After the “virtual” zoom version in 2020, and the reduced capacity affair last year, the Gogarth Meet was back to it’s full octane, face-to-face fun this June! No more “you’re on mute”; no wait-lists and waivers; just a huge bunch of Rucksackers and friends assembled at the best crag in the world topped off with a gigantic beach BBQ.
We had a bit of catching up to do so it was great to see around 75 Rucksackers and friends plus Pinnacle Club members on the beach! This was something of a triumph for blind optimism in the face of a somewhat dodgy forecast, but we were rewarded with wall-to-wall sunshine throughout Saturday and into the evening. Very blustery conditions made for a moderation of aspirations, but despite this people were able to enjoy wind-swept world-class climbing, not to mention choppy paddling, blowy pedalling and breezy sandcastle-building.
Over on Castell Helen, the day started with a bit of a log-jam as some helpful Rucksackers rescued a young climber who had found a first taste of seacliff climbing to be a bit too atmospheric.
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Probably not a bad thing as it allowed a rather sploshy sea a bit more time to head out!
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Lighthouse Arete, North West Passage and Blanco saw a lot of traffic
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There were plenty of other teams exploring on Holyhead Mountain, The Range and braving Main Cliff, with ascents of Devotee…
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Gogarth…
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… and Emulator…
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Plus The Strand and Resolution Direct (good effort Jack!) and even a quest on the crags around Porth Dafarch
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New this year, and sure to be a fixture going forwards, Helen led a Beach Yoga session to loosen tired limbs after a hard day out.
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All of the above, of course, was merely the prelude to work up an appetite (and thirst!) ahead of the beach BBQ. The wind remained unabated so it was a question of keeping a firm grip on your burger, and trying to keep the grit out of your sausage SAND-wich, but Rucksackers are used to more adversity than that.
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A huge thank you to our team of expert burger-flippers: Mike, Gareth and young Master Chef Marcus
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After a toast to “Absent Friends”…
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… the bonfire was lit…
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… and a few brave souls even ventured in for a late dip.
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It would be nice to report that Sunday was equally productive, but the weather had other ideas. It wasn’t a complete washout as Ros and Rachel both managed a swim and a couple of teams got some bolts clipped on the way home. In any event, you can’t have everything and it’ll still be there next year!
Talking of which – get the dates in your diary now: 10th and 11th June (we’ll try to organise two days of sunshine for 2023). Thanks again for coming along – Hopefully catch up with you all before then. Cheers, Dom and Helen.