Testing, Testing. One, Two, Three.

As first Blogs go this one will be pretty poor.
The weather currently in North Wales can't make its mind up, rain showers and sunny spells seems to be the order for the last week and coming weeks. Rubbish weather really for the nature of this Blog.
Enjoying the outdoors regardless of weather is a fairly tricky task. However having friends that are either a) brave, b) insane or c) some useful combination of the two, seems to provide a way forward.
Two such instances occurred over the weekend. Firstly Saturday evening resulted in night (read head-torch) climbing with Jack (a.k.a. Ginge) on the Slate at Bus Stop Quarry. After one windy route (Equinox VS 4C), Ginge fancied a beer rather than another route.
Sunday proved just as interesting, if not more so. A text mid-morning from Pete asking whether I was wanting to do some easy multi-pitch mountain route, was unexpected yet appealing. It was like daring the weather to be the worst it could be with the way recent weeks have been. Grooved Arete on Tryfan's East Face was selected. After completing the first pitch and handing over to Pete, route-finding seemed to go out the window. We reached a ledge but nothing like that described or pictured in the book. The top was insight, so we went up anyway. Reaching Adam and Eve as the last of the light disappeared we were at the summit. At this point the real difficulties started, I'd not packed any food and Pete had no head torch, to make things more fun the wind was blowing such a gale that walking in a straight line was nearly impossible. Nearly three hours later we were back at the car; having walked down, fallen over, bog troted, Pete braking a shoe lace and having the skin on our faces well and truly scraped off by the wind.   

Motorbiking at the moment is wet and cold, it still beats a car however! The chain was replaced last week, why do no-one say that O-Ring chains are a nightmare to get off and on the bike? Replacing the front end exhausts soon. I'm looking forward to kitting it out with bash bars and plate for some off-roading fun.

Good Night.

P.s. After being out with Pete, I remembered that I can't complain really a) we had a great day out (what better way of doing it than hanging around on a mountain) and b) I knew that days out with Pete are all ways epics, so why should Sunday be abnormal.