Sixteen Sixteens

Awoken after a short and restless sleep by the sound of a rather annoying alarm, Ruth and Jarred shimmied out of their sleeping bags into the cool night air. It was 03:00am and they were in Glastonbury Campsite, seasonal home of many a SEQ rockclimber. Fire still warm and leftover ravioli on the boil they discussed with hushed, excited voices the day to come.

Thoroughly carbed and caffeinated, they drove out to the first of many crags of the day, hoping to creep into the dreams of as many native creatures as possible with the sultry sounds of The Violent Femmes and Hocus Pocus by Focus. Why, you may ask? Eternal glory of course. And to climb sixteen climbs at a grade of Sixteen in a day.

From crag to crag they hopped, bypassing the three star classics for the real gold: the four star climbs. The Sixteens. Gently brushing aside tufts of lichen, they ascended, each send bringing them closer to their goal and the promise of Kebab. Blackstump... Hammerhead... BAM!! The sun peaked out over the hills greeting the adventurers with warm arms and a wink; the wearied rockclimbers filled with aplomb and the sky with... Song? Yes! Yes! They began to sing! Sing of great battles of rock and rope. With high spirits and nothing that could stand in their way, they laughed and danced their way up the rock.

Volumes could be written of the ensuing faff and flow. Alas, the tale is lost to rumor and time. All that remains: this sweet montage.

Written by Jarred Vardy