Page 29 - RAFMA Winter 2003

lation
An account of Heart of Darkness and a few other scary routes.
By Bob Appleyand
Assumingyouhaveyoursensibleheadonandclimbwithinyour grade,mostclimbersgetupmostrouteswithoutundueangst.
So why is it that some routes stand out as intimidating and JHorS^S frightening, and leave you questioning your sanity?
I had always wanted to climb Heart of Darkness at d Pembroke.RobColesandIwereonthe2003Pembrokemeet, U
enjoying the holiday atmosphere. The early starts to beat the ' '
tide were a bit tough, but the early finishes to join the kids on the - beach more than compensated. It was Rob that suggested we
did Heart of Darkness. I had climbed only 6 routes that season , ; and was not at my best. Rob was going well as ever so it was
game on.
WecheckedouttheapproachwiththefountofallPembroke knowledge, Andy Lockwood. #
ft and technically more demanding Yes, it can be intimidating but ¿rv thereistimetoadjustastherouteunfoldsaheadofyou,beforethe B E final exhilarating traverse above the zawn to the exit grooves. Get your head round it and you w ill soar. O n m y first ascent m y head A jK ' was all wrong and I took a fall from the worst place possible,
,
)
'Heart'issometimes compared to Dream of White Horses as both are intimi­ dating routes. I have climbed Dream twice, many years apart and in very different circumstances. At the equivalent point in the routes, setting up the first belay, Dream is by far the most intimidating Unless there is someone on the route it is cliff cult to pick out the line beyond the start of the second pitch All you know for sure is that you have to traverse the steep head w all above the sea below. The route draws you on though and you have time to either: become increasingly freaked (first accent) or completely at ease and enjoying every move (second accent).
Heart is different. The intimidation, when it comes, is immediate, intense and has to be dealt with quickly by both leader and second alike.
I
I
fortunatelystayingincontactwiththerockandclimbingonOK.
The traverse of Heart starts across an overhanging section. No point in hanging around, nothing to work out, just an obvious series of moves rightwards to the next gear. Thankfully, there are lots of good jams ond the angle soon eases back slightly to only
Easy abseil, good belay ledge, but no sight of the main part r
of the route until you are actually on it. So off we went, early
start, no other climbers, perfect weather, low tide, calm sea,
everything in our favour. Andy had warned about the start of the route,thecruxmovearoundthearête.AswesetupthebelayIglancedupthe slabbywalltothesteepeningwheretheobvioustraverselinedisappearedoutof view around the comer. There was no indication of what was to follow.
i V<
Rob lead off and placed two high runners before stepping onto and around the arête, out of sight. He made some comment as he went. Long pauses, and little communication possible above the gurgling water in the rocks below us. Another long pause, then tight ropes, rapid movement and the loops at my feet wound out as the rope came tight at my waist. Up the slabby wall, steep moves to get the gear, step onto the arête - Jeez!!! Rob's last comment flew into my ears - yes, you can see straight down to shoals of little fishes from
here. The position at the start of the traverse is very exposed, 70'
directly above the water, with overhanging rocks below. Only
overlapstotheexitcracksleftmefeelingdrained. Itisperhapsthemostintimi­ dating slab route Ihave everdone.
The traverse of Heart is easiest in the centre section, though you have to take care not to tire. I kept reminding myself- use your feet, use your feet, as my arms become more fatigued. Rob had placed good gear but the prospects of a fall are serious. I looked down at my belt. The prusiks that have been at my waist for years were missing, somewhere in a shipping container on the way back from Iceland. All I had was some bootlace attached to my nut key. Be positive, keep going.
It is no coincidence that all the routes described here are on sea cliffs. The sense of intimidation is often heightened by the noise of the sea, no easy descents or walk off, plus blind approaches from above, often by abseil.
Baggy Point in Devon is, by comparison, a friendly crag The route Kinky Boots is the exception. There is probably no other route where the first move involves falling forwards, above a narrow, dank zawn. I f rst tried this route almost 20 years ago and bottled it. I could not bring myself to make the move - the ultimate intimi­ dation. It is not hard, it is perfectly safe and leads to easy ground, well within my grade. But, no. Instead I decided to do a much harder route that did not involve falling over to start.
Dream of-White
HhOoIrSsGeSs.
undercut, with overhangs above
adding to the intense feeling of fctj f )
doom.
W hat m akes a route so intim i- ¡y:
dating? I have clim bed harder, longer, more exposed, colder, w etter routes,
none of
w h i c h
compare to Heart. Dream is much longer
J
u M B t
B
now though can you see the route itself, a long traverse around and above a cave and zawn system, all I .
I
Dream OfWhlTtiGt©
O
1
Î f/
If you have not been to Lundy - GO. Climbers are naturally ak°u^mY t|mft but I have always enjoyed seconding and leading
Satan's Slip, E l 5a It is thin clim bing calling for a cool head and concentration, but there is good gear at about 100 feet out, just when you need it most. Fear of Faust is a parallel route at the same grade. There is no gear for 140' and the f nal moves passing
I
’■BVHtI drawn to the Devils Slide and the superb routes it contains. El is
Back on Heart things were getting a bit tense. The bombproof jams closed down to small finger holds. One of Rob's runners had come out, leaving a long unprotected section just as the technical difficulties were rising. I had to make some thin moves into a corner, with aching forearms and the prospects of a long pendulum. There is no chance of a tight rope, no lower off, no assistance from the leader other than words of encouragement. All I had to rely on was good foot work, energy conservation and experience. With the sea directly below I narrowed my view to the small footholds leading down and across to the relative safety of the corner. Fingers slipped on wet holds and with only a slight whimper I moved the last few feet across to a welcome resting place. All that remained was a tricky move around a protruding nose to join Rob at the belay.
Dangers and difficulties, real or imagined. We accept them as tfffU K c mountaineers as we use our knowledge and skills to overcome K[ nm S Bjf H t them. These routses though have an added ingredient that can f W f f l 'nf'm 'dote and has shaken m any experienced climbers. G o and do
fji/m'f. themall!
Journal 2002 I RAFMA 2 3