A Book Review of Sorts - Tears of the Dawn

I begin this entry by admitting that I haven’t read all that many books on others climbing adventures.  However, I do read a lot in general and as many of you know, I have a love for Scotland and most things Scottish.  It has something to do with a love for the land, the people and the beautiful rugged terrain of the country.  I did an independent study class in Scottish History in college and I've visited numerous times.  It reminds me a lot of the hills and valleys in Virginia and West Virginia and that’s home.  So with that in mind I decided I might as well do a blog entry doing a brief overview/review of Jules Lines’ new book, Tears of the Dawn.

First, a little background...

Many of you are likely asking, “who?” Jules Lines is without a doubt Scotland’s most accomplished free solo climber and probably one of the best climbers you’ve never heard of.  The book recounts his various adventures and misadventures of over three decades of extreme climbing.  From completing the ascent of all 277 Munros before finishing school (a Munro is a mountain in Scotland over 3000 ft.) to the continuing challenges of today.  His latest completed free solo project is “Hold Fast, Hold True”, a virtually blank, off-vertical wall in Glen Nevis, Scotland that comes in at about 5.14a (E9/10 7a).

I had the good fortune to meet Jules when Alan Goldbetter and I were climbing in Scotland at Creag an Dubh Loch in the Southern Cairngorms in September of 2013.  For the vast majority of our trip Alan and I didn’t see another soul while we were climbing.  In fact, Jules and his two friends were the first climbers we’d seen in a few days.  Prior to that we’d met only about ten other climbers over the previous two-plus weeks.  This isn’t because Scotland doesn’t have much climbing…Scotland has tons of climbing, it’s just that the weather conditions can make it difficult to climb there.  The bottom line is that it takes a certain type of grittiness to climb in Scotland and Lines has been doing it all his life.  I have the utmost respect for him and what he’s accomplished, all the while never seeking any glory, sponsorship or accolades.  He’s in it for the same reasons most of us “regular climbers” are: in one way or another it’s just fun and is addictive as hell.

Prior to meeting him I’d seen his name and picture in the Scotland guidebooks on numerous first ascents, especially on the sea cliffs at Erraid off the coast of the Isle of Mull and some extremely hard lines in the Cairngorms and Glen Nevis.  Still, neither Alan or I recognized him when we headed up to the Dubh Loch and passed through their small camp at the head of the Loch.  We quickly passed by and just said some hellos.  We were on our way to climb Cyclops...a fairly long route…and it was already nearly mid-day.  I found the whole thing rather amusing how Alan and I figured he was “somebody”.  When we walked through the next day on our way to climb The Mousetrap we stopped and chatted at length and introductions were made.  I remember a sheepish, knowing grin from him when I asked if his last name was Lines.  It was that kind of “aw shit, someone knows me and damn, they’re bloody Yanks” kind of look.  But as I read his book, it confirmed my impressions from that meeting.  He climbs for himself and doesn’t worry about what others think.  I’ve stayed in touch with him and I truly hope he finds a way to accept my invite to help him out if he wants to climb in the eastern US where I live.  Admittedly there were a number of times while reading the book when I said, “damn, he’s got to come here and climb at ‘fill in the blank’” (Seneca Rocks and the New River Gorge, both in WV; the Gunks in NY; Stone Mtn in NC, etc).

Creag an Dubh Loch

Now back to our regularly scheduled book discussion… 

Tears of the Dawn isn’t just about climbing.  It’s a progressive story that has you follow Lines’ years of free soloing, roped climbing, drilling the occasional bolt, working on oil derricks, paragliding, BASE jumping, a number of close calls and injuries and a good dose of the inner workings of his psyche that has driven him over the years.  It’s a beautiful insight into the mind of a hard-climbing free soloist and you get to witness the shift in what drives him from one of adrenalin to one of finding an inner peace and solace in climbing and free soloing.  All of this is something you rarely read about.  

What really keeps it so interesting are the anecdotal side-stories; the little vignettes that really tie everything together and keep you wanting to know more.  I felt like I was sitting down and a friend was reading this story to me, recalling his random adventures here and there.  I ended up reading it in sessions so that I could contemplate each recollection; otherwise it would have seemed overwhelming.  The entire book is well laid out and tied together as he begins with his visit to Yosemite, CA and ends with other adventures on that same trip to the Western US.  

If the book has one fault (I have to be critical in some way…otherwise what kind of review is this right?) it’s that Lines sometimes doesn’t give you enough of the story or at least not as much as you want or sometimes expect.  I remember thinking a number of times, “well how did that work out exactly?”; “how did he get from this to that?”; or “what else happened!”  Granted, the level of detail in his recollections is impressive.  But I know I could come up with a list of questions for him that would help bring more details to light. Perhaps he doesn't have those details or maybe it’s just his style and he doesn’t want to give you every bit of information; maybe he wants to leave you wanting more.  Whatever the case, it’s not enough to detract from the great writing quality of the book.

Overall it’s a wonderful read for climbers and non-climbers alike.  Some US climbers might have to look up some of the British terminology here and there, but that just makes you expand your vocabulary right?  The book is available through two online shops: Dave Macleod’s site (www.davemacleod.com) or the publisher, www.shelterstone.co.uk.  At 288 pages and hardback with some nice color photos in the middle, it's a nice pick-up.  I hope some of you out there give it a go and see what the fuss is all about…you won’t regret it!

My copy, back when I received it around Christmas

Scotland bound

First, a quick update from my last post.  Turns out Alan ended up having a pretty much brand-new version of my old nut tool at the shop (Mountain Trails) in Winchester, VA.  When he offered it to me there was no way I was turning it down.  So I now have a new version of my old nut tool.  What did I do with the old one I got from Seth?  Well, I was nice and ended up selling it to Seth's girlfriend, Simone, who had wanted it when I bought it from Seth.  So that's that.

Right now, I'm sitting here banging away on the keys the night before I leave for this Scotland trip.  I'm packed about as well as I could be at this point.  Fairly light when you really consider I'll be there for 3 weeks.  I have one large duffel, my BD Speed 30 pack and my laptop bag...which won't actually have my laptop in it, just guidebooks, road maps, etc.  I'll have to make do with the iPhone and Wi-Fi wherever we find it or internet cafes.

Our "plans", such as they are, are still very open, but I did make one small change to the beginning.  I was able to shift our camping reservation back one day so we could check out Stirling.  I'm due to pick-up Alan at the central bus station in Edinburgh on Saturday afternoon.  It's actually right at St. Andrews Square for those of you looking for a landmark on a map.  And yes, I'm driving there to pick him up...driving a stick-shift on the other side of the road...hopefully I won't be too jet-lagged.  After I safely pick him up (knocks on wood :-) we'll find a grocery store and stock up with some stuff, picking up a cooler (or a cool box as they're called there) along the way too.  I'd like to swing by the Tiso shop (outdoor chain in the UK) just south of Edinburgh airport at a place called Ratho.  The shop is attached to the largest indoor climbing facility in Europe (http://www.eica-ratho.co.uk/facilities).  After that we'll head north to the city of Stirling where we'll camp the first night.  Saturday and Sunday it's quite likely to rain so I thought it'd be a good opportunity for Alan to see Stirling Castle and the Wallace Monument.

After Stirling we'll head further north to a campsite near Comrie, Scotland.  We'll have a couple of days there and there is plenty of climbing nearby at Weem and Dunkeld or a bit further north near Dalwhinnie (also a couple distilleries and some great history in the region plus a really good pub in the village of Moulin).  At that point, the schedule just starts to go with the flow.  I have lists of climbs on different crags and their locations as well as a listing I made of campgrounds near those crags.  But in the end, we'll just see how it shakes out!

Just a few last minute things to get tomorrow and I'll be out the door.  It's pretty amazing to realize it's finally here.  In thinking back on the months leading up to this I honestly don't really even remember how we decided to do another trip.  But that's how things seem to work out sometimes for me.  I just suggest something at some point and roll with it.  Not that every trip isn't special, but this one hold a very significant importance.  Alan's moving to Finland after this trip.  Who knows when I might see him again, much less be able to pull off a trip like this.  We've had some really good times over the years, going back to our first big trip together in 2007 to Philmont in New Mexico when I was the Scoutmaster of Troop 45 and Alan was still considered a youth.  A lot has transpired since then and I find it pretty awesome that we are doing this trip.  A pretty sweet way to say goodbye for now.

I hope I cherish every moment of it.  I know lots of my friends who would kill to be on a trip like this and they've told me how amazing it sounds.  But for some reason, to me anyway, it's normal.  This is kinda what I really like to do.  I live for trips like this.  Amazing times in fantastic places with great friends.  Half the fun in it has been the planning...the other half will be the execution.

So with all that, I will say that I will post when I can, I will take zillions of pictures, hopefully get some good video footage and I'll see all you guys on the flipside...we're doin it live!

ps...in case you're wondering where our saying, "we'll do it live" comes from, check this out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1M6EYA14eU
and this one too...Stewie does it great :-)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGZtaoWT96E

Even the best laid plans...are subject to change

Soooo remember how I said Alan and are going to Ireland?  Yeah...about that.  We've changed that plan.  It came from a couple things.

One was the realization of the goals we want to accomplish.  We want to climb and climb a lot.  We want to be able to have different options available in case of inclement weather...and that means not just heading to a pub.

We also had a discussion about previous goals and unfinished work.  Things that were essentially left "un-done" the last time we were in Britain.  I think we both came to the conclusion that you only get so many shots at these kinds of big trips and if there's a possibility of doing something really cool, take the shot.  If you get a 2nd shot at something, you damn well better take it or you're just plain dumb.

And finally...this is what sealed it...I had a discussion with my friend Simon who's climbed fairly extensively in Ireland and Britain.  Simon's advice was to stick with Britain.  Ireland, (especially the areas where we planned to go) while lovely, can be difficult to climb.  The weather is one factor but the aspect of many cliffs is that they are north facing.  He said it's great if you have the time and can pick exactly when to go out there...in other words, you live there.  But otherwise, we're better off picking another place.

In the end, Alan and I talked it over and came to an agreement on Scotland.  I've somehow managed to get three (yes three) weeks off from work this summer for this trip.  That means I basically can't take any other time off but in the end I know it will be worth it.  And this time we're flying into Edinburgh, Scotland.  Though it was a bit more difficult to figure out, it should save us time since we won't have to travel up from London.

We have three main goals for this trip.  Anything beyond these will be great but these are where we are focusing our efforts:

1. Climb "Centurion" on Ben Nevis.  The last time we were in Scotland (late May 2010) there was still too much snow to safely climb on Ben Nevis.  So this falls under the "2nd shot" I mentioned.  It's a classic 7-pitch route that goes at about 5.9 (UK grade HVS 5a).  I would also like to do "The Long Climb", another classic route on Ben Nevis that goes at about 5.75.8 (VS 4c), but at 10-pitches and about 425 meters long (just a 1/4 mile).  For more info, check out this blog entry: http://yorkalpineclub.org.uk/blogs/?p=373

But what makes Ben Nevis even more daunting is that it's really an alpine day to do a route on it.  When Alan and I were last in Scotland we had an approach hike in to Etive Slabs that took us about an hour or so.  Two Scottish climbers we met there told us that it was easy by Scotland's standards.  We haven't forgotten those words and know very well that we have to factor in probably a 1.5 to 2 hour hike-in just to the base of the climb.

Ben Nevis

2. Climb the "Old Man of Hoy".  This is a dream climb for both of us.  The Old Man of Hoy is a sea-stack just off the coast of the Island of Hoy in the Orkney Islands.  It's a 4-pitch climb at about 5.9, but we may have to contend with some Fulmars (sea birds) that live around and on the stack.  Hopefully none of them decide to puke on us...which is known to happen.  Just getting out to Hoy will be a challenge.  A long drive to the very north end of Scotland, then a ferry ride to Mainland Orkney (the big island), then another ferry ride to Hoy.  Then after we climb the thing (fingers crossed the weather is good for us!) we get to reverse the route.  It will all be worth though if it comes together anywhere near as-planned.

The Old Man of Hoy

3. Climb the granite cracks of the small tidal island of Erraid, off the coast of the Isle of Mull.  This place is just beautiful and remote.  We'll have to take a ferry out to the Isle of Mull, which is on the west coast of Scotland.  From there we drive to the far western end of the island and park the car.  We then hike out to the island, crossing a tidal sandbar.

The main bay on Erraid

Beautiful walls of granite

I randomly found this place when flipping through the Scotland climbing guidebook I have.  I thought it looked pretty cool and the more Alan and I looked into the place, the more excited we both got to check it out live and in person.

So that's the new plan.  We also have a list of a bunch of other smaller crags and places we want to get to.  We're going to mostly camp, either in campgrounds or "in the wild" as they call it there.  Scotland's laws on wild camping are very lenient and we'd like to take advantage of that and do it on the cheap when possible.  That'll also let us shorten some approaches some days which is always a good thing.

The trip isn't until later this summer but I'll be sure to keep y'all up to date as things get closer.  Until then, stay safe out there everyone and thanks for reading!