That's not hard, bitches

There is a story behind the title to this post that I think is going to be told by my great friend Roger, and he will do it well. So instead of telling it myself, or writing a long post on all the great people I met, things I laughed at, routes I crushed, routes that crushed me, I am going to distill this to the essence.

I went to Oudtshoorn to hook up with my buddy of 25 years, and try to play a role, if I could, in his getting up a route he bolted as project, but never tried, many years ago. And after we had done most of the laughing, chatting, smack talking and some preparatory climbing, Roger gave it a go on Thursday. I was belaying and as he set off I wanted to tell everyone to stop what they were doing and watch, because here was a living legend still putting himself on the line and giving it horns. The guy who gave us Stormwatch almost 20 years ago still punching out dynos on hard routes.

Of course everyone was watching anyway, and urging him on, desperate for him to get it. He didn't, but what the hell; I got the privilege of belaying, we came up with Plan C to get in one more burn (which will involve us leaving a carbon footprint about the size of Asia) and if that doesn't work out Plan B will have anyway!

The next day Roger and Scott decided to blow off their last day at Oudtshoorn and come back via Oorlogs with me.  I didn't have the right shoes with me, cocked up a hard move in the middle, yet had a complete blast. I was with my mates, trying my project in my home kloof. It couldn't really have got any better, could it?

I don't have a photo of Roger on the route, but here he is on the warm up, colour coordinated with the rock and hence invisible:

BTW: we totally ruled the entire week in our vests.