A Day with Bowden Black
By Roger Dyke
A Day with Bowden Black
Bowden was a Founder Member of the KMC, with a great enthusiasm for the hills. Despite the impression that might be gained from this memorable outing, he was a kind man, and considerate of those less able than himself. But he had a dry sense of humour, and could be a man of few words.
One wet weekend in November in the 70’s – the era of PA’s and hawser-laid ropes - the phone rang on Saturday afternoon. It was Bowden: he would have been in his 50’s at the time. I had only ever climbed with him on Meets before, so this was a surprise.
“Are you doing anything tomorrow Roger?”
“No Bowden, the weather’s rubbish.”
“It’ll be better tomorrow. See you at the gate to the Roaches at 9.30. OK?”
“Yes, OK”
and that was it – he’d rung off.
We met, and Bowdon had in mind a route on Skyline. We arrived at the foot of it just as the rain started, so we took shelter in a handy cave, and a few minutes later two others joined us with a bundle of wet rope. They had clearly enjoyed what they’d just done, despite getting wet.
“What were you doing?” asked Bowdon.
They told him. Bowden brightened up:
“Glad you enjoyed it! It’s one of my routes – I did the first ascent.”
The wait for the weather was not boring…..
The rain stopped but it was now windy.
“Too exposed here” pronounced Bowden when we emerged “but Inverted Staircase will be sheltered.”
He zipped up the first pitch, putting in just a couple of bits of gear. I followed. I could see him stood on the ledge, giving me his traditional shoulder belay, which certainly encouraged his partners not to fall off. Being young and fit in those days I was soon approaching the ledge and felt along its edge for where I could get a good grip in the wet. My hand ran into a sticky patch of bird-poo, directly in front of Bowden. He must have seen it, surely?
“You could have told about that shit Bowden!!!!”
“Didn’t need to Roger, you found it for yourself.”
We adjourned to Jeffcoat’s Chimney. Bowdon clearly thought that as I’d taken the rope up the tunnel on top of Inverted Staircase, it was now his turn to lead again. He went up the initial chimney, put a piece of gear in near the top, and decided it was too slippery to go on up. Or to come back down. So he went off to the right along the horizontal ledges to Black & Tans, where he put a 2nd piece of gear in then dropped down to B&T’s holly bush - which was smaller then than it is now. I had no option but to go up, take out the first runner, then walk along the 5cm wide wet ledge 4m up with a runner on my own level 12m away horizontally. I hesitated at the start of the ledge.
“Are you OK?” Bowden calls.
“Sort of” I reply “Just scared stiff.”
“You’ll be OK – there are hand-holds most of the way.”
I was indeed OK, and joined him at the holly bush.
“Bowden, why are we here, not on the ground?”
“I don’t fancy down-climbing this in the wet. We’ll ab off the bush.”
And unbelievably we did. Less than 3m.
It was now early afternoon, still damp, and we’d had no lunch. Go home? No. Bowden decided that the tricky bit of Pedestal Route Left - yes, the polished layback – would have been sheltered by the overhang of the Sloth, so should be OK. And it was my turn to lead. I generously(!) declined, and Bowden shot up to the layback bit, about 8m up, in moments.
“The rock’s dry Roger. “
“Good.”
“But I can’t get my boots dry. I’m coming down.”
“Good decision. Put a nut in to protect yourself and we’ll just abandon it.”
“No need. But you’ll have to tell me where to put my feet on the wall.”
and Bowdon reverses down the wet vertical wall.
It was now starting to go dark, so at last we could go home……
Bowden, you (and Millie) were dear to all of us and it is an honour to have known you.
