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Missing Link High Line - GOATFEST

Boony1

1-May-2011
7:54:01 PM

Some of the crew made the trip down to Mount Arapiles over the Easter long weekend to join into the festive chaos. We headed down late Thursday night from Adelaide with the intention of rigging up a high line from the top of Missing Link accross to Tiger Wall, as well as drinking too much and occasionally climbing something. We left camp at six thirty Friday morning with the idea in my head that I would climb, rig and walk the line in one day. It was a lofty goal considering I had done nothing climbing or slack lining wise in months. I couldn't even say I was a weekend warrior, at best I was the public holiday pansy!

The day started well making good time up the chains on Alleys with about thirty kilograms of gear each and reached the base of the bluffs at around 8am. I could see some weather coming from the Grampians so racked up quickly thinking if I could climb Missing Link before it got wet and fix a rope I could rig in bad conditions and then wait for the window to send the line. That wasn't the smartest decision, as I managed to get just far enough up the route that backing off wasn't a possibility when the weather hit leaving me to trudge up the run out polished slopers in greasy winter conditions. I survived by singing hillbilly songs to myself hoping to strike the image of the possibly life threatening fall out of my mind.

By the time lunch came a majority of the rigging was completed but I was running low on energy, the hike up and mental challenge of wet climbing had drained me. I desperately wanted to send in one day but didn't have much fight left and the wind was gusting around twenty knots. I made an attempt to walk the line but only managed a few steps, I simply wasn't fit enough, I had been beaten, at least for today.

I woke up fresh Saturday and was ready to walk by 10am, the sun was shining, I was psyched...literally perfect conditions. I had some good runs in the morning but had fallen and caught the line. But I felt ready to go for it, stepped on the line, started walking got half way out and just when I felt comfortable I took the nastiest leash whipper you have ever seen - like someone had taken to my kidneys with a baseball bat. I was left hanging several feet below the line with no way back up except for a figure 4 maneuver followed by some one arm pull ups but I was spent. After about twenty minutes I dragged my limp body onto the bluffs laying there like a rotting beached whale. Doubt, fear, anxiety had replaced my normal bravado and I was seriously questioning my ability to do this. Time for beer.

I had entered a short film in the Natimuk GOAT FEST film competition which was on that night so I decided to head into town and have some beers to fire up, I figured I might have to speak in public tonight and I wanted to loosen up a bit. Loosen doesn't really describe what happened, it turned into a massive night, we took out the Golden Goat which is first prize in the short film category for a film on slack lining the Totem Pole in Tassie and it got crazy from there. Thanks to Douglas Hockley for organising the event and for rocking those leopard skin pants, they were an event in themselves.

Woke up Sunday morning, had a Simey special for breakfast at the Nati Cafe, climbed up Alleys and sent the line still half cut - it turns out I was actually over prepared and the haze of a hangover was what the doctor ordered. A young walker from Sydney named Sam saw me send and wanted a go, he did really well managing 8 steps and some of the most entertaining falls ever. The weekend ended with an amazing party in the old Natimuk School House, rocking Wayne's birthday until daylight hours...I think someone must have put something in the town's water because it was a party for the record books.

Thanks to all the monkeys at arapiles, especially Simey and Steve for feeding me, the Araps locals and last but not least Al MacGregor who did an amazing job rigging when he wasn't chasing that seppo hippy chick around camp.
I will post some video on my blog balancecrew.blogspot.com in a couple of weeks when I have compiled and editing everything.

IdratherbeclimbingM9

1-May-2011
8:59:18 PM

It sounds like you had a great trip, ... and I am sure widewetandsplippery would be proud of your use of his favourite beverage to become "over prepared"!

>had a Simey special for breakfast at the Nati Cafe

Hmm, ... I understand that different readers might read different meanings into this.
Heh, heh, heh.

Boony1

5-May-2011
7:02:34 PM

Was fun and it was a simey special in every respect!

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