A day with John Bowles

[Fred]

A day with John Bowles... I knew I was in for trouble when I asked John if he wanted to get out ice climbing today and he replied "you wana go to they gym instead?" I managed to get him out and per usual the car ride down consisted of every climbing story imaginable from taking whipers to "rock hardness" preference. So we got to our destination at Berry Beach in St Martins and like a dog in the woods John got a sniff of nature and needed to lay a cable. I know what you are thinking; there are lots of woods around. No. John decides to drop a bomb a foot off the bumper of my car. Nice! Classy... You've heard of Karma? Well John's Karma for that one was that he pissed all inside his pants. You'd think this was enough of a story for one day but the best was yet to come.

We hike the beach in direction of Super Bowl and others but we are a bit early for low tide which would allow us to get around to the next cove. So we wait it out a few minutes but getting John to sit still and watch water receed is like asking a kid to sit in front of a Nintendo without playing it. "I can make it accross" he says. ok lets go. The first part consisted of scrambling, which although intimadating because of the icy water below, was fairly easy. But then we hit the end of the line. I'm thinking "what is Einstein going to do now"... As you looked down off the 6ft drop you could see a well timed exposed beach as the waves crashed in an out. "If I time it right I can jump off the ledge onto the beach when the wave retracts then run over to the next dry spot" John says. "Or you could wait five minutes for the tide to go lower" I'm thinking. But what do I know. Giver!! John swears his feet collapsed when he hit the soft beach but I swear from my angle it looked like he dove and belly flopped onto the beach from the 6ft ledge. Almost imediately, as he's laying face down in the gravel, the next wave hits him from behind like a little kid in the waving pool at Magic Mountain. It's February!! Of all times of year not to get soaked by the frigid Bay of Fundy. A normal friend would have been concerned at this point and maybe even jump in after him. I don't know what took over me but I just about pissed myself laughing for the next five minutes and my instinctive reflex to jump in after him never even flinched. John will be receiving his Darwin award later this month.

[*Chris*]

That's funny s*#t. I just pissed myself too. John, lets go climbing.

[martha]

Yah, pretty typical John stuff. This guy is made for laughs.

[STeveA]

So deep (shallow) water soloing has come to New Brunswick, eh.

[Eager]

Awesome! John never dissapoints !

[martha]

He never does... and amazingly... he pisses his pants on nearly all his road trips... eh John??

don't know how he does it...