Match Day, Dan 1, queens 25+...VICTORY TO DAN!

I sleep much better at home, whether this is due to the lack of builders or pissed housemates i don't know but one thing is for sure, i've been struggleing to drag my head off the pillow in the last few days. Then 2 things dawned on me, one was that Sharik noticed he'd been sleeping like a log just before doing stamina band into PUTP (8c+) the other day, the other is just how much training i've been doing over the past few weeks.
I felt sluggish yesterday, but like a car full of fuel rather than one rapid firing off fumes.
The forecast for today was amazing too, a good breeze but warmer temps, representing open season at Queens (finally managing to climb without freezing your bollocks off when everyone else is getting a tan) I even managed to get down to a t shirt!
So basically the world and his dog knows that i've been trying my project for an age (which became an Epoch today) and there have even been some people vaguely interested in trying it, the trouble being when you've spent sessions, cleaning stuff like this you get attached to it. When you've spent 2 years on something you get quite attached to it too. I probably started trying this line when i was to weak for it (obviously) one thing is for sure though, it has been the sole purpose for me wanting to become a better climber. You can even attribute part of the beastmakers origin to this line. Upon first scoping out queens i noticed 3 lines which i wanted to climb before i got too old. Queen Kong and Red Dragon being my first 2 ports of call, each one pushing me a bit more than the last, 5 sessions, 12 sessions and 25+ sessions represent queen kong, red dragon and this project respectively. Each one is incredibly different and has its own unique style.
Today was set to be a big day basically, the weather was pucker, i was meeting springer my partner in crime for queens. And i had rested up. After warming up i felt strong but a bit gelitinous, this was good, i thought, as usually i feel weak and gelitinous, sure enough after some home baked flapjack and a good lashing of green tea, the big guns were out. I practically locked the crux move from go 1 and go after go i crept further into the crux pocket. 10 minutes later i stuck it and my brain switched off, a deep project psyche switched on and i crushed the top section, including the double dyno to the top, which i only stuck twice on sunday (shit session and too windy). So that was that, done!

Now its funny when you spend so long failing on things like this, and i'm usually a fan of the 3 day rule (extending to 6 days if the stubborn mule is unleashed) because with so much failure, when success finally arrives it takes a while to sink in, it built up gradually today, finally peaking whilst driving home to an amazing sunset which i have so often cursed, i thought what the hell, treat yourself and drive home like a normal mad bugger whilst flying along the military road.

A few names have run through my head over the last 2 years, and unlike a certain peak beast i consider them to be all good, a little part of me dies whenever i hear another amazing line called 'my fudge nugget the tofu based chicken substitute'. I settled on 'Ark Royal' as its one of the biggest aretes i'd imagine i'm ever going to boulder up and it fits the royal theme.

As for the grade i really couldn't give a flying shit, sometimes you climb stuff becuase you want to proove to yourself that you can climb hard even if its a bit shitty (cough 'bigger belly' cough cough) and sometimes you just want to proove to yourself that you can get up something, which looks, even to the general public; Fucking amazing. I'm pretty sure my sequence is whack, crossing round aretes. locking to your waist and manditory double dynos aren't often all one after another on a problem. I also pity anyone who is shorter than me on this line, or who uses my sequence (though it does employ all my weaknesses). I'm sure there is an easier way though, as Ned hasn't fully had his way on it yet by destroying anything vaguely resembling brute power by wrapping his legs all over the place and heel hooking a drop knee above his ear. Basically the lowest i think it is, is 8a+ (suprise suprise) and i'm happy taking that grade, to ground up using my sequence would be an amazing effort too. Chris got the send on film from a few angles, so it should be out by 2015 ;)

I also managed to link the sit start into the crux of this today after watching chris get close to red dragon for an hour or so, i am amazingly psyched on this as its the full line really, i always thought the sit would be 8b to get into the stand but its probably just soft 8a with some ironed out beta, it is stupidly morpho though, and i'm tipped out to the max. this can be linked off round the corner ('the mediocre escape') into a 7b+ (my warm up) which i have stupidly wired. guess this'd be 8aish too? god knows, who cares anyway?, it'll probably be dirty again soon, and its not like anything else at the crag has been bustling with repeats. queen kong has still got to be done in a session and that's the piss one that i did 3 years ago whilst recovering from pneumonia, and chris did with an asthma attack (healthy arent we?).
Upon leaving the crag i gave the farmer £10 for being one of the nicest guys around and for letting me park on his land. Obviously i don't expect everone to stump up notes for parking at the crag but the odd parking donation will help the farm, and keep up the good relationship/ upkeep of the road.
Cheers, to Fiveten and arcteryx too for geniunely helping me get up this thing, the crux smear on the double dyno tends to blow off using anything but onyx.

Oh and i saw a badger in the flesh for the first time ever today!!, this had me in hysterics (in joke) As that was indeed THE BADGER