Shadow Of Intent.

I got accosted by a nice young man at Eden Edinburgh the other day who said he'd met me at Ratho and enjoyed reading my grindr profile errr I mean blog. I need to apologise for firstly not being very chatty (I was mildly distracted by trying to get a fucking grip during an atypically  disappointing sesion at the usually reassuring and outright fun Eden Rock), secondly not remembering him (people have accused me of having a rotted brain from listening to too much gabber and death metal over the decades - they may have a point as despite such music obviously enhancing my sense of personal morality, my memory is shocking these days), and thirdly for said blog being fairly mediocre this year. It is a mild annus horribilis - although not really an anus horribilis (I'd prefer it if more of the intestinal drama was way down there) and I have lacked inspiration as well as subject matter. But here's a little something from a few months back:

Well it's actually from a couple of decades back. Early in my climbing life, early exploration of Dumfries and Galloway sea-cliffs. D&G - Scotland Lite, but peaceful and charming in it's own way. Same goes for the sea-cliffs. Beautifully scenic inlets at Portobello, idyllic slabs above a beach at Larbrax, diverse greywacke adventures at Meikle Ross, plentiful good honest microgranite walls at Crammag and Laggantalluch. The latter feels a bit like hidden parts of West Penwith, imagine everything from the rock crystals to the approach slopes have been compressed down to a quarter of the size and the caravans have thankfully fucked off. 

I went to Laggantalluch all those years ago, did some nice E1s, backed off the so-called E2 5b Freewheeling, a grand slab that the Fox and I confirmed as E3 5c *** in 2011. And I also backed off a new route at the reasonably well established Laggantalluch Head sector. There was a crack and a roof and a headwall and it was all more committing than I was committed. 

Many years later I went back again, I think with The Pylon Kunt. This may or may not have been the visit where we developed the semi-esoteric but rather charming Buchan West Crag, subsequently all of our routes there were upgraded (possibly rightly, hard to tell as we had to abseil clean and inspect - another thing that makes pre-inspection such toss as you can't give an accurate estimate of the normal experience, albeit needs must on a new crag), and downstarred by Stephen Reid because he was miffed that it was the one obvious Galloway Hills crag that John Biggar and himself hadn't hoovered up (this explanation may be speculation or entirely accurate). Once again we had a nice time at Lagg and once again the line got away - to the extent that I posted about it on UKC to suggest someone did it before the imminent new guide. No-one did.

Fast-forward to many years later again, or is it rewind to a few months ago? Either way I went back with the Purkle who has a penchant for the area. The weather was stunning, glorious spring sun with an even more glorious crisp cool breeze - no nuclear death heat back then! We warmed up at Portobello and I finally did the intimidating wall of St Elmo's Fire E3 5c *** which was bold and lovely and a good reassurance that maybe I could potter okay with my PVIBSUDT (this was before the derived depression though). Then we went to Lagg and this time I was going to do that bloody route. Warmed up, did a sandbag E2, ignored the other 3 or 4 potential new lines and got on the main one, the most obvious of the lot. 

Womble to the roof, fiddle in good gear, lean out off a good, unavoidable jam (well there has to be something to stop the wall rats), reach a good crimp, tiptoe feet to hold it, match and gain sinker lip jug. Get pumped fiddling in unnecessary back up gear, then realise the second crux is to come. Furtle up on diminishing nubbins to get stood up and then realise by far the best hold is at your shins. A bit of lateral thinking leaves you hanging the footholds of the classic E1 that circumvents the roof and allows more gear and enough relaxation to shuffle leftwards to jugs and what would be glory except Galloway is all a bit too peaceful for that.

Nothing earth-shattering but I finally got it done and it's a good line and a good route and a good useful addition to the cliff. Shadow Of Intent E3 5c **. The leaning rock strata make it look quite hard in a Gogarth Main Cliff sort of way but it's not. So named partly because of the aeons-old intention of doing it and partly because of one of the vast plethora of technical melodic deathcore metal bands I am in to is Shadow Of Intent and I was listening to them on repeat to motivate myself on tedious auto-belay laps at Kendal Wall which may or may not have provided the necessary stamina.