Rock-climbing in the English Lake District: Third EditionJones, Owen Glynne
General
Rock-climbing in the English Lake District: Third Edition
Jones, Owen Glynne
Lake District (England) -- Description and travel; Mountaineering; Rock climbing -- England -- Lake District
THE WEST JORDAN GULLY, PILLAR ROCK.--This deeply cut gully,
or, more correctly speaking, chimney, is a striking feature of the
Western face of the Pillar Rock, and, together with the East Jordan
Gully, the head of which it meets at Jordan Gap, cuts off the actual
Pillar Rock from Pisgah. Probably many climbers have examined the West
Jordan Gully, but it does not appear to have been seriously attacked
before July, 1898, when Mr. W. P. McCulloch and the writer climbed it.
Walking up the bed of the gully we passed a tempting looking crack on
the North wall which ends in a small cave; above this cave the gully
is ‘chocked’ by several overhanging stones which from below seem very
formidable obstacles. We, however, avoided the crack and, mounting a
series of jammed stones, reached the innermost recesses of the chimney.
We were now almost on a level with the top of the crack, and, the gully
being here narrow enough to brace firmly across, we backed upwards
and outwards for about fifteen feet, reaching the cave without great
exertion. So far we had done well, but still the great jammed stones,
round which we had to pass, loomed black overhead. Holds for the
traverse outward looked anything but satisfactory, so Mr. McCulloch,
after passing the rope round a conveniently placed jammed stone,
climbed on to my shoulders and, with considerable difficulty, dragged
himself into a small cave about fifteen feet above. As this cave would
only accommodate one man, I climbed to Mr. McCulloch’s level, with a
little assistance from the rope, and took the lead. Traversing outwards
for about fifteen feet, I climbed a sensational forty-feet chimney,
which we had surveyed from above several days previously, and landed
safely in the bed of the gully past all difficulties. The height of the
whole pitch is slightly under 100 feet, and, from beginning to end, the
climbing is of a most interesting character. The second ascent was made
by the brothers Broadrick, in August of the same year, but there is no
record of it having been climbed since.
APPENDIX II
CHAPTER I
_THE PILLAR ROCK AND ITS PURLIEUS UP TO DATE_
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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