Rodellar
This blog is being written whilst sat in the Gran Boveda in the maginficant Mascun Gorge in Rodellar, staring with a lost feeling at a wonderfully wine glass shaped route named Nanuk @ 7c. Its a beautiful line...
It was sad to leave Albarracin, it has to be my favourite destination on this road trip, which we are nearly half way through. I rose one morning to find the van phenominally hot - summer had arrived. Rather than bake in the sun like typical brits, it was time to leave.
Upon analysis of the trip so far, excitement filled me as we headed north back to Rodellar. I've acheived personal bests in both bouldering and routes, which was always a dream - never an expectation. I'd learnt how my body moved and what worked for me. I'd developed a redpoint routine which mean potential projects going 2nd go. After over a month in Albarracin I was psyched to transfer my bouldering to routes and see how far I could push it. I'd never been more in love with climbing.
The first week back in Rodellar was spent climbing some stuff and scouting out potential projects. In January Nanuk caught my eye, an easy tufa lined start into a steep and bouldery top section. Whilst this is not my style (refer to Techos section at Albarracin!) I was really looking forward to working hard, being shut down. All with the dream of making the seemingly impossible - possible. If this dream was to come true, my ambitions for 2012 would be complete, with the next 6 months to relax, enjoy and anything beyond this would have been a bonus.
Nightmares accompany dreams and whilst this year is a dream come true, in Rodellar my deamons have awoken and made themselves known.
The first of these deamons is Acrophobia "an extreme or irrational fear of heights". I'd like to say this crept up on me, however it hit me like a bolt of lightening whilst stripping a route. This deamon has been sitting on my shoulder chipping away at my confidence and ability to climb for the last 3 weeks.
I needed a plan!
1) Climb lots of easy stuff - clips some chains - FAILED! Got bored.
2) Pick hard run out climbs, take the falls and beat this out of me - FAILED! This method does not work when you have a clipstick!
3) Pick a hard well bolted route and work it until its done...
This is where the beautiful line of Nanuk came in - well bolted, good holds, not my style. This was to be my focus. I was very excited.
Note: Plan 3 does not work!
With temps of 36 degrees and a week of parents visiting I became more and more detached from my climbing. My head does not seem to communicate with the rest of my body and I'm sorry to say it but I've had enough. Climbing is no longer fun. I've always said if its not fun don't do it, but how can I live by this when I've taken a month out to climb...???
So after 6 months on the road climbing 99 days out of 140, I'm feeling very tired and have a decision to make:
1) Keep climbing until we leave Rodellar in 3 weeks
2) Take some time off before Magic Wood or Ceuse
Sat at the Gran Boveda looking at some beautiful lines, its hard to say I'll take some time off. Some would say its a waste, some would say its needed. I'm leaning towards the latter.
Within all of this mess, I've met some fantastic people here including out "Albarracin and Rodellar Family". These guys have made the times inbetween my epic moments fun:
My favourite line this last few weeks has been Coco Loco @7a+ at the huge cave of Surgencia -
Its a 35m line filled with a variety of climbing - a must do!
In 3 weeks we'll leave Rodellar for some R&R in the south of Spain then move back up to Ceuse or Magic Wood and begin the 2nd half of our journey. In the meantime I'll leave you with some photos of this magnificant place:
PS: I'm still in love with climbing, hence my gloom of not being able to click with it right now, I'll be back!
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