Australia: The Grampians
I am posting this from a little restaurant in the heart of the Grampians. We are on our way out after two days of tramping and climbing. Filthy, sunkissed and happy.
And working fast because I am almost out of battery and forgot my charger bag. Though in my defense I was not thinking of electronic gear when I was packing for a camping trip.
Miss C climbed the mountains. Straight up!
Summerday Valley.
Jack chose the appropriate hardwear and taking his life into his own hands (which we do every day anyway – I have never understood that expression) free climbed the rock face –
putting in nuts and cams which are little metal wedges…
that slot into a crack or feature in the wall that you then you clip your rope onto ..
Until the first nut is inserted my daughter the belayer, holds her hands up so if he falls before he is roped to the wall she will guide his falling head to safety ( that is the theory anyway). Safety first.
Once he has got the first bit of gear in the wall she will tighten the rope so if he does fall he will not hit the ground, in theory he is caught by the wedge shaped bit of gear he has inserted into the wall. And so he continues up to the top placing more gear at intervals. Then he repels down, and then my daughter climbs, and then I climbed straight up the rock face, with her as my belayer to keep me safe and direct me.
Running out of battery! My daughter helped me put all the gear on, double checking all the knots. 
Then up I went. And it was wonderful. Pictures now. 
More words when I am at the airport tomorrow with time to talk!
Love celi
51 Comments on “Australia: The Grampians”
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Eeek! You’re amazing! The hairs are standing up on the back of my neck – I get vertigo three steps up on a ladder, so being attached to a skinny bit of string from skinny bits of metal on a sheer rock face is too much to contemplate. But this, of course, is the reward of all your arm-strengthening bucket carrying. I bet you scrambled up at speed….
like a rat up a drain pipe.. c
CELI ~ you are the cat’s MEOW!!!!!!!!! HELP!!!!! we want you to come back home!!!!! oh ~ no wonder you needed that insurance!!!!!!!!!!!
great pictures ~ BUT ~ stay safe!!!!
Wonderful, what a great adventure to finish your trip with 🙂
Yippee for the most wonderful photo essay of your Australian journey . . . and thanks so much for the photo of you and Sops together!!! It did not hurt, did it 😀 !! Even the Weather Gods obviously smiled!! What a happy end to a journey . . . now enjoy your trip home . . .
Wow, that’s great.
Rather you than me, but I am impressed!
It is easy to see the similarity in you and your daughter–your build, strength and likeness. Amazing adventure. Travel home safely.
I echo Mad above. Heights are not for me, so if ever I am presented with an opportunity to leave terra firma and trust little metal wedges with little blah blah blahs, I will give you a call and you can have my share! Lots of love, Gayle, getting ready for a trip to Washington state where I lived for six years.
Woot! Woot! for Miss C. As I saw you get higher and higher on that rock I had a vision of some pigs and some cows and some chickens and some cats, and of course two dogs all milling around at the base clucking and mooing and make various ruckus noises, admonishing you to be careful. I’m not sure the animals would have approved of your daring. I suspect that they want you back in one piece 😉
I did this in my youth, and particularly loved the belaying down part, but not any more for me! Good for you, Celi! It looks like a beautiful place. Safe travels home.
Go you…what great fun
Wow, Ms. C! I should be so lucky 🙂 So much to do so little time. Perhaps I’ll do some cliff climbing yet, though I’ve done much of it without ropes and pins during my lifetime – skittering down and then up canyons in NM and ‘mountains’ in Maine. Aloha! Fun!
Awesome! Way to go! Marvellous!
Better you than me! Enjoyed all the pics from your trip.
Totally exhilarating! Well done. Laura
I’m impressed. Nice job.
That looks like fantastic fun!!
Wow. What a wonderful adventure!!!
My goodness! I could never do that! Heights bother me. You look great and these photos are fantastic!
fabuloso- I could not do that…unless my life depended on it! Mama mia you have my utmost respect!
I’m SO impressed!
We’ll be in The Grampians next week but… my feet will be firmly on the ground. But I’m in awe of your climbing and adventurousness.
Well done Celie. That surely wasn’t your first time rock-climbing? Superb pictures: who was holding camera house?
Both my kids are climbers, and it no longer scares me, but I have no desire to get up there myself any more.
Safe journey home.
love,
ViV
PS I thought the Grampians were in Scotland!
Yes! First time doing real rock climbing! Only walls in the past. Fun!
You are so cool. We’re climbing mountains of a metaphorical kind over here! Lots of love! x
Super cool Celi!!!!! What a fabulous final phase of your trip!!! xoxoxo
Phenomenal!
Wow I take my hat to you! No way could I do that, I’m with Kate three steps up a ladder and I get queasy 😁
Wow!
Awesome! But definitely not for me. We hike but never rock climbing.
That looks like so much fun!
What I’ve always wondered is how they get the wedges down when they’re done. That seems like it would be as hard as putting them in.
They have a special tool for pulling them back up. Takes some work sometimes though .
Cool!
Brave of you to trust your life to some little wedges of metal… though I suppose we’re all trusting such things on a regular basis with airplanes and cars and elevators. So sure that the brakes will work when we need them.
I have considered that i am either very brave or very stupid – I tend to do things before thinking terribly hard. c
What an adventure – gorgeous photographs. And what a beautiful holiday you have had!!!
Nope! But glad you enjoyed it!
I am in awe of you young Celi. Once upon a time long long ago… There was a time I loved to climb rocks, but nowadays I am supposed to keep two feet on the ground, I only climb a ladder when I have a wall to hang onto, but we will not tell anyone. 😉 Thank you for allowing me to tag along on your journey, Safe & smooth travel home to the farmy and all the residents.
Once again you bring to mind a poem–this one about metaphorical mountains, as mentioned by “The Daily Cure” above. (Note about the poetry connection: from the phtographs, i don’t think you held your mountains cheap.)
“O the mind, mind has mountains; cliffs of fall
Frightful, sheer, no-man-fathomed. Hold them cheap
May who ne’er hung there. ”
(G.M. Hopkins)
I have t been there in years! You are amazing. No way you would catch me up that .. Well done Celi 😃
Looks amazing! What a great memory for mother and daughter.
Breathtaking, but not for me! I am impressed Celi! 🙂
That is so impressive and inspiring, especially considering how much of your movement has been horizontal for so long! And now you show that you can do vertical as well. Wow!
You’re even more brave that I thought. Beautiful place and I love the outdoors, but climbing is not my thing. The reward is spectacular, though.
A successful holiday is one that offers a complete change of pace. You certainly succeeded — unless there’s a mountain range near the farmy that no one knows about. Safe travels on the way, Celi.
MInd boggling. No challenge too great for you!
What wonderful fun! Hauling buckets of water pays off in the end.
Yes, being my first time at real rock climbing i thought it would be much harder though they put me up a nice easy climb to begin. c
Nope, I wouldn’t do this.
It seems a bit scary to me to place the anchors that will keep me from killing myself in a fall! I guess that’s why people train to do this. You are so brave – and strong.
Luckily the fellow placing all the anchors is well trained and has been climbing with his Dad since he was 6. I trust him.