c), before I went for the headpoint in March. I managed all the moves today, but I had to rest on the rope on several occasions, and when you couple this with the fact that the only decent protection was about two thirds of the way up the route, after the first crux, I need to be feeling absolutely solid when I go for the headpoint.

Michael Norbury - Seathwaite local, MIA holder, AMI member and all round nice guy - on The Torture Board (E7, 6c).

The final thing that made the day was the company I had at the crag; there were two other climbers, Cal Reid and Michael Norbury, and one dog. I met Michael on my previous Reecastle visit; he was 'getting strong' on Squashed Racket (E5, 6a) by doing reps on his shunt, and I'm sure Cal has served me on several occasions in Needle Sports. Cal was going for the headpoint of Daylight Robbery and Michael was beginning to work the moves of The Torture Board. It was nice that, in between sessions on the shunt, I could rest on a nice slab of sun soaked rhyolite, whilst watching some of the best Borrowdale climbers perform on some of the best rock in Borrowdale.

The boulders and bolts of St. Bees North Head are calling for tomorrow.

Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...
Iain