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Easy trad on Mt Boyce 30-Mar-2016 At 9:31:47 AM technogeekery

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Its been a while - about 18 months since I last climbed - injuries, new jobs, too much work travel, family stuff. But new year, and new determination to get out and do some of the things I've always wanted to do. So I called my oldest friend and climbing partner, and we've committed to a Yosemite/Tuolumne trip for our 50th birthdays next year. No big walls, they are well out of our league - but the hit list includes a bunch of the easy classics in Tuolumne & the High Sierra, and Snake Dike and Royal Arches in Yosemite. Nothing harder than 5.7 or 5.8, but lots of long multi-pitch trad adventures - and it is granite, and run out - so we have a lot of work to do!

Step one was just getting back on the rock again, so we booked a day off and headed up to Mt Boyce for some super easy fun climbing to ease back into it. Easter Monday, and we had the place to ourselves - not a soul for the whole day. I love Boyce - the expansive views, the lyrebirds and black c--kies calling from the forest below, the amphitheater of orange walls all around - what a beautiful spot.

We didn't do anything to write home about, or even necessarily post in a forum about! But I think possibly there are a few people out there who enjoy easy trad who might be interested - and Mt Boyce is one of the better places to do some easy trad for beginners or people just wanting an easy day out - so here is a bit of information for anyone interested.

The access gate is locked, and I believe that the SRC Access Officer is trying to negotiate access via a key system. Meanwhile, just park at the locked gate (3-4 cars can fit) and walk in to the second car park (about 1km) where the track leads down to the cliffs. The track gets pretty vague and looks like it hasn't seen much traffic - so when you pass through a little squeeze passage between tall rocks, keep an eye out and down to the left for the side path - if you get to the upper cliffs you have gone too far. The side path takes you straight to the top of the abseil gully. We rapped down the gully - a bit awkward with packs - I'd recommend abseiling from the next tree about 10m along, which will take you right down Abseil Arete/Corner climbs, in a much cleaner and easier rap.

We started on Abseil Arete - a grade 8 beginner route that is a good place for absolute beginners or just to remember which way is up. It is listed as trad, but has a pretty closely bolted line of carrots all the way up. There are a couple of places you can fiddle in a trad piece just for fun, so we did - the carrots are not entirely inspiring, but probably safe enough - and you'd have to try hard to fall off it. Fun warm up which we both led.

We scrambled around to the main face, and I led Sweet Irish (10) in one long pitch. It is 55m or so, but I was using 2 ropes so managed it without much rope drag. It has quite a thought provoking start for a grade 10, but you can get a small cam in to protect the first move off the ledge, and then there is a carrot on the stiff little face. After that it is a lovely easy well protected romp up the arete - great fun.

Alex on Sweet Irish

We then rapped down the main face on 2x 60m ropes - a long abseil, rigged from a ring and a carrot on the big block above the main face near where you top out from Sweet Irish. You essentially rap down the line of Bonnie Scotland (13), which apparently wanders up this face seeking the easiest line. There appears to be only one old carrot midway up this climb (possible belay) and not a great deal of natural pro, so we chose not to lead it. That choice was immediately invalidated when the ab rope got stuck - so I had to lead the first pitch anyway to retrieve the rope. Good reminder of a bunch of little tricks and traps in rope handling and efficiency that we've both gotten very slack about.

We moved on to The Eyrie - a fantastic 2 pitch climb up the left side of the face into the cave, and then out and onto the headwall. Steve led the first pitch, and did it well, but found the steeper wall just below the cave quite intimidating - the protection is not quite where you want it. I've done it before and found it great fun and easy, and loved the move out of the cave up onto the steep arete above. Watch your rope drag.

We then took turns to rap in again, and top-rope out on Bonnie Scotland. As I was being top belayed out, I decided to climb the very direct line out, which included a slightly overhung bulge at midway at about gr16 - quite stiff with a heavy pack on, and I nearly fell off when my muscle memory exceeded my muscle capacity and I discovered I couldn't really lock off with my left hand any more - at least with a pack on! A full body smear and a bit of knee-bark loss later and I got my other hand up, and puffed my way up to the top, feeling ridiculously happy with my very humble achievement.

And what with a fairly late start, and LOTS of stuffing about with poor rope handling etc, that was the day done. Possibly one of the softest days climbing I've done, but great fun for all that, and exactly what we wanted to do - get some easy climbs done, and sort out our very rusty skills without killing ourselves. And mostly - we've got the stoke back! Yosemite here we come...