Arapiles, Australia, home, and beyond

Well, if I’m going to develop this into something of interest for the people in my life, actually using it beyond being on the ice might help.

Larry and I spent most of 5 weeks in Arapiles (uh-RAP-uh-leez), Australia. Arapiles—Tooan State Park is a world class quartzite-sandstone climbing area located on the agricultural Wimmera Plain, in the state of Victoria, which is in the SE part of the continent. Melbourne, at 4 hours away, is the nearest big city.

Arapiles is a most wonderful place to be, climb, and recover from the highly structured and very busy life working for the US Antarctic Program. The weather was very warm, but it was dry heat, and there’s always shade to be found. Every day was climbable, including the days when it rained: the rain was light and of short duration. The dominant tree there seems to be the gum tree, or eucalyptus, and there are all sorts of other smaller trees making up the "mallee" ecosystem.

I was again fascinated by the avian population, both their voices and their plumage (it seems either one or the other is dramatic). The local magpies sound like drunk meadowlarks, and they are everywhere with their many calls and songs, strutting around with attitude in their crisp black and white. Australian ravens have a very entertaining call as well. The parrot species are spectacular, one being red, green, and yellow, with a mostly red with some blue species as well. The galahs are also brightly colored, as are the green lorikeets, who in particular fly around in very noisy flocks. Each day we saw most of these characters and others around camp and out by the crags, where we also admired Australian Kestrels (falcons) whipping around the cliffs.

Did I mention seeing kangaroos, sometimes hopping by, visible from camp? They are funny, with such huge powerful hindquarters and tails, and little tiny arms and hands. And little deer-like faces. Sometimes we saw the joeys (young) in mom's pouch. We also enjoyed echidnas, which look like a small porqupine with less threatening-looking quills. And some cool Big spiders and a large lizard called a "stumpy", but no animals to really be concerned about in terms of poisons and the like.

The climbing deserves its reputation. A partly metamorphized sandstone with a very high quartzite content, the rock is exceptionally strong. The long routes there are only 4 pitches or so, and one can walk off of most off the crags. And most everything is in walking distance, yea. We didn’t have a car and didn’t miss it.There are a lot of steep routes with huge holds, a few slabs, and the cracks eat stoppers like I eat dark chocolate.

One can visit as long as one wants, and the camping fee is a whopping $2/day including bathrooms with flush toilets, a centralized dishwashing sink, trash removal and recycling bins. There aren’t designated camp sites, just a big area where people pitch their tents, cover them with UV tarps if they aren’t under the pines, and stay as long as they want. Like I did last year, a lot of folks show up alone, meeting people there to climb with. It’s a fun, laid-back scene with lots of interesting people from different continents.

Nearby is a pond for use in case of wildfires, and it’s open for swimming. And on Sunday afternoons the adjacent organic farm opens their stand and sells wonderful fruit and veggies. Town isn’t far away either, and it’s easy to get rides with people if you can be a bit flexible in your schedule.

Larry didn’t climb for the first few weeks because of his healing ribs, and I found other people to climb with. We did spend a lot of time together doing other things, and sometimes he accompanied us to the crags. Quite enjoyed seeing some folks I met last year, and also meeting new people.

It can be an interesting game finding good partners. At this point I don't worry too much about how safe someone is in terms of me taking care of myself, partly because one figures out to start on easy routes to see how good someone's else systems are (ie I am not worried that I might fall). There are some very interesting characters out and about!

To minimize fitness loss, esp with our upcoming Ruth Gorge (Alaskan climbing) trip, we often loaded up our packs and schlepped up and down the only steep (though short) trail down from the top of "Mt Arapiles". We also did a bit o' yoga, read, and otherwise relaxed.

Some of our Antarctic friends showed up, which was great fun. We'd all go to a crag, Larry included (everyone needs a peanut gallery), and climb in pairs, swapping routes, and generally having a good time. Nice to hang out with people separate from the ice.

In the latter two weeks, Larry started climbing, leading some easier routes. It was fun to finally climb with him.

Arapiles last year was my first rock climbing trip (as opposed to mountaineering) internationally. Fun to figure out a new rating system. I used it to my psychological advantage, memorizing their system compared to ours in a way that encouraged me to get on harder routes. The numbers overlap, so I'd focus on the lower US rating that matched the local rating. Think it helped a little, but it definitely highlights how mental climbing is. Many details highlight how incredibly mental climbing is. That is part of the draw (that and the feel of a good hand jam).

It's amazing how quickly time goes by on such a trip. Days melt into each other, and then it's time to leave. Too soon we headed back to the US, where Larry visited his family, and I visited my folks and friends.
Now I'm back home getting organized for the Alaska Range (and from having been out of the country for 6 months).

Tomorrow he arrives in his van from MN, and in a week we'll drive to Alaska, stopping briefly in SE Alaska, where he has long lived. We are scheduled to fly onto the glacier April 30th, and plan to be there till the last week or so of May.
Neither of us is very fit (his now-healed ribs didn't help, plus rock climbing and visiting friends doesn't exactly create the kind of fitness we'll need), but we'll have fun. Our plan is to get info on various routes and peaks, see what's in condition, and go from there as opposed to having any particular goal.

Cheers, Susan