Well, after the massive high of completing The Singularity a couple of weeks ago, I've slipped into the inevitable low. Gareth called it post natal depression, and it's probably similar in some respects. When you have months and months of working towards something and then it's achieved, I guess it's natural to go on a bit of a downer, and feel at a loose end. I've been almost continually sleepy and hungry for two weeks. There's one word for how I'm feeling right now: flat! I'm not worried though, because I know the psyche will return.
After the send and my 32nd birthday the next day, I spent a long weekend away camping and climbing at Brooyar, and I opened a new small cliff called Hammerhead with six routes between 14 and 20 which I gave to friends to do. It was good fun. Because I'd spent a lot of time exploring, establishing routes and playing tour guide, on the last day I onsighted 20 routes in a few hours to round out the trip.
On the weekend, I headed back to the Pulpit yet again, and began work on a great new 30m project which Duncan equipped earlier this year and gave to me to try. It has a tough, in your face opener which I solved with several thumb underclings, some crimps, and a big throw/span. The climbing then backs off through a section of slabby climbing where you would be able to climb into a cave with an anchor at the 15m point. And once I've climbed that cleanly, that'll be one route, but the real line (the extension, as it were) doesn't go into the cave and instead continues up the ever steepening wall into the top crux, which is haaaard! Slopers, weird gastons, high awkward feet, a core destroying left foot stab, then a super long crux stab for a perfect three finger flatter. When you catch this you're really extended with terrible, terrible feet. You get through this bulge onto the headwall, and finish up the runout outtro of Gay Abandon, an existing 27. It's gonna be cool!
Having this new project is the carrot I need to snap out of my post send funk, get back into training and get keen. It all starts this week!
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