Via Ferrating - with a twist

Kalymnos Via Ferrata


The new Kalmnos guide lists a Via Ferrata right above where we are staying. We didn't have any of the 'proper' kit with us (wouldn't bother me but Sherri is more timid), so I decided we could do it as a 'route' and pitch the whole thing. It was a case of slow and steady, we did it in about eight pitches. It all went very well, it has some spectacular positions, and with the cold north wind, the views were fantastic with Icari visible for the 1st time 60 miles to the north . The long walk off past Symplegades dropped us right back to the pad.
The system worked fine, I led, clipping into the iron-work and Sherri followed, belayed and clipped into the cables. There was a slight 'moment' at 'the crux', an exposed traverse round a bulging arete - but she hung in there. The huge cave halfway along the traverse is an amazing spot, full with huge amounts of goat poo - they have obviously been doing the route for years!

HAPPY NEW YEAR

2011 - who would have thought it - still trucking on! I fell over last week in the middle of Pothia (felt like a right chump) - luckily the only damage (apart from to my self-respect) was a strained middle finger. It was pretty swolen so I guessed climbing would be out for quite a while but two days of iced water/Volterol treatment and it was feeling much better so we headed to Arhi on New Year's Day.
It was glorious and busy - with 30+ folks sheltering from the north wind it felt like the high season was back again. I did eight easy routes - the finger held up well - cracking stuff.
Only a couple of more nights in Babis's place then it back to the peace and quiet of Myrties.

3rd January; Babis and Diana back from the UK both with monsterous streaming colds - NOW they know why we spend the winter down here. Diana described a winter in the UK as a prison sentence!

Back to Babis Bar and within 5 minutes the power was down!! Nice sunset mind!

Christmas Crack

What a Christmas; no post from the UK for three weeks so no Christmas Cards, no presents and no sign of the new book yet! On the plus side, it was a warm and windy day, I did five routes, Sherri fed cats, dogs and goats galore, then in the evening we had turkey and all the trimmings.
Sherri's friend Brenda came round for the evening meal and we had a convivial time.
All the routes I did, I have done before, but what the heck, it was better than doing Christmas Crack for the 100th time, especially considering how cold it looks back there!

PS The next day the post arrived - four Christmas Cards and two copies of Cote d'Azur - looks lush!

Christmas City Break

Babis and Diana are off to the UK for Christmas - (well maybe, if they can get in and out of Frankfurt and into Stansted because of all the snow) - and they have asked us to look after their three cats for a couple of weeks. So big city here we come - we packed our bags and drove the nine minutes to Pothia, and moved in, lock, stock and laptops. A quick walk round the area took us to yet another of the ancient castles that pepper the island.
A change is a good as rest they do say.

A Taste of the North

Friday night and all day Saturday a gale (up to Force 9) has roared out out of the north - battering everything in its way. Trees toppled, a few roofs gone AWOL and this morning our windows were encrusted with salt blown up from the sea. I bet not many ferries have been running round these parts!
The contrast to the last month was extreme; last night the temperature fell to 6C (and 9C indoors, these places are not designed to stay warm) - I think in the middle of the day it may actually have been colder here than in the UK.
I ended up having to work in bed, wrapped in a sleeping-bag whilst nursing a hot water bottle - so not all bad then! Work on Peak Limestone continues well despite the adversity.

December!

The news stories from the UK of knee-deep snow, traffic jams and sub-zero temperatures keep filtering through - it sounds really grim! Yesterday we were due a bit of downtime at the superb little harbour of Vathy and today - 8th of December we visited Arhi again. It has become my favourite crag on the Island; it was 22C and there was one other team on the whole cliff - that is about as good as it gets. I led the superb Komak (36m - 16 clips -6a+) amongst others - brilliant.
The forecast for the weekend here looks pretty unsettled but as it hasn't rained for a month now it would be churlish to complain - it is December after all!

Goat Rescue Mission

December has started pretty much the same as November ended, mild and windy, but totally pleasant, and very quite. Our neighbours at Babis Bar are a couple of Canadians and Nancy had heard about two goats 'stuck' in Sikati Cave and wanted to rescue them. We had never been there, so thought it would make a good objective for a day out.
We caught them easy enough with bread for bait (a mother and kid) and then manhandled them up to the base of the descent route - they weren't too keen!
We had some idea about hauling them out, but Nancy's one (the big one!) sat down and refused to move so we wrapped it in a rope-sheet and squeezed it into a rucksack then carried it up the fixed rope - there was lot of goat hanging out the top. The kid was easier to handle a fitted the rucksack a treat - see photo. They seemed unphased by their journey, nibbled a few bushes and wandered of. The question remains - how the Hell did they get in there in the 1st place!