We had planned long adventurous routes and the weekend couldn't have come fast enough! A cold front preceded Chris's arrival by a few days, and with the weather forecast looking grim over the weekend (a high chance of rain and a max temperature of nine degrees!) our hopes were tempered.
Chris's flight was delayed due to severe winds in Sydney, but after negotiating a horrendous late night traffic jam at the airport we were finally on our way. We drove into the Blue Mountains and arrived to a camp ground at Mt Wilson well past midnight. The delay meant that our plans of an alpine start to climb 'Hotel California' (350m, grade 22) were dashed, so after putting up our tent we cracked a beer in our sleeping bags and made alternate plans.
We settled on a slightly shorter and easier climb, Bunny Bucket Buttress. At 280m it was by far the longest climb I had done, but the grade (18) was well within our abilities and we went to bed excited
for the day ahead.
We awoke to overcast skies and bracing winds. We set about cooking breakfast (porridge) and drinking as much delicious hot coffee (Thanks Naz, you are a legend!) as we could. It did little to warm our bodies but it was enough to get us going. We drove out to Pierces Pass and loaded up with climbing gear.
The high winds could have caused difficulty with rope retrieval if we had decided to abseil in, so instead we hiked down along the base of the cliff towards our goal. The track started well but soon devolved into a bit of meandering through the scrub until the track became apparent again.
We eventually came to the base of BBB and got underway. I roped up and was to lead (and link) the first two pitches. Not long after I was on the rock than it began to rain.... Crucial tiny holds soon filled with water, and small ledges for feet looking very slippery to my newly soled climbing shoes. Not a great start, my finger were soon numb and it wasn't before long I lost most of the sensation in my fingertips and couldn't tell how good the holds were. Nevertheless I persevered and managed to make it to the anchors as the rain cleared and Chris began to climb.
He soon joined me in the sunless ledge and began to lead the third pitch. He was soon out of sight, and a short while later the call came over my walkie-talkie to start climbing, and before long I had rejoined him.
The next two pitches were relatively straight forward, it was more of a steep hike than a climb. We were still roped together but simul-climbed to speed things up. I was expecting these pitches to be a bit dull and more of a wander through scrub and scree, but to my delight it was a really pleasant section, especially given that we were more than a hundred metres off the ground.
We arrived to a decent sized roof, where it was Chris's turn to get back on lead. He started up the wall and then made a fantastic traverse out left under the imposing roof, then once again he was out of sight. Again it was my turn, and I followed the fantastic route out under the roof and climbed the vertical headwall above. An incredible pitch!
From there it was my turn to lead and link the next two pitches, 40m of vertical climbing, high off the ground, on classic Blue Mountain rock. My fingers were soon numb and hard to the touch, but the climbing was so inspiring that I didn't care.
Another two fantastic pitches, with the hardest of the climbing down it was Chris's turn to lead the final pitch. He made short work of that and we were at the top of Bunny Bucket Buttress, six hours after we had left the car park, Cold but elated, we hiked back towards the car as the golden sun broke through the clouds, casting the area in a golden haze. Simply breathtaking.
Still on a rush from the climb we made it back to the car, and after a short drive to get some firewood we were back at camp. The small fire was stoked, dinner was served, and we knocked back a few beers as the already low temperature fell further still.
That night I slept in thick socks, thermal pants, climbing pants, a thermal top, shirt, jacket, and two sleeping bags, and was only just warm enough.
The next morning the sun was out, but it felt even colder than the day before. Chris got the fire going again while I made breakfast and we planned our day.
After a bit of searching we found the seldom climbed routes, and prepared to abseil down as the start point was about 20m below the top of the cliff line. Below the belay ledge was a sheer vertical drop to the ground, after Chris masterfully abseiled down it was my turn, and with a fair amount of nerves I joined him on the ledge.
It was a stunning position to be climbing from with an insane amount of exposure. I took the lead to climb out along the arete and made my way up 'Born to be Mild' (18), loving every single moment. Chris seconded the route, we abseiled back down to attempt the next climb.
It was Chris's turn to lead, and he climbed up the small corner of 'Check Ya Head' (19) which involved some really fun technical moves. Once he topped out it was my turn and once again it was an absolute pleasure to climb.
Two hidden gems, we hiked back to our car with the sun shining down and on a high from our short session. A perfect way to say goodbye to Pierces Pass.
While Chris had to be back at the airport later that afternoon, and making sure we had plenty of buffer to deal with the traffic, we still had time for one last climb. We drove out to Bardens Lookout where we were able to squeeze one last climb in.
Chris and I climbed 'Little Trigger' (19) which would have been more enjoyable if the rock hadn't been so cold. It didn't take long before my fingers lost all sensation again which made some of the thin technical moves a lot harder, but we both made it to the top without any problems.
After a quick sorting of the gear and packing his bags, Chris cracked a beer and we said goodbye to the Blue Mountains and an all-time great weekend of climbing and camping.
It doesn't get better than this.
More photos here
