It was an unsuccesful attempt on Lord Gumtree as a roped solo.
Basically went prepared for snow and got beaten off with 38+ degree heat, not enough water, too much gear, moving too slowly, blah blah etc.
Discretion is the better part of valour or so they say; and since I live locally to Buffalo its no big deal for me to return at a later date ...
Another party arrived to do Ozy Direct and invited me to join them, as I was in the process of coming down.
I agreed to tag along and offered to do their hauling and cleaning, since I have already led all pitches on that line, so I joined them at the Ozy 1st belay.
A day later they also decided to pull the pin for much the same reasons that I had, ... even though a team of three should (in theory) be much quicker than a team of two.
Since they arrived at this decision without my input it vindicated my thinking (by default), so that made me feel a bit better. As Gore Vidal once said,
"It is not enough to succeed, others must fail" !
... It was their second attempt on that line also, as they had been rained off previously.
I learnt a lot (mostly what not to take), and enjoyed several nights out on the wall on my new ledge, as I was climbing Gumtree solo onsight ground up (& without returning to the ground), capsule style.
The task is still before me, but I am quietly confident that I am equal to it. Just need to prioritise my other life events to fit another attempt in when the weather is more obliging ...
A trip report would probably be muchly on the technical side. Placed x stopper, y cam etc., but the idea of posting some soloist type musings on the meaning of it all in the form of a 'Damien style' of short story / excerpts from diary? might interest some??
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