September 13, 2018 - That time of the year.

It's that time of the year again, the day the number that presents my age goes up with one again.
To celebrate that day, I had offered myself a two days of holiday. Today and tomorrow.
This morning, after being congratulated by my family, I took my time before leaving to Beauvais Nainville with one goal in mind, trying and hopefully doing "L'Épée de Sable".
This beautiful line can be found all the way in the back of the area, and I can still remember the day I tried it for the first time. It was on the 22nd of May 2009, the day I did "L'Anthracite".
As I don't come often to Beauvais Nainville, I had only tried it again maybe one or two times, but the line had never left my desire to finish it.

It had rained a bit when I left and the streets were wet, but Beauvais is not that close by, and I hoped that it would be dryer there. Indeed, the closer I got, the more dry it was, even though I could see that it had rained too.
I arrived on the big parking, but after seeing that besides mine, the only other car was a quite freshly burnt down one. Most likely used for something illegal and then left behind and set ablaze to cover any tracks. Somehow, it didn't really surprise me, and it is one of the reasons why I don't go there often.
I decided to park a bit further down the road. A slightly longer walk, but at least my car was clearly visible from the road.

To be sure not to drag the crashpad for nothing, I had a look without it first to see if it was going to be dry enough to climb.
Thanks yesterday's heat, the boulders were still warm and the few drops that still fell now and then, almost dried out instantly upon contact with the warm sandstone.
"L'Épée de Sable" was perfectly dry!
I went back to the car for my gear, prepared and fell off the mantle on my first attempt, whereas on previous sessions, I had never done the dynamic move.
It motivated me, and I finished it two tries later.

Fontainebleau - Beauvais Nainville - L'Épée de Sable 7B(7B+)

Everything else was bonus from then on, but after strolling around for a while, I decided to come back some other day with Pieter. There are still some things there that we agreed to try together.

Driving back, I noticed the clouds becoming lighter and the it had stopped dripping rain.
I tried my chances and was lucky to find "La Résilience" dry, on the "Symbiose" boulder in 95.2 Ouest.
Last time I couldn't find a way to reach the crack far enough, but after slightly changing my method, I found a way that worked and was happy tick this one off as a bonus.

Fontainebleau - 95.2 Ouest - La Résilience 7B(7A+)

In between all of the above, I enjoyed the beauty and the smell of the forest.

With the humid touch in the air, the lower temperature and the already changing colours of the trees, I could sense Autumn preparing itself.

Soon it will also be that time of the year again!