If you think you'll be bored reading this, you probably will.
Apologies for not sticking strictly to the question, but it's the graffiti which will stay in my memory most.

Beautiful, sunny gentle summer days often found Steve and I climbing the golden sandstone outcrops around the south east of England. Perhaps one of my favourites is a place called High Rocks. Nestled amongst lovely woodland, you wouldn't be surprised to see a circular door and Bilbo himself at any point saying hello.

One of the climbs at High Rocks is Infidel. A single 6a move doesn't make for a particularly tough climb, but the atmosphere is compounded by the solitude and silence (even the birds seem to revere the place) and more so by the ancient graffiti which adorns it;

"Infidel! Who with thy finite wisdom

Wouldst grasp things infinite and dost become

A scoffer of God's holiest Mysteries.

Behold this Rock, then tremble and rejoice.

Tremble, for He who formed the mighty mass

Could in His justice crush thee where thou art.

Rejoice that still His Mercy spares thee."

March 21st 1831 J.Phippen

(The top of the climb is capped by a huge stone seemingly jutting straight out of the firmament above you in a mockery of physics.)

We used the climb as a middle ground warm up, but I fell off. Don't be scared, reader, I was secured by a rope at all times! But due to the giant rock above, the pendulum swing as I detached from the wall sent me flying backwards in a nice arc. Steve's a good belayer, and brought me to a gentle touchdown at the furthest point of this arc.
As my feet touched the ground, a flash in the corner of my eye accompanied a huge THUMP. Just in front of me, a dog had fallen off the ledge to the right of the cleft between the rocks. It looked dead, but I ran over to check all the same. As I got within a foot from it, it twitched a giant death throe twitch and almost cleared the ground. It's back was broken, and the noise it made will be the noise that haunts me on the darkest nights. I could hear children above, and yelled up to try and locate the owner.
"Keep the kids away" I shouted, "You best come down here quick mate" to the owner.
He came down, and his tears started immediately. The dog was still a way from death itself, so the owner stayed with it till it died. It was buried to the left of the climb, in full view of the inscription which makes you stop and think.

So, the small gap between knowing and understanding that concept of fatalism, the dog almost validating that tenuous life line we all have, and all along, under the words someone carved almost 180 years ago all came together to give me a taste of life and its bitter aftertaste.

Mr dog owner, I'm sorry you lost your dog, but I could see your love for it was true, I hope you both found peace.


Oh- here you go,
www.ukclimbing.com/articles/page.php?id=2624

Length isn't as important as height on this occasion.
( Blind Meach Cautiously optimistic, Wed 13 Oct 2010, 9:55, 3 replies)

Nicely told

(Smale is stuffed, Wed 13 Oct 2010, 10:46, closed)

Ditto
Very good writing and choice of subject A- :)
( racketear tired, stressed and happy, Wed 13 Oct 2010, 11:00, closed)

top marks
from a fellow climber
( zulu eh?, Wed 13 Oct 2010, 11:19, closed)