Reflections on life, climbing or something…

The Cuban Connection

The next time you are in Havana ask the taxi driver to take you to Vuelta Abajo
in Pinar del Rio. For it is here in the foothills of the Sierra Maestra that you
can acquire, for no more than the price of a sweet Rum Libre, a box of the
finest Cohibas Esplendidos. Each Cohibas is seven inches of pure smoking
pleasure.

Pedestal Crack in Froggatt on the other hand is fourteen meters of pure climbing
pleasure. A rock over, a flag, a lay back and a mantle should just about get you
over the top. Once there lie down in the sun, unbutton your breast pocket, take
out your Esplendido from Pinar del Rio and as your perfect smoke ring disappears
into the azure sky, whisper “es bueno ser vivo en un día tal como esto.”

Mick’s up in a hell of a mess

“Like a bull at a gate I rushed in where angels fear to tread and ended up biting
off more than I could chew,” admitted Irish climbing legend Mick ‘met’ O’Phor.

“It was like being thrown in at the deep end and it wasn’t until I was at the end
of my tether that I realised it was sink or swim,” rambled Mick.

“Give me a break Mick,” I interjected.

“Exactly what I said at the time,” continued the Legend. “The trouble was I had
run out of cams and I just had to get out of Black Hawk Hell Crack. I wouldn’t
have stood a snowball’s chance, literally.”

For once O’Phor was spot on, figuratively speaking. However it still wasn’t a
pretty sight watching three cams being lowered down nearby Traverse Right into
the grateful clutches of ignominious Mick ‘met’ O’Phor.