We’re a bit over a month into the “Climbing WhatsApp group” experiment and it has exceeded my expectations – 80 members and loads of ad hoc gatherings (not “meets!”) that wouldn’t have happened otherwise.
A wet Wednesday (aren’t they all!) a couple of weeks ago was a great example of spontaneity – lashing down in Manchester in the morning, real-time conditions reports from Tideswell during the day, and a bunch of intrepid optimists setting out for Stoney on the strength of the Met Office prediction of a sunny evening. In the end a dozen of us (two groups of no more than 6 of course!) managed to snatch a few enjoyable routes from what would otherwise have been a washout (duly celebrated outside in the beer garden at The Moon).
The Wednesday before, WhatsApp had come in handy in convening at shady Staden in the heatwave, but more importantly enabling John to warn of a rampaging cow on the approach – real-time objective danger updates!
Saturday again saw the triumph of optimism over common sense when a few of us met up at Bamford. Great to catch up with Will (our most recent member), Alice and Ted and kudos to them for braving the drive up from Bedford in the face of a dodgy forecast.
Andy ignored the conditions to breeze up Naked Eye
I got snapped by a passing climber, encouraging me to “cut loose!”
But the lead of the day was Happy Wanderer Chris displaying great calm as drizzle turned to proper rain!
Great that technology is helping us to continue to “Get Out There!”
If you are planning to Get Out and are open to a spot of (appropriately distanced / Covid-safe) company, or looking for a partner, why not ping a post in the group? It seems to work best if the chat is focused on organising or reporting on get togethers to reduce “notification fatigue”!
If you want to join the group, drop me a line or check the FB group for the link. Meanwhile “Get Out There!” and “Stay Safe!” not to mention alert đŸ˜‰