Untitled Document

Friends Stories and Poetry

Diary of Rock Climbing Trip to Warrumbungle's 30 th March - 2 nd April 2006.

(The following epic is told by Robert Schutz)

DAY 1

3:00am…Thursday 30 th March 2006

Woke up way too early and could not get back to sleep thinking about the days the lay ahead.

This trip has been organized for almost 6 months now and the day has finally arrived, the climbing party is now only two after a great friend and eager climber had to pull out to work commitments forcing him to move to Rockhampton just weeks prior. So it falls on the heads of Bruce Jones - Coffs Harbour and Robert Schutz - Nomad….(still looking for somewhere to settle roots after also leaving Coffs Harbour just weeks ago) to tackle the awesome task of climbing Flight of the Phoenix. A classic 330 meter 8 pitch assent.

Left Cargo (between Canowindra and Orange) at 3:15am and headed towards Coonabarabran driving through Molong, Wellington and then Dubbo, finally getting tired again as the eyes strained the side's of the road on the lookout for 6ft grey kangaroos that would undoubtedly put large dents in the front of my little Lantra wagon.

5:00am pull over about 30 klms south of Gilgandra to catch 40 winks over the wheel, the short nap soon turned into 2 - ½ hours and at 7:30am I'm of again heading into Gilgandra to fuel up and have breakfast. Car full of fuel and me eating a tub of apple crumble yogurt and I'm heading north bound for Coonabarabran. A short stop at Tooraweenah just 55 klms south of Coonabarabran for a much needed pit stop. It is a very cloudy morning and I have driven through Heavy rain for the last 40 mins since leaving Gilgandra; I certainly hope it clears for the Hike into the Warrumbungle's later this morning.

9:15am Arrive in Coonabarabran and meet up with Bruce Jones at Clock tower in centre of town as arranged. A short stroll to the bakery for some fresh bread supplies and were off to the Warrumbungle's National Park.

10:30am sees us arriving at the Information centre in the park to pay fees, and then off to Pincham carpark (498mtrs above sea level) to arrange and double check all gear before leaving for Balor Hut.

Balor hut (795 m) is located a mere 4.7 klms along a well maintained pathway and sits just below some of the best Rock formations ever left behind by volcanic activity. The hut will accommodate 8 people and has a fresh water tank, modern long drop eco toilet and 2 small stoves for heating and cooking.

11:10am after doing the final checks on all gear and splitting the weight between packs to even the load we depart for what will undoubtedly be the greatest experience I will have for some time. An expectation of reaching our goal is high and adrenalin is running at a feverish pitch.

Almost as soon as the 4.7 klm journey began, the adrenalin started to subside as the lactic acid took over as the steeper than expected grades and the 30kg pack I was toting started to take its toll on my legs and shoulders. Stopping at several interval's along the way to rest the pack on anything that was around 4 foot high on the sides of the trail so as I could take some weight of the legs and shoulders whilst waiting for my racing heart beat to return to somewhat of a normal level.

I had no idea it would be this tuff and had not contemplated the need to prepare myself earlier fitness wise, I am 34 years young and weight a mere 68kgs and before this very moment had always considered myself fairly fit and active……..who was I kidding just 30 mins ago before this bloody hike started.

To make matters worse and a definite kick in the pants for my already sagging youthful feeling is that my climbing partner has already topped his half century some years ago and is plodding up this bloody trail in front of me like a seasoned mule in the Himalayas.

I tell you this hike was turning rapidly into a huge mistake… Leaning against a tree beside the trail for another short rest stop and my bloody thermo cup kindly donated by Toormina Landscape Supplies decides to fall off my pack were it was balanced as I was too lazy to unzip the pack and stow it properly and proceeds to roll 4 foot down an embankment. Well right here and now I though of using one of the tins of baked beans as a cup for the next four days instead of having to climb down and pick up the stupid thing. After much thought I retrieved the cup which then forced another rest again before proceeding again up the trail. Just 50 metres further and over another crest in seemingly endless track built by satin himself no doubt was my OLDER mate smiling like Cheshire cat at a small rest and camp site on very small flat piece of ground. The bench next to him looked like a present from God.

After a longer than normal rest and having taken the pack off it was again time to stand to attention and saddle back up for the last leg of the hike which my mate tells me is just around the corner and finishes at the top of SOME steps.

Well three more rest stops later I finally arrive at the bottom of what looks like will definitely be the end of life, as I know it. What lies ahead is absolutely heart breaking, my climbing partner is no where insight and I can only assume is standing somewhere above me having some sympathy for what lies ahead of me or alternatively is pissing him self laughing at will be my untimely despise.

To paint just a small picture of this for you I have just spent 2 hours of absolutely heartbreaking conditions for what started out as being the trip of a lifetime… (Okay I lead a sheltered life)

Rounding the last bend in the track I'm faced with Not ONE (1), not TEN (10), not even A HUNDRED (100) but 242 steps……..AND to make matters worse there a 3 motorcycles and a 4 wheeler parked at that bottom of these that the Rangers use to move around the Park with?????

I have just had my arse kicked by somebody 20 years my senior for the last 2 hours and these buggers rode up here on bikes.

So the ascent of these steps was now going to become the greatest climb I had come here for.

Just 8 steps into it and again it's off with the pack and sit for a smoke (no funny green stuff - just the menthol tailor made's for me). A welcoming sight now as Bruce comes walking down the stairs to see how I'm fairing up. (None too bloody good just quietly). But after he offers to take some weight off my pack it was time to hold onto what little dignity I have left and deny his offer. If he cane walk up these bloody steps carrying just as much weight as I have then I ain't going to let these barstard's beat me, Heck there's only 236 more to go…..sob…..sob. And so with Bruce giving me moral support I made only one more quick stop on the way to the top. Finally with the last step conquered it was just 70 metres further to reach the hut on a narrow rocky track around the front of the Bread Knife. Finally arriving at 1:30pm.

Just to make matters even worse, half way along the trail I discovered I had left my GPS behind on the car roof in the car park, luckily the Park workers were doing upgrades on the trails at the top of those bloody steps and one of the very kind fellows retrieved it and it now sits at the visitors information centre waiting our arrival again on Sunday morning.

The rest of the afternoon was spent taking a few photos and collecting wood for the fires.

Some repairs also had to be made to my sandals after the glue and stitching gave way whilst walking around hut and surrounds. Tea time was around 4:45pm, I have brought some left over spaghetti bolognaise and some home made rissoles and 3 containers of pre cooked rice, to tins of baked beans, 2 tins of spaghetti some tuna and salmon with the usual choc energy bars and some lolly treats during climbing. Bruce has purchased some dehydrated food packages from a camping store and will test his luck with those by adding just a cup of hot water and waiting 10 mins.

Tea over and done with it was time to reflect on the past events of today and the warm up climb tomorrow, we will make an ascent of VERTIGO just a small climb of 78 meters with and easy grade 10.

Finally rolling into bed at 8:00pm after what proved to be a most unforgettable experience.

DAY 2

5:00am…Friday 31 st March 2006

Rob awake and again couldn't for the life of me get back to sleep, So as not to disturb Bruce I decided to do some light walking to warm the body and look at the beautiful scenery of this lovely park as the birds awoke in song and sun lifts from behind the hills.

6:45am and its back to the hut to start the fire for coffee and breakfast, awakened to sounds of crackling wood in the glowing fire see's Bruce out of bed at 7:00am.

Fire is taking it's time in boiling water for coffee so we ready gear for today's ascent of “Vertigo” on Belougery Spire.

8:10am and were loaded up with climbing harness, gear and rope. Walking around to the northern side of The Breadknife and we are confronted with the awesome sight of Belougery Spire towering 1057m above sea level.

The walk from here is back on dirt trails as the Park workers are continuing the elevated walking paths and steps from here to the Grand High Tops lookout (another 360 more steps to be added according to the Park workers).

The old well worn trail now follows along the base of the Breadknife and weaves its way 900mtrs through trees and around rocky outcrops ending at a t-intersection just below and to the left of the Grand High Tops lookout. It is here that we turn left towards the Spire along a trail that will lead you to the TV towers on Needle Mountain some distance away if you're fit and game enough.

We make another turn left after 50 mtrs or so and follow a small unmarked track to the base of the Spire, walking to the right hand side of the base leads us into a small gully heading up between the Spire and a leaning rocky outcrop.

Following carefully up and keeping the Spire on our right side we follow the trail to the top of the gully then down through trees and shrubs coming across another gully that leads half way up the Spire. Looking behind us when standing in this gully and we look directly back at the top of the stairs and the Breadknife. Following this gully up and to the left we find ourselves at the base of “Vertigo” and just 78 m from our final destination. It is decided that Bruce we lead the first pitch and after setting ropes and some light humor reflecting on the amount of walking that will be involved again today, it's up up and away we go at about 10:30am.

Bruce leads the first pitch which follows the face to the left hand side and up to a small depression where he finds a nice spot to set up belay for me to second this pitch of about 20 m. Now although I love rock climbing and have been climbing almost weekly for the last 12 months with climbing grades up to 20's and leads of 18's or so I have been know to suffer from the odd spate of VERTIGO causing the famous Elvis leg shake (no pun intended) on exposed routes before, but today is different and sees me almost running up this rock with an uninterrupted view down to the tree toped floor a mere 150 m or so below.

I'm sure Bruce was thinking I had gone mad as he listened to me singing and whistling

“I'm gonna climb me a mountain” “I'm gonna climb me a mountain”

Repeatedly up the 20 m to his location.

Pitch 2 and now my lead as we exchange gear and I head up and to the right slightly on an easy grade but with some difficulty in finding places to insert gear, this rock offers small cracks suitable for small nuts and cams but not always of bomb proof quality. After some longer than used too run outs sees me reaching a nice ledge about 600mm wide and about a 20m gain also towards our summit.

Some digging in dirt filled cracks and a belay is placed with two suspect cam placements and a bomber nut deep in a crack. Bruce now removing his belay protection and seconding this pitch sees him stopping for a good tem minutes as he tries with out success to remove a nut that I had placed. It appears he can move it to the top and the bottom of the crack but finds it wont fall back out, it is decided to leave this behind for a future climbers treasure should he/she be able to remove it.

Pitch 3 and the final climb to the summit sees Bruce again saddling up all the gear and he traverses to the left around a small outcrop and then makes his way up also struggling with good gear placement and longer than expected run outs, also having to battle with rope drag and a long 38 m remaining pitch finds him having to pull up 2 -3 m rope before climbing between each protection point. Finally after around 30 – 40 min I hear the call of “SAFE” and wait for him to set up a belay before removing gear and making my way to the summit.

The call of “On Belay” and I remove my Cams and Nut and proceed to again sing and whistle my tune aloud as I make my way to the top, photo's and words cannot describe the scenery that we have experienced in the last couple of Days.

1:30pm we reach the summit of Belougery Spire (1057m) and I sit in awe at the surrounding beauty and I am then amazed as out from under the rocks come first one or two then half a dozen lizards about 150mm long and fat as your thumb, these are very tame little fellows, dark brown in colour and will walk right up to your feet, even licking the salty sweat from your skin. A little treat of food is given to these fellows as we sit and enjoy the fresh air whilst having lunch before we descend via abseil back down above the gully and just to right of were we started the climb up.

Signing the Climbers Register which is inside a PVC tube at the summit and we move to abseil point which is a chain bolted into rock and a couple of slings around a large boulder, we abseil down about 15 m to the second abseil point. From here we feed ropes through a “D” shackle that is placed between two steel plates bolted to rock, we have tied both ropes together and will abseil down the last 55 m just above the gully.

Half way down sees another of these plates bolted beside a small ledge making it possible for anybody with just 1 rope to descend back off the summit.

Packing up all gear and its time to climb back down the gully, making our way around the trail, retracing our foot steps back to the Grand High Tops lookout.

We are headed for Dows Camp tonight located below Bluff Mountain. It is from there we will start tomorrow's walk to the base of Flight of the Phoenix.

We walk over the Grand High Tops and follow the path towards Bluff Mountain until we reach the intersection of the Pincham Trail and the Dagda Short Cut. It is here we leave our harness, climbing gear, rope, returning to the hut at 4:00pm via Dagda Short Cut for tea, and retrieve our sleeping bags clothing etc.

Leaving the hut again at 5:15pm and returning to our gear placed just off the trail earlier and we are again loaded with heavy packs as we make our way up the steep trail headed for Dow's Camp. Arriving at 6:00pm we proceed to set up bedding and collect wood for a small fire. The Camp ground is a good cleared site mostly flat with a dry creek bed just to one side the only defining thing to make this a camp site is a small steel BBQ surround with hot plate sitting on the ground in the small clearing.

Talk of the next days climb and today's events sees night fall and we climb into our sleeping bags under the stars about 8pm.

It is a cooler night than last night and with some wind blowing it became clearly apparent that I should have packed a swag and my heavy weight sleeping bag instead of the hammock and light compact sleeping bag I was now laying in swinging from side to side.

Bruce was a little smarter and had brought a self inflating foam mattress; ground sheet, heavy weight sleeping bag, and light rain cover in case of inclement weather.

I have already decided that if I feel even a drop of moisture on my face in the night that I will be sharing that ground sheet and rain cover with him.

Wharhoo Rock

1

Hug the rock face; feel it breathe;

it softens to your touch,

Tis clothed in contours; little cracks ,

where fingers like to clutch.

2

The decorative pattens move and change,

to cool and then to hot,

For you hug a living challenging beast,

called the Wharhoo rock.

3

Tis many a climber who came here,

to test his strength and skill,

Who with bountiful courage; self assured;

imparted the adventurers will,

4

To fight, and fight and never give up,

for the trier cannot fail,

Yet he who knows when to give up,

tomorrow will prevail.





Wharhoo Rock

1
Hug the rock face; feel it breathe;
it softens to your touch,
Tis clothed in contours; little cracks ,
where fingers like to clutch.
2
The decorative pattens move and change,
to cool and then to hot,
For you hug a living challenging beast,
called the Wharhoo rock.
3
Tis many a climber who came here,
to test his strength and skill,
Who with bountiful courage; self assured;
imparted the adventurers will,
4
To fight, and fight and never give up,
for the trier cannot fail,
Yet he who knows when to give up,
tomorrow will prevail.

Colin F Jones

Romancing the Stone


An empty nest and middle age can do weird things to the head
The mind swings from mild euphoria to wishing you were dead.
There was something that I needed but what, I didn't know
To the one who is a soul mate I sought an answer to my woe.

I bared my soul; I talked and talked, to this one of tender years
Stripping away the layers that hid my dreams and fears.
She listened intently, her comments few, until I was totally drained
And I saw her warm compassion as she shared with me, my pain.
She reached across the chasm, on my shoulder her hand did rest
But her advice just shocked me to the core, surely it was said in jest?

"Now Mother dear, just get a grip, for the solution's plain to see
Though after you've heard what I'm about to say, feel free to disagree.
You lack a challenge in your life, a passion new and grand
So ditch the wallowing self-pity, it's time to take a stand.
I'll speak the truth and cut to the chase; it's from the hip I'll shoot
Counselling is a waste of time, what you need is a bloody good route!"

Gob smacked and shaken, I picked myself off the floor,
Curiosity was aroused; I wanted to hear more.
“I’m not suggesting you scour the personals, in search of a Tom or Fred
There's pleasure and passion aplenty if you’d take up climbing instead.”
So with fear and trepidation, I leapt headlong into a rocky affair
To discover as well as a challenge, corporeal fantasies were also found there.

No matter what your leaning, no matter what your bent
A variety of sensual experiences can be had by lady or gent.
If bondage and discipline happens to be your thing
Creative fun can be had with some rope or sling.
When you’re trussed like a turkey in eleven mil dynamic
You will either feel captive or totally ecstatic.

For the sado-masochist, there is boundless stimulation
Isn’t climbing an extreme form of self-flagellation?
You squeeze feet into climbing shoes that would fit a child of three
And your harness compresses the nether regions to roughly the size of a pea.
I hate to be judgemental, but can someone please explain
How anyone can get their jollies by inflicting or receiving pain?

Now I'm straight as an arrow, or so it would seem
I've never considered batting for the other team.
But when I'm struggling to climb through a difficult part
Lust rears its head and consumes my heart.
To clap eyes on a huge set of jugs is just magic
And the feeling as I grab them is damned near orgasmic!

A cliff face isn't just a geologic conglomeration
But an exquisite example of anatomical creation.
There are cracks that are off-width and cracks that are thin
And cracks barely big enough to slide your nuts in.
There are cracks that are moist and cracks that are sandy
And the occasional crack that your hand fits just dandy.

There are nobs, horns and jugs of every dimension
And a variety of routes too numerous to mention.
Some routes are difficult but they'll guarantee satisfaction
If you don’t happen to suffer from premature evacuation
A route can be hard, a route can be slow, but the route I like the best
Is the short sharp thrust to the climax, without having to take a rest.

Nearly a year has passed since my counselling session
My affair with the rock has become an obsession.
There’s an advantage in having this inanimate mate
As we couple in unison to reach that blissful state.
It makes no demands and has no expectations
It accepts me as I am, never shows exasperation.
And there is joy in my heart as I head off up the track
Cause it doesn’t bloody argue and it doesn’t answer back.

Soleado 5 December 2002

The Ethics Committee

My conscience is my ethicist; I shall not cheat.
It maketh me to climb using legal body parts
And leadeth me away from grabbing metal jugs.

It prompteth my guilt if I transgress,
And restoreth my soul when I resist.
It leadeth me in the paths of righteousness,
For its own reputations' sake.

Yea, though I climb a difficult route and feareth falling.
I will try not to pull on rope nor draw
For thou art with me,
And thy condemnation pierces my heart.

Sometimes a route has been preparest beyond my capabilities
Which leadeth me into temptation, when my muscles pumpeth up.
Surely a knee on a mantle is permissible?
Will this transgression follow me all the days of my life?

Yea, thou I reacheth the top of the route; I did not climb it cleanly.
My cup of joy doth not overflow,
And the satisfaction in my soul is found wanting.
What is hidden from man cannot be hidden from me.
For I am my harshest critic: An ethics committee of one.

Soleado 4am , 14 July, 2002

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