When ever I do a classic rock route (not sport climbing!) I always ask myself the same question. How did the first ascentionists feel as they forged their way up this line? I used to think that they must have been mad to make those exposed or scary moves, never really knowing what they were going to encounter next. I now know it’s got nothing to do with being mad, but more about being mad keen. Keen to push oneself to an unknown degree, with the confidence that you can deal with any situation you find your self in. Having just spent a good two weeks developing two (presumably) unclimbed crags in the Kimberly, Western Australia, it’s the first time in my life I’ve ever been able to fully appreciate and understand what people go through on first ascents and why they do it at all. In short, it’s absolutely mind blowing.

The climbs I’ve done may not be the best rock climbs in the world, but the personal rewards I’ve reaped far surpass almost any climb I’ve ever achieved. I’m the sort of person who will happily spend five years working a single boulder problem. When I finally do it the feeling is incredible and often lasts for days. I only have to think about certain ascents to muster up a warm feeling inside. Ground up new routing however is distinctly different. It’s about the unfamiliar and the unknown. It’s all happening now. You can’t just walk away and leave it for a few days, months or years if you’re feeling weak. Once you’ve decided the line will go you must have the strength of your convictions to get the rope on and make it happen. Don’t let the doubt creep in, believe.

It’s that point you reach on those classic climbs, thinking ‘Shit, I’ve gotta go round there?’ At least it says so in the guide book. It’s different when you’re writing the guide book as you go. Committing yourself to an unknown fate is the hardest part. That’s also what makes it so rewarding. The closer you are to your limits the greater the resulting buzz. Everybody understands that. My respect for those climbers of yester-year has gone off the scale. How they pushed themselves to such limits with so little and such basic gear is incredible.

I never really thought I’d get the chance to have an experience like this. It’s not everyday you pass by an unclimbed crag. We took our first visit to Lennard River Gorge rather gingerly. We selected the easier angled lines, with continuous climbable looking features and no blank sections. The more we climbed the more we gained confidence. Some of the lines we had initially dismissed as being too hard or under protected started to fall with relative ease. It’s amazing how different the rock actually is when you get up close. By the last few days we were climbing stuff that looked totally outrageous to us 2 weeks earlier. The buzz just got better and better.

It must be fairly obvious I want more! I’ve discovered yet another exciting new facet to the diverse world of rock climbing and I really am hooked. There must be loads of unclimbed rock still to go at! Lennard River Gorge is a place I’ll remember forever. The welcome cool of the gorge, crocodile encounters, rubber ring antics, amazing star gazing, the friendliest flies, fantastic bush tucker, the worst walk-in in history and some great rock climbing all make it unforgettable.

If you made it this far and are still interested you can read more about it here:

http://www.lushlongboards.com/rob

sorry there are no captions on the pics yet. will follow.