Blind climber Jesse Dufton has made a non-sight ascent of Destiny E2 5c on Lundy island, describing it as one of his hardest leads to date. 

He had previously 'non-sighted' - as he describes his style of ascent - E3 with an ascent of Internationale at Kilt Rock on Skye in 2021 and two E2s in 2020 with ascents of Forked Lightning Crack at Heptonstall and (Auricle) 'non-sight' at Bamford. In 2019, he led the Old Man of Hoy.

Jesse was born with a degenerative eye condition called Rod-Cone Dystrophy and his vision has deteriorated to the extent that he can only differentiate between light and dark in a very narrow field of view. He is also a member of the GB Paraclimbing Team and a two-time bronze medalist in world-level IFSC events. 

On Lundy this month, Jesse had climbed the classic Devil's Slide HS 4a with his wife and sight guide Molly, before turning his attention to Destiny. Jesse wrote in his blog:

"When I choose to try a route at my limit, I usually want to get straight on with it, often waking early with the bit between my teeth. Having hassled Molly, barely caffeinated, out of the campsite, I laboured across the island under the weight of my rucksack and the gargantuan abseil rope I had brought."

Molly led the first pitch before Jesse swung leads on the second, crux pitch.

"I jammed efficiently up the start of the main crack. Reaching the crux where the crack arcs to the right, becoming horizontal. I found the moves powerful, and it was difficult to engage my feet on the insecure footholds. I realised I could not dally here, quickly slamming home a Dragon. I lunged right, and kept going finding, to my relief, a widening in the crack with good jams and an awkward and imperfect rest."

While attempting to recover, Jesse's thoughts turned to classics and philosophy.

"I thought about the route name and its aptness, conjuring associations with Fortuna, the Roman goddess of luck. Supposedly, she would determine people's future by spinning her eponymous "wheel of fortune", the catch being, that like me, she is blind. It is from her that the concepts of fate and destiny emerge. Fate is the future scenario which is preordained. Whereas, destiny relates to the present, and each cumulative decision previously made which leads to the current moment."

Applying these ideas to climbing, Jesse wrote:

"I love climbing, the places, the people, the challenge and problem solving but also the self-determination. It separates the concepts of fate and destiny. I think that, in climbing your choices matter, it is rejection of a deterministic attitude where lives run on train tracks, and we only have the illusion of choice. Where your fate is already set. Whereas Destiny is about the present and the myriad choices made to reach it. Each hold selected, every piece of gear picked and placed, the beta sequence committed to, and every quantum of effort and willpower applied."

Jesse reflected on his climbing journey and how he likes to think of fate personified as Fate, one of the gods in Terry Pratchett's Discworld books, which he had enjoyed as a teenager:

"I believe it was my choices that got me here atop one of my hardest routes to date and for me in that success there is catharsis. I know my disability makes climbing far harder for me than it is for most. You could say that, through my genetics, Fate had intervened and attempted to block off climbing as an option for me. So, every time I go climbing, especially when I attempt to on-sight, I rebel against those imposed constraints. Somewhere in my psyche my inner teenager smiles laconically before defiantly giving Fate the middle finger."