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Cruit Island Camping Trip. June 24/25th
2000
What a drama! We set off to Cruit Island
for a sunny weekend camping, climbing, drinking, barbecuing (is there such
a verb?) and generally having a jolly good time. Within 4 hours of arriving,
one of our number had been rushed to Letterkenny Hospital in an ambulance.
Others were still arriving, rucsacs full of 'biners and beer. Well, that's
climbing for you!
Like the bunch of good, hardy, outdoor, roustabout types that we are, we put aside our angst and climbed. "It's what he would have wanted", we told ourselves. Actually, poor Colm didn't know what he wanted, except that he didn't want to fall thirty-odd feet onto a granite boulder and split his head. Being seven, his resilience was remarkable and he was already trying to re-ascend the route he fell from when we rescued him. Happily, I can report that he has no signs of long-term damage, and that he will be accompanying us again when we go somewhere fairly safe. Back to the climbing.........Those present were: Sally Cook, Kieran Gallagher, Pete Smith, Maria Smith, John Smith, Anthony Feeney (and Colm), Mickey Stick, Phil Magill, Davie, Michael McGinty, Martin McGuigan [pic], Mary McGuigan (club physio), Frankie McCloskey [pic] and Jimmy Boyle. We were treated to some of the best sunshine of the Summer so far; some of the best granite in Donegal; and some of the most beautiful scenery in the world. The routes here are shortish (Dunmore Head sort of length) but the quality is superb. And you don't meet many people! Martin McGuigan had a great day on Sunday. He set up a new climb; Albatross HVS 5b 25M [pic]. It is very like Master of Puppets, which is the same grade, and the basis for the grading of the new route. Mary and he did a VD on the right side of the beach, he doesn't know if it was new or not . He also went out to the end of the island and talked to members of the Donegal canoe club who had just returned from Owey. Kieran (Golly) Gallagher and James (Psyclone) Boyle believe that they can claim two new routes on the beach. One of them (led by James) might be 5a and awaits confirmation. Frankie did a prodigious amount of routes. At least one was a new route led by Michael McGinty and seconded by Frankums. Let's have some descriptions, Boys. |