Last year Madie threatened/promised to drag me up Bunny Buckets Buttress. It’s kinda the big easy of the Pieces Pass area. A mega classic grade 18 that wonders up 310m of the Grose Valley clifflines.
Unfortunately I had a series of tendon injuries and just felt I’d be a liability.
I haven’t done a lot of climbing lately but was starting to feel good again. I mentioned to her that I’d be keen once I get a bit of endurance.
OK we are doing it Saturday, Says Madie. You and me on Bunny Buckets, Leo, Lucie and Felix will go up next to us on Randy Rabbit Ridge (a grade 20 that basically parallels BBB)
OH shit!! I’d done 8 pitches of climbing in the last 6 weeks. Bunny Buckets was 8 pitches one after another, 5 of which were right at my climbing limit at the moment. Not to mention most of the pitches were longer than any pitch I have done lately…
I admit I had a bit of a anxiety attack at the thought of not being up to it. I lost sleep worrying about it. I’d hate to be one of those people who claim they are better than they are then ruin everyone’s day by not being as good as they thought
Shut up brain. Suck it up! This is an awesome opportunity. No more excuses. I’m in.
I tend to get real nervous leading up to a trip right up until I get out of the car and get walking but after a crappy day at work on the Friday I slept like a log and I woke up feeling calm and excited for the day
The car park was packed. Don’t they know how cold it is? There are a few abseil routs down, We pick the fastest one and pass one group on setting up on the other. We then meet Lucas and Ben at the bottom, they graciously let us go first and somehow weren’t put off be my floundering about pretending to be a rock climber.
I’d have to say I had a moment halfway up pitch 3 where I was struggling with a move and started second guessing myself and it took Leo shouting encouragement/threats from across the void to convince me to push on. I tried again, got the move easy and continued on.
In the end I hang-dogged the first 3 pitches, took a swinger on the traverse where had to resort to ascenders to get back on route and, I climbed ugly but I got up with out needing to be hauled (TBH I think Madie was taking a lot of my weight at times) and I couldn’t be happier.
The second last pitch was a glorious vertical wall. Once again it was right at the upper end of my skill level but more to my style than the lower pitches at that grade. I was shot, muscle fatigue had well and truly set in. I’d struggle up 2 or 3m clip my safety to the bolt and hang, resting for what seemed an eternity then I’d go again. But I loved every minute of it.
My mates really are awesome.
Walking in. Surprisingly not nervous a all 
Madie Leading up Bunny Bucket Buttress 
Me following Madie up and Leo in the back ground leading up RRR. Thanks to Lucas for the photo 
Leo leading up Randy Rabbit Ridge 
Leo over on Randy Rabbit Ridge, Thanks to Lucas for the photo 
Leo crushing Randy Rabbits 
Leo 
Me on Bunny Buckets and Leo on Randy Rabbits, photo thanks to Lucas 
Leo on belay 
Me and Mads on top of pitch 3, I think 
I know the views at the top are the same, but they arn’t the same 
Me and Madie at the lunch ledge. The bucket behind us is full of emergency gear, these climbs have a rep for catching people out and benighting them 
Madie made the traverse look easy. I took a massive swinger which deposited me below that over hang. Ascenders at the ready 
Me on ascenders to get back on route after taking a swinger on the traverse 
Looking down on Leo and Lucie 
Madie at the top of the chocolate ripple wall. If I wasn’t so completely fatigued by here this pitch would have been magic. Even struggling and needing to rest at each bolt it was fantasic 
Taking a break and looking down to Lucas at the top of the pitch below me 
The final push to the top 
At the top waiting for the others 
Felix smashed it, Leading several pitchs of RRR 
Looking down at Felix at the top of the second last pitch of RRR with the mighty Grose valley views 
Felix on Randy Rabits on the left and Lucas and Ben On Bunny Buckets to the right 
Atmosphere plus 
Lucie joining Felix and Leo at top of the second last pitch 
Felix smashing up the final wall 
Leo, powerful, graceful and confident 
Madie offering to take over belay duties to get Lucie up the final wall 
It was so cold at the top of RRR, Lucie barely able to feel her fingers but climbing strong 
Who’se hands are they 
Oh It’s Lucie 
“I’m not telling you it’s going to be easy, I’m telling you it’s going to be worth it.” -Anonymous
Surround yourself with awesome people, experience awesome things: Flynny
sleepwhenwearedead 