Hauterives, climbing

We took turns climbing and taking care of children today. The crags were mobbed, but we found a nice sector that we had not been to before: Shadocks. There are many nice climbs, but literally every single route was taken or had draws and/or a rope left on it. I think I want to avoid climbing on big holiday weekends in the future, as the crowds really diminish the experience. I had a bit of a scare when I asked to take and looked down to see flakes of rope on the ground in between myself and my belayer, but it was sorted out without hitting the deck.

Later on, Chloe and Vanessa had a bit of an epic trying to find the same crag, and returned to hauterives looking like wet cats; the rain clouds had rolled in and soaked both of them during their bushwhacking. In the mean time, Simon and I had taken the kids down to the water again, which was fun. The kids also enjoyed terrorizing the local cats and dogs:





The only problem with bringing the kids to the water is the subsequent kid-cleanup!

Later, we used the Plancha to grill sausages and shish-kabobs for dinner, and it was eventually time to turn in. Right before putting Alex down, he projectile vomited and it took some time to comfort him (and to clean up the mess). If I hadn't mentioned it, Hauterives is fantastic, but a little like camping in the sense that you are supposed to keep consumption of things like water and paper products to a minimum while reducing waste. It's not terribly onerous, but adds to the work.