Toinne Gully Sunday 30/04/06

Sunday morning, Andy, Margaret & myself meet at Kate's and decide as planned to head for Toinne Gully. Drive into Black Valley & climb to Curraghmore Lake, where we pick out the Gully and have a good look at it. The mist is down and is starting to close in.

We don full wet gear as part of the climb is into a full waterfall. We also kit ourselves out in full climbing gear.

Easy scrambling for a start, then a difficult section where we went left shortly after another hard scramble. After a while we come to a grassy bank and decide to have a snack.

On again and meet large boulders blocking the way. We crawl into a cave, pulling our rucksacks behind us and emerge out a narrow opening at the back. Some easy scrambling before we come to the waterfall, which is about sixteen feet high and vertical. The thought of climbing up through it makes me shiver.

Andy, however, produces a roll of insulating tape and we tape our jacket cuffs to our wrists. Andy is volunteered to lead. I am to second. I watch Andy's moves very carefully. He digs his walking axe into a small crack with his right hand and looks for holds for his left. Finds a small one and climbs up on very small holds.

He drops his axe on a rope to me, I tie on, and start climbing, using the axe and what holds I can. Cannot look up too much or the water will flow down my collar inside my jacket. Make it up, Margaret follows.

We climb on, on steep ground to next hard section, near the top. No hand or foot holds, no going back. We are committed. We see a small rock spike to the right but out of our reach. We have great fun trying to throw slings over it, eventually succeeding with one.

We knot it and use it as a stirrup to reach the spike. We are up.

It is now easy scrambling to the left of Toinne, where we eat standing up. It is now cold and wet so we do not delay. We drop down the back ladder in silence, cold & wet. We are glad to reach the cars and change our clothes.