More hiking, less climbing :(

Wednesday 9 February

Had another good night's sleep in the van!  Still no couch to sleep on; maybe I had better update my couchsurfing.org profile to be more attractive to prospective hosts!  Do I look dodgy or something!?  Having a shower every second night at the gym, but it would be good to have a place to stay and cook a decent meal!  Trying to eat healthy at takeouts and other cheap restaurants is difficult here.

Doing loads of hiking though, which is good for my general fitness.  I'm feeling a lot out of shape!  Luckily I have places like this to walk through :)

Checked out 'Planet of the Apes' wall - the guide says this is one of the most popular areas where people climb.  NO-ONE THERE!  Oh well I guess this is winter, in the middle of the week, and not Bishop/Smith Rock/Yosemite/Red Rocks/etc.  The wasll is pretty cool though; kind of reminds me of the Pocketed Wall at Thomsons Point in Nowra, although bigger (much bigger).  No bolts though; its a top-rope only area.  Grades from 5.9 to 5.13a, with a V7 traverse along the whole base.  I tried that, but it was very difficult!  Plus you must climb quite high to reach the good holds, and the hight of falls (while onto sand) was further than I desired.

There was also an awesome-looking, very steep but short, pocket problem on a nearby boulder.  I didn't try it because I was pretty gassed from the the gym bouldering the night before, but it looked at least V5 (what do I know about bouldering grades?).  It wasn't in the book, but was well-chalked.

If I can't find anyone to climb with during the week, there looks to be some other great bouldering spots around I can visit.  Just need to buy a pad.