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There were all sorts of delusions of adequacy with food and wine, slacklining, rope swings, multi-pitch climbing, bike riding, cliff jumping, tragic endings and miraculous recoveries, this weekend had it all and more. .

Our weekend started early on Thursday evening with temperatures hitting the forties and never really relenting for four straight days. Our place of rest was Zoellas deep in the heart of the Megalong Valley surrounded by the tangerine escarpments of sandy stone. The turn-out was impressive and the guest list did not disappoint: Adele and Cam, Nola, Bryan with Oli and Leo; Sushi, Will and Liam; Larisa, Mat with Gabriel and Raphaela; Louise and Roman with Roman Junior and Chris; Di was there in spirit and Emma was close by in a retreat; with Jason also making a guest appearance.

Thursday evening was spent planning the day’s activities with Cam and Mat kick-starting the weekend Friday morning with a hot and I mean really hot lap of the Anderson and Oaks mountain bike trails in blazing conditions. Roman and Adele escaped into the morning shade of the James Bond crag where they polished off four-pitches on Mr.Big (19***) followed by two-pitches on Ian Fleming (19**) where the bolts were sparse and the run-outs kept coming. Remember to bring a cam for the second pitch next time to cover the hideous run-out to the first bolt from the belay. (Sorry Cam no pun intended here J). Well done to Adele’s first multi-pitch adventure. Meanwhile Nola, Bryan, Louise and the boys checked out Megalong Creek near Old Ford Reserve Camp ground where the waterdragons roam and dark tea-colored waters wait with several thermoclines.

There was no rest for the wicked and as soon as we returned from our climbing session we headed straight to our first Dam Cliff session. A project was waiting there for me, that I had been eyeing for some time now. Behind the main cliff where the giant swing was waiting for us was a ground anchor for the perfect waterline. Its length is just over 3o meters but with the tension pulley and a little bit of rigging it could be done. I was lucky to run in a group of guys who helped me tension the line. Tenison was about one ton and it rested about 3-4 meters over the water. Stepping on it from close to the cliff line produced several hair raising misses. The bounce of the line was incredible and it tended to spit me of backward and hurling me towards the cliff. A spotter would push me back into the safety of the water but it was just too dangerous to step on the line. We decided to crawl out along the line instead for several meters until we were far enough away from the wall. This meant we had to mount the line from below which is a very tricky maneuver. Several attempts later the best we could manage is to stand up without anyone taking a single step on the actual slackline. Respect ! I will have to come back way stronger and better prepared. Roman and Chris practiced there 180is and Gainers of the cliff tops and we all had a couple of turns on the giant swing until it was time to head back to our base camp for dinner.

Friday night was Curry night. Everyone brought their own best creation and the smorgasbord of delights turned out to be a feast of tastes and color, then the beers and wines came out…. Saturday morning it was time for one more attempt at James Bond but this time Susie and Will joined us as well as Jason and Bryan. While Susie and Will got to work on the classic three pitch Honey Rider (18**) with its opening crux around the arête, Jason and Adele were sandbagged into attempting the crux sequence on Lotus Esprit (18**) as a warm up. It was fun watching them get flogged while Bryan and I warmed up properly on the easy routes next door! After we all failed on the crux sequence it was Bryan’s turn to step up and he did not disappoint: in a mad dash for glory he managed to link the entire crux sequence first go leaving us gob smacked. The Dark Horse lashed out again – their maybe a comeback on the horizon sometime soon? Meanwhile, Susie and Will moved on to Mr.Big for round two of multi-pitching, while the rest of us got our well-deserved flogging on the tricky arête of Dr.No (21/22 **). We bailed just before the sun hit the cliff about 12:30 and headed back for a quick lunch before round two at the Dam Cliffs.

The afternoon was spent frolicking at the popular swimming hole of Clarence Dam with the rest of the entire Blue Mountain community. The water was refreshing the sun was beaming but there were ominous signs on the horizon. The big swing was beckoning us! Cam, Adele, and Mat were keen after I had told them the stories of this monster swing and for once they were all true. Perched some ten meters high above the water the initial drop will take you breath away and project you through the air with the speed of a human bullet. Mat was keen to get it over and done with and jumped into action. I will never forget my parting remark: don’t get tangled up in the tagline but he was already catching airtime. What followed was the best human rope entanglement ever performed before a live audience. The screams of horror were echoing through the Damcliffs as Mat performed the perfect yoyo act slicing and dicing himself on the tagline. His composure was exemplary, the only one shocked was everybody else and he remained as cool as a chopped cucumber throughout the ordeal, that is until he swam back to his family and his son stepped and crushed his finger for good measure and then Bryan took out his first aid kid and started applying betadine to the rope burns. All good things come in threes. Through it all he never battered an eyelid and will go down as the most stoic performer in the pantheon of great swingers at the DamCliffs. You don’t believe it okay then I dare you to look at the pictures.

Unperturbed through it all the boys continued their backflips from the dizzying heights of the cliffs and the locals drank beer while swimming through the creek, until it was time to head back for the main event – the sausage sizzle, lam cutlets, beer and the desert chocolate brownies prepared by Susie. After everything we had been through Cam brought out a most extraordinary selection of desert wines unrivaled but for the sweetness of the company. Alas what a great moment in time.

If you still need more photos or want to watch some of the videos then you can download all of them HERE.