Selling my soul

So it has been an extremely busy couple of weeks, first of all a ten day trip to the tibetan plateau with some AYP (hong kongs Duke of Edinburgh Scheme) Students where we summited the mighty Mt Yika (4300m) followed by a week dressed as a pirate (First mate ginger beard) on the bounty in Victoria harbour. All this then another week with some young hong kong people. The pictures should tell a better story....Kai proving that there is some climbing in hong kongThe wonderful reception at our first hotel in china (luckily the students didnt stay here)Andrew outside the Naxi guesthouse in tiger leaping gorge (our acclimatization hike)Jade dragon snow mountainStorm rolling through the gorge Our guides and horse taking a smoke break at 4300mTibetan monastery in Shangri-laHaving a meal in shangri la with our guides.Inside a nomad hut for the night at 3700m
At least they're trying!

Ginger beard

Capturing the taihitian dancers (do you think these girls have practiced posing

an unusual view of central hong kong

Jade dragon panorama

The Sea??

So for some my blog may seem to be misnamed as there really hasn't been much sea action recently. That was until I was informed that I was going to help rig a safety system for going aloft on the "bounty" (the replica used in the film). That was of course after my crazy week in the luk wu gorge in the eastern new territories. All in all Asia pacific Adventure is as ever keeping me on my toes as the rigging of the safety sytem quickly became organising a staff day on the ship and that meant learning the rigging. The bounty is a fully rigged ship which means she has 3 masts with square sails plus staysails (jibs to the dinghy sailors out there) and a mizzen. Luckily for me she only currently flies 11 sails but unluckily the bigger of the square sails can have up to 12 lines to control them (braces, clewlines, buntlines, leechlines, tacks, sheets etc). A day and a half after first seeing the ship I was trying to explain tall ship sailing to 20 of the APA staff. There was definitely some confusion as the permanent crew dont speak english and my cantonese sailing terminology stops at "li seng" (pull rope). Anyway heres some photos of the sea at last, with more to come as I have a whole week on the Bounty in November.

Yung shue wan as the sun sets (this is taken from the village where i am currently living (the ferry pier is on the right side))

Bani and B help a student on the traverse in the Gorge.

One of the groups arrive back at camp by dragon boat after a day in the gorgeLamma island from the south end. Far left is the power station, yung shue wan is beyond that while the buildings on the left of the picture are Aberdeen (south side of HK island)Geordie on a fast learning curve - first time on a tall ship and rigging safety lines all over the place. (taken on the fore course yard)Another bit of wisdom from the Hong Kong ferry service"So if you just pull this one..." Trying to work out whats what (its a fore topsail buntline) (Courtesy of Becca)Becca teaches Captain Lau (in the grey boiler suit) how to sail.Victoria Harbour evening light.

Geordie, Alex and Piak taking in the views of the harbour from the main mast crows nest

Thats all for now, another busy week ahead with a 5 day program in Hong kong then some planning for a trip to Lijang and the Tibetan plateau......

City living and other things

One week at home after three years was not enough, but great to see family and a small piece of scotland. Now back in Hong Kong till christmas time with hopefully a couple of side trips into china.

I was sitting on the MTR (the tube) yesterday morning and caught the old woman next to me trying not to let me see her staring at me. It was early, I was tired but also intrigued. Finally I thought I had worked out what she was staring at. I leaned across and said in my best chinese accent "mao mo"(body hair), she stared at me in shock and then burst out laughing. I then tryed explaining that it was hot(being hairy) but my cantonese failed me. Coming back to hong kong has been pretty crazy, the mad bustle of the city to the lush green of the new territorries. I find I can remember bits of cantonese which helps a little. We have just finished the staff induction week which was long and not too easy for me, fighting to remember hong kong and to swap companies. Now I have a day off chilling in Yung shue wan the village i am living in on Lamma island, a haven of no cars away from the bustle of the city just a half hour ferry ride away.

Food in hong kong is always interesting, the choice of paying a bit more for something that should be recognizable or for blindly ordering in a cheaper place. The variety of food is staggering and I am finding it hard on my walk through the village in the morning not to at least pick something up. Really this is my first time as a proper commuter and even the little things like actually making coffee myself instead of buying it on the way is throwing me.

Life is as ever completely interesting. Some photos------- (more adventurous ones to follow to keep up to the usual standard)


The Family (me, mum, dad, kate and kees) on our picnic/hike before kate and kees flew home.Mum, Kate, Dad, Baxter and Alfie.A Cloudy and dark dawn over Victoria harbour (looking towards the island) on my first day back in Hong Kong
Smoggy dawn.
Waiting for the bus - another long day of staff training.

Nobody tells me to "have a nice day" here

So......... Finally back in Scotland 3 years and one week since I left. I'm not really sure what has changed but its easy to see whats different. Dad has been re-introducing me to scottish food with a trip to the pub for a pint and a toastie (grilled cheese for you americans) on the way home from the airport and pie and beans for lunch today.

I flew back from the USA yesterday, subjected to two of the worst films ever made (drill bit taylor and maid of honour) on the plane. As ever my time in America was amazing especialy the people and thier kindness. Emma and I drove from Bend oregon down to los angeles hitting some beautiful places to climb and hike along the way before picking up a hire car for the way back up. We ended up back in bend chilling out, climbing and mountain biking. I feel lucky in that having now been up and down the west coast of the states it seems that I have ended up in the best part (of the pacific coast). The real question now is whether i will make it back there next year.

Below - some photos of the road trip


Welcome to America (pronounced murca if you want to sound authentic)

Me in the back of the van
The campsite the night before we climbed the SW face of Cathedral peak (seen in the background)

The Matthes Crest - the cuillin ridge of the high sierras? (thats a scottish climbing joke!)
Mount Hubris (otherwise known as "the ogre" - you can see his face) in castle crags national park. We climbed up through the left eye to the right hand summit.
The campsite at boulder creek lakes in the trinity alps
The van being "bear proofed" below cathedral peak.

Emma (bottom of the pic) on the Matthes crest

Emma doing the awkward step across on cosmic wall (mt hubris)

End of the season

I have now finished work in the US for another year. The final course was fantastic covering a lot of ground through the mountains and finishing up on the Deschutes river once again. Emma has arrived and we are now about to head off south through California on a road trip in my friend Ryans van. Heading down inland towards Yosemite and Tuollome then probably back via the coast to fly out of portland in a months time.


anyway some photos

Luis at dawn at the base of the hayden glacier

Below - a group of students (different group) raft past as one student prepares to jump and I try and climb the crack at "nookie rock"Steve (my co-instructor) on the final fixed line on three fingered jack with mt jefferson behind

Below - its not all sunsets and summit days. learning a new skill, night one in the mountains - how to eat dinner and not be eaten (by mosquitos)storm clouds coming (jefferson wilderness)
Below- cold and unable to go anywhere, the students tied in place on their way up "three fingered jack"Storm hitting the west side of the sisters (middle on the right and north on the left)Lightning touches down about a mile away (the sisters can be seen on the right of the photo)

Below - a long day on the mountain. Beckett with mt washinton and the sisters behind. taken at around 530am having been fixing ropes up the peak for an hour. Slightly outside remit. Steve "summer ML" ironside leading up the hayden glacier on the way to middle sister with broken top in the background

Getting old

So I cut my hair yesterday as well as the usual beard trim when I come of course. It is slightly alarming when teenagers consistently guess your age at between 35 and 45. I do have white hair in my beard and my hair was kind of long so I figured that was it. Then I went to the store today to buy some beers and the girl at the check out didnt ask me for ID. everyone gets asked for ID, its America. What is going on? So I have just finished my first stint here as "course director" for a 22day white water and mountaineering course. At best this job entails me paddling rivers, climbing mountains and generally hanging out in beautiful places on my own and at worst involves me dealing with parents, behavioral issues, airlines and phonecalls. It was a pretty good mix for me and now I have 4 days off before the next 25 day stint. After that Emmas coming over and we are off on a climbing road trip south through Oregon and California. Woo hoo.

The cool tree at buckskin camp on the deschutes.
South sister reflected in Camp lake. The Ridge in the foreground was my access route over the mountain to get from one group to the other. Colby's birthday cake (no bake cheese cake with strawberry jam) which we ate while the students were on solo.
The chipmunk who kept trying to get into my food on South sister
A typical river campsite on the lower river in the early morning. The students and staff are doing "pump and stretch"

A helicopter lands a bit close to one of our gear boats (bottom left) as the desert burns.
The life of a course director. Checking messages on my phone and drinking coffee on the summit of middle sister (10,056ft) at 8.30am. I then carried on to the summit of South sister (in front of me and 10,300ft) for lunch. A good day but a tiring one.
Ryan and Colbies tent with the moon behind on the East side of North sister
Climbing the middle sister via the south ridge with students.

And the not so good part of the job - removing staples from a student head by head lamp (photo courtesy of Ryan)