Holly Wood

On my way from a clagged out wicklow gap to check out the top of the valley i remembered the vague hunch on some woodland by the road. My initial hunch was wrong, between the crossroads and the monument and beyond seemed to be mostly chossy shale outcrops. Further on though (2km after monument?) a forestry track forks off upslope and after glimsping some granite i followed it. Very scalp setting with holly bushes hiding the biggest boulders. Much better granite than the scalp i think, finer grain and the boulders more distinct and yet in subtler forms, some frustratingly blank faces. Some need a lot of cleaning for perhaps little returns.

Need to return with saw, secateirs etc. Chainsaw would be brilliant.

Followed forestry road up till it crossed waterfall river and up to the hairpin bend. Found only one big chunky outcrop, more scalp like, with nice big arete on it.


The pics are all over the place, the pad/bag give scale in some but size is generally poorly shown, anything shown is worth showing, .

Glendo

Took time about heading down to glendo so nearly lost the day to inertia as misty rain met me at the turn of the valley. Pushed on angrily and sat under howards roof grumpily. Realised the mist rain was so fine that things were staying relatively dry. Managed warm up circuit then straight into Nu rails as its last to dampen, last to dry. Got it only cos the weather left me few alternative problems. Turned out egg ss start was mostly dry and weathered worst of the "visible wind" by putting my hat on the most exposed hold. From standing managed to hit and hold higher right hand hold once using right heel hook low with left foot on nub below ramp. Could not repeat. Stretched right leg considerably first. Tried BBE, now putting hand higher on arete, more pinch there. Experimented with left hand being higher but it gave poor purchase for initial launch. Nice slow controlled failure. Tried pascals, feels long way off, that right gaston crank killing me. Remember low feet to start.

Weather improving the whole time, very impressive how much stayed doable. Still feel i'm progressing on at least two of these problems.

Glenmac again + Mall Hill

Was lured back to Glenmac despite the very warm weather, perfectly blue skies, was hopeful that the shade would be where i needed it and was proved right. Despite several days of sun the ground was still quite wet, solidarity landing was still boggy and at one stage on the walk in i went up to my knee.

With the sun on my back but my fingers in the shade I claimed Solidarity in about 4 or 5 gos, it felt good and not too hard with the top out making me sweat. I tried the left arete briefly but the sun was blinding from that angle so left it quickly.

First try of the steep face had me getting as close as i ever had, but it took the discovery of a new crimp on an old hold for me to finally top out. This was a close run thing and with my skin and the shade both disappearing i had to force the issue more than i liked. Feet got wet cos i spazzed.

Headed out at this point skin bad but not done, headed up to the line in Mall hill in search of new project. I had dismissed it in the past as too hard for me and little has changed. Sit start is nails. Stand start would be very hard. Possibly a vague jump start would get me on but i need more pads and a spotter to investigate further. Rock quality is poorer than i would've hoped, with grains rolling off under skin. Arete is slopey as fuck nearly the whole way so this could be a huge issue. (What i thought was a cleaned groove i suspect is actually a run off channel something i noted with relief.) I took consolation in the fact that summer is coming and another project is probably not what i need.

Had a lose the will to live descent out of Mall Hill, long day.

weight 72.5 kg

Glenmac projects

Solidarity - right foot on low crystal , right hand low, left hand high with two fingery crystals and left foot steps up to little ramp on arete. Left hand high to best bit after step, settle. Maybe one finger right hand on nearest crystal on face to stop barn and right foot high, got highest with this method once but very tenuous. Or else right hand inside level almost with high right foot and try and uncoil. Higher foot disappointing.

Steep rasher Face - Right on shelf, left on slanty crimp, left foot on low ledge, left hand up to middle notch, heel to right hand, right hand up to right crimp with thumb on square crystal, settle, left out to left crimp, settle, right hand just up to slightly right of apex of lip, settle, left hand over lip to the goodness. right hand up and over to hold on break by crystal, right foot up to unused rightmost crimp, left hand palming down, bear thru right hand. Came off at this point but doable with skin and conditions.

Remember lines on happy days boulder and scoop on back of flaming tips boulder.

Conditions strange. Access very muddy as expected. Walk in quicker than expected, 25 minutes to tips boulder. Weather was very mild even sunny, and quite windy, but faces in the shade were damp to soaking whereas rock in the direct sun was greasy, as shown by failure to get up full irish, ( also due to ongoing problem with bearing through right knee when heelhooking). Lucky with general condition of rasher and solidarity. Landings very boggy under both, torn bivi bag gave some sense of stayng dry but not particularly, still worth the weight. Skin the most important commodity on this trip, 5 blood points by the end and tips very raw. Peeling from first crease on both indexes returned after abating in recent times. Midges out, 5 or 6 of them but no bites. Waterloggedness annoying, lot of mat adjustment on bivi bag. Only really tried those two problems in over 2 1/2 hours apart from brief effort on full irish.

Nearly encountered group of walkers on way out, comfortably outside of conversation range, practiced my big foot glance as they stared at my mat.