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
The Kitchen's Garden 
51 responses to “Australia: The Grampians”
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