If its July, it must be the UK

And it is July 2018.

I’m travelling and climbing with an old, good friend, Di Gilbert.

I love her, she’s ace, she doesn't mince her words and shoots from the hip! We’ve been friends for years and climbed together often in the past. Obviously our paths have gone in hugely different directions over the last few years, hers to big mountains in the greater ranges, and mine to sunny crags and foreign climbs! (Sic)

We spent a grand couple of days in The Lakes, staying with Doctor Clair, a friend of Di’s and a huge thanks to her and her friends (special mention to Alex) for their hospitality. Much appreciated.

Good days were had at White Ghyll and Shepherds crag.

Now we’re staying with Catrin in North Wales, near Llanberis. Cat is one of Di’s best and longest friends, and I can see why. She too is ace :)

After 5 or 6 days together, and 4 days climbing, its clear that the dynamic we used to have has changed a little.... I’m not 100% certain why, but I have an idea. We are both older, both recently ended relationships, with the changes to attitudes that often follows such things, ie, we’re a little harder, a little more determined to say how we feel, and a little less tolerant perhaps. Its natural, I have no problems with it at all :)

Also, there’s a 10 year age gap, I’m 55 now. I can feel myself that I’ve slowed down a little, that I’m carrying more aches and pains. I’m very conscious of that fact, and the fact that I’m not feeling totally myself these days. I’m a little less fizzy and energetic than usual and I think something is bothering me. If only I knew what?!!

You see Di and I are two different sorts of ‘climbers’ in a sport that welcomes all comers, from boulderers to walkers, sport climbers to high altitude mountaineers. That’s us. She the professional (and now mildly famous) mountaineer, and built accordingly, where playing on the sunny crags is a fun way to keep the rock climbing ticking over while the greater ranges beckon...and me the sport climber who prefers to try technically hard things protected by shiney bolts, or bomber gear in the warm sunshine, staying as far away from cold and ice as possible.

I have learned to accept what my body type is good for, though I’ve probably taken too long to realise the best ways to look after it, only recently stopping smoking and becoming more aware of what I’m eating and drinking.... 

Towards the end of last year I was feeling very poorly. I figured it was the sinus’s again. This year, especially since the sinus surgery and associated nose job, I’ve felt a little fragile. The nose still isn’t back to full health, and the lite headedness/low blood pressure is still hovering around while I adjust to living with it. 

Add to that the fact that my back has been playing up for the last 3 days. I suspect the car seat and driving, combined with strange beds and belaying a second up routes and needing a ‘tight rope’. All this has woken up the old back injury and the pain in my left buttock and upper thigh on Tuesday was not nice at all. It seems to be temporarily pushed into the background when I’m climbing, although left leg drop-knees won’t work just now, as I found out yesterday on The Sun at Gogarth... Oooft, that hurt!

I suspect that Di is having difficulty accepting my short comings, and my reluctance to walk for too long to the crag. I suspect she thinks I’m lazy and faking it. She said yesterday that if my back wasn’t sore “I’d probably find another excuse”.....!! Lol :)

Even though we agreed at the start that this was a cragging trip, today was evidently a mountain day. I really don’t mind though, the blue sky and wall to wall sunshine was hard to resist, and I too would have loved to have gone with them to Cloggy, but I just knew my back/leg wouldn’t like it one bit... I was right.

I walked a bit of the way up the Snowdonia path with the two girls, until the aching buttock suggested heading down. I stoped for a coffee in Llanberis with Torquil from Llanberis Resole (excellent :) and then set off, via the ice cream shop, for the walk to Cat’s place around the lake and along the railway. Half way along I had to pop a painkiller to ease the back and the growing pain from the left foot I broke bouldering in France 3 years ago. It does this from time to time. Every now and then it starts to hurt, for no obvious reason, though I guess I’ve stood on something to wake it up... I don’t know, maybe a long days walking is enough?

So no, I’m not faking it, though yes, maybe I am getting a little spoilt by Kalymnos, and maybe I am becoming a little bit lazy. Maybe I do prefer soloing, bouldering, and sport climbing these days. There’s nothing wrong with that, it just doesnt suit everyone! 

I have gradually come to this comfortable place. I believe it will refine itself further as the years roll slowly but inevitably by, if I’m lucky! 

Weight and cold has been a feature throughout my walking/climbing life.

Years ago, in my 20’s, I discovered that my skinny 52kg frame was suited to rock climbing, and over the years have built a decent foundation of fitness, experience and strength. I used to climb in winter too, and really enjoyed the actual climbing aspect of it, but the early starts, the long drives, followed by the long walks carrying heavy winter climbing rucksacks gradually wore me down to the point where I wasn’t really enjoying it any more. My little frame doesn’t like the cold, and it doesn’t like heavy packs much either! I made a conscious decision to only winter climb when there was a little more daylight and better blue sky conditions. That very soon became ‘just’ Munro bagging, or hillwalking with axes and crampons, taking cool ways up grade 1 or 2 routes to the summits without the added weight of ropes plus half a rack of gear. This gave me several fabulous days, Creag Megaidh stands out in my memory as a truly wonderful hill day via Raeburns on the main face in brilliant April conditions one year.... Awesome. The decision to stop winter all together was made when I decided that Themis was worth leaving the UK for. 

In the mid 80’s, I was in the RAF, on a 3 day mini expedition in Glen Clunie to do the South Clunie ridge with The Saddle and another Munro tacked on the end, camping over night up high, in a party of 8 plus the leader, Sargent Rab Russell. At the start, we all packed up our rucksacks equally, including camping gear and ‘compo’ rations, tinned (and heavy) food rations provided by the RAF for our use on the exped. To my great joy and surprise, rather than (as expected in the forces) Rab saying we all carry the same kit, I was amazed when he agreed that the weight difference between myself and the other members of our party was a problem and asked the others if it was fair that ‘the wee guy’ carries the same sack as the big guys, quoting as an example, Olympic weight lifters who are grouped in categories depending on their weight! My compo rations were removed and divided between the other guys, and I was elated to say the least. Rest assured I was still knackered at the end of the day and never managed to race ahead... It is however, a gesture that has stayed with me all these years.

So, my liking for Kalymnos, and sport climbing, generally with its shorter walk-ins and its bolted routes was always on the cards :) I think I knew long ago that I preferred cragging and technical climbing to humping big bags up big hills!

I hope one day Di realises that I’m still Mike, just an older, more achey version! I’m simply not built for carrying big heavy weights for long periods and as such have long given up the idea that I may one day, lets say, climb up Everest for example... I know I can’t do that. I don’t want to suffer that much thanks!

So it takes all sorts. We are all different and we should celebrate that.

Lets be more accepting of our plus points and our weak points too, lets understand that as we get older, we change a little. Lets keep that famous smile, and lets have happy times doing what we enjoy.

Here’s to climbing, whatever form it takes!!