A smidgeon of '07

You wouldn't think from looking at any of these photos that we had one of the wettest summers, like, ever, in 2007. But we did have a glorious April, which is when most of these were taken.

My first time back climbing after my accident was to Slieve Bearnagh in the Mournes. Mark took me up Grand Central, the easiest line up the Bearnagh slabs. My wrist felt awkward, and was still quite skew, something that's been corrected a bit since. But it was so good just to be back climbing again.

My first lead since the accident was "Paradise Lost" at Dalkey Quarry. It's a beautiful, easy line on good quality rock.

I also led "Eliminate A". a route that looks crap from below, but it's a five star line too, one of the best routes I've ever done of that grade.

I found with leading that I was very tentative, not really trusting anything, including myself. I realised it was going to take some time to feel comfortable again, but I haven't regained the confidence I had before, even now in 2009.

One of the other highlights of 2007 was climbing "Tarquin's Groove" on Bingorm West in Donegal. It was a blistering day, so much so that we had a swim in the lake near which we had parked the car when we got down.

I got sun-burnt for the first and only time (so far) in Ireland.

In June the rain started, and didn't really stop until September. But we did manage one particular afternoon in July, to get up to Fairhead, with Pieter, who had finally come over for the weekend we were supposed to have the year before. If only the weather had been as good. But we were able to climb that Saturday afternoon, after a morning doing the tourist thing at the rope bridge and the Giant's Causeway. I bailed after the first pitch of "Taoiseach", and went to take photos of Pieter and Mark completing the route. A lead attempt two weeks later on "Chieftain" next door was similarly ignominious, I had to use aid and thrutch my way up the thing.

Pieter also led "The Black Thief" on the Prow.

Um, that was sort of it for '07.