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Arapiles in April-august 3-Apr-2006 At 4:54:08 PM The Keeper

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I was at the Mt in early Sept-'04 - weather was deluxe (none of the hoary +35C stuff), and there were no corpses in the crapper - albeit there was enough evidence of former insect life therein to suggest it rivals Amazonia in season. The Pines were mellow - a rare tent encampment and the roos were basking. No evidence of insurgents from Queen'sland and the Nati pub was not far off a morgue in liveliness - tough to round up anyone for climbing, to practice some salient Canuck rugby songs, let alone a bit of street hockey. Was hot enough and even lured a huge goanna to forage around in the canopy for birds eggs. Hugh said he hadn't seen one in a couple of years and certainly not that time of year - so it was very good. Nice and quiet and pastoral. Looking out over the Wimmera reminded me of the Serengeti - (blotting the farms from mind's eye- add a few hundred thousand wildebeest, some zebra, a few crocs over in the lake, and maybe a few Queen'sland thylacine -like vixens (in lieu of other biting carnivores) and you would have Africa down under. It was all excellent and I plan on a second go round at some skeletons in my climbing closet at Araps this late summer (early spring down under). Yankee boulderers who harass the wildlife should be fixed from a couple of rusting carrots on Trojan or something equally appropriate for a few nights or consigned as a belay slave to the Pom who was dissing the Aussie rating system based on a gym episode in Melb (who in their right mind would be spending time in the gym with all those great crags out and about - hmm!) - and if it does rain - appreciate the great circle of life , renewal of the aquifers, read the latest issue of Rock and listen to Coldplay, Blackie and the Rodeo Kings, and Anne Kirkpatrick as you sip some contraband insurgent Canadian "cold tea". Ah, the life down under.