Like father like daughter

Will & Martha

When old age shall this generation waste, Thou shalt remain, in midst of other woe Than ours, a friend to man, to whom thou say’st, “Beauty is truth, truth beauty,”—that is all Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.

Bells or Bell Super Crag as it is also known is still not in any guidebooks but there are now several good online guides:

Bell Supercrag at the Crag

Bello Supercrag at BM topos

It had been some time since we ventured into the mighty Blueys for a climbing trip. Summer waves were just too good to ignore and the beach kept us from far from the cry of the bellbirds.  But with the end of summer the memories of sheer cliffs returned quickly and we decided to start the season with Hotel California, one of the biggest routes in the Mountains. Why start small if you can jump right into the deep end and see what happens?

Jason and I headed up the Bells line of road early Friday afternoon and by the time we hit Mt.Tomah the rain started. It did not stop all night and we cooked and slept in the rain until the early morning hours. Luckily two keen climbers left before us to check the conditions and by he time we had finished our breakfast they were back talking of waterfalls coming down the cliffs. Jen  had joined us by now and was still keen but common sense prevailed and we went for plan B. Alas, the Hotel will have to wait for another day. 

Jason & Jen warming up	Duck Wall aerial view	Busy Duck roofs	Classic Easy Start	Jason on the 24 crux

Just a short drive down from Pierces Pass was lay the entrance to the new Bell Super Crag with its many faces of rock along BUNGLEBERRY creek. A swift 30 minute walk though the heath brought us down to the creek bed where Duck Wall was climbable in any weather protected by massive sandstone roofs. The orange face stayed out of the sun until lunch time and we wasted no time played on the dry steepness. A large group of climbers joined us and before long the cliff was bustling with activities. There was a rope every 3 meters and the cliff was loaded with bodies fighting the vertical delights.Once the warm ups were disposed off:

- Gosslong (18*)

- Duckling (20*)

- How much is a Duck worth (17**)

Panorama shot of the gorge from Duck Wall

It was time to attempt some of the harder lines before the sun would hit the cliff. The classic mid-grades of the area are: - Out for a Duck (23 but was orignially 24**) with its steep finish. - Pluck a Duck (24 ***) with its tearjerking final move. - Darkwing Duck (25**) with its razor edges, thanks for pointing this one out for me Jene :) Bathing in delightful bright hot sunshine after a night spend in the rain,there was time for one more line before the cliff started to bake: - Daffy Duck (22**) with its amazing steepness that keeps on pumping. Jason get kudos for perseverance and effort on this line. Roofy Arrival area Jen and Gene at arrival Chris on the roof Jason and Jen at Arrivals After a short lunch it was simply a matter of heading across the other side of the riverbed to find the pleasant shade of massive orange sandstone roofs. The Arrival area is brim full of new routes ranging from easy to desperate so there is something for everybody. While we watched bodies flying of unimaginable steepness our already raw fingers  choose a couple more projects for afternoon take-away: - Rhubarb Crumple (24**) - Rocky Road (22) with its hideous start and semi-dyno in the middle One climb particularly caught my eyes but its small crimps meant I will have to return another day, I will be back for the Crumple Zone (26**) Jason on the Bells Plateau - that's were the crag is...   Stormy dinner The days reward Save as last - escape to flatness   Roman 3 January 2015

Copyright 2005 Dr.Roman Rosenbaum. All Rights Reserved.