The Mouseketeers Club

Hey, So I got in touch with my friend Josh last week who has been out in the "Valley" doing some climbing and what not. We decided to get out and do some climbing and catch up with what we have been doing. Josh suggested "Mickey Mouse" Wall which is just south of Eldo. He wanted to check out a route called the Red Dihedral which clocks in at 12d. I have heard about the route so I was up for the recon mission.

This is a good place to climb this time of year because it gets sun most of the day and the rock warms up quick. We decided to do the "outlaw" approach which follows the train tracks thru 4 tunnels before reaching the wall. The advantage to this way is that it's a level hike all the way over. It also brings back those childhood memories of walking the train tracks growing up as a kid.

Once reaching the area we racked up and Josh cast off on the first pitch which was still in the shade. brrrrrr The upper pitches were already in the sun so the suffering was short lived. Josh tried to sandbag me into leading the crux pitch but I let him have it. Things started out fine until it got hard. It stayed hard for quite a ways and Josh resorted to aiding his way up the 100 ft pitch. He was able to free climb sections here and there but this thing was brutal! After he reached the anchor, I lowered him back to the ledge and I gave it a try on top rope. Wow! this thing is stout I yelled. Probably the hardest route I've ever been on. I free climbed maybe 10% of it and pulled on gear the rest of the way. 12d????? yikes! After being served up a big slice of humble pie we headed down to the lower industrial wall and did a burn on "Soul Train" and called it a day.

Windy Weekend

I was hoping to possibly get out some this weekend to do a little climbing since the temps have finally risen back into the high forties and the sun is shining. But, as always, the wind has decided to make an appearance creating bitter windchills making it better to climb indoors.

So, for a change of pace, I've posted up some of my favorites pictures of the local flora.




Columbine, the state flower










Alpine forget- me- nots. This is probably my favorite alpine flower. It's mostly found at 12,000 ft or above.






Looking west at Mt Evans.


No, this is not Colorado. Believe it or not it was taken in NJ at a local park. It's one of the best photos my camera has ever taken. Be sure to click on photo to enlarge because the detail is really good.

Cold days are here

It's snowing out and a balmy 15 deg. I remember it was like this last year about the same time. I was trying to redpoint the crux pitch of Practice Climb 101 in Eldo when it turned bitterly cold for about 6 weeks. I had to give it up and wait for warmer days before venturing back to the canyon.

I was planning on climbing indoors with Steven, but an old shoulder injury has resurfaced and I have decided to take some time off from climbing to let it heal properly. Being injured is always so depressing because you feel like you are getting fat and out of shape. I still plan on hitting the rec center for sessions to stay fit however.

I'm Back!

I know, I know. It's been forever since I posted anything here. My last post left off with a trip to the Black Wall up at Mt. Evans. I tried to sneak in one last alpine trip to RMNP but it snowed mid-Sept and that was the end of alpine fun. Oh well, next year....

Lately, I've been doing a ton of climbing over in Eldorado Canyon with my friends Scott and Joe. Usually this time of year, one feels like they are at their peak of climbing fitness, so you go after hard sends. The mornings have been perfect for climbing on Regarden Wall in Eldo. The sun hits the wall early and really warms things up quickly. Me and Scott took a run up the Naked Edge a few weeks back at just over 2 hrs car to car. I think 2:05 to be exact. The current record is 1:22 by some local hardmen. Me and Scott feel we can beat this time with a little practice.

We've also been climbing some really cool bolted pitches above the roof route area. The climbs, although bolted, are a little spooky at first because the bolts are quite spaced out. You either send or get sent home! Hands in the clouds was the first route we worked on followed by Huck Off. They both go at 12- and are super classic. It's great to have such talented, motivated partners to go try these routes with!

The weather has turned cold again with snow forecast all weekend, but Monday looks promising!


Scott on his way to sending Hands in the Clouds (12-)
Photo credit: Joe Crotty

Scott bearing down after the traverse.
Photo credit: Joe Crotty

Me on Huck Off's spooky starting moves.(12-)
Photo credit: Joe Crotty

Snatching the great hold at the 3rd bolt
Photo credit: Joe Crotty

Time to take flight!
Photo credit: Joe Crotty

Joe styling the start to Huck Off.(12-) Me belaying.
Photo credit: Scott Bennett

Joe getting down to business on Huck Off
Photo credit: Scott Bennett

Double Latte please.

So, the weather continues to be good here in Colorado allowing yet another adventure high up in the mountains.

I've been trying to hook up with my friend Jay who lives over in Aspen the past couple months it seems but our schedules always conflict. We finally made it work and met over at Mt Evans for a trip over to the black wall. My last trip here was with Joe and we climbed a route called 'Carrie Granite". This trip I would be climbing a route called "Espresso" on the far right side of the wall.
I had heard that it was kinda dirty and often wet at the top but sometimes routes like this turn out to be quite the adventure. Adventure climbing is what it's all about.

I rolled into Idaho Springs shortly after 6am looking for a coffee house to help wake me up. I drove thru town and found nothing. I decided to take one last look down an empty street and saw an "open" sign glowing in a store front window. Score! It was a local coffee house. Once I had my double latte, I headed up to the parking area to meet Jay.

Jay rolled in minutes after I arrived and we were in the car headed up to summit lake in no time. It was a gorgeous morning and temps were actually quite mild considering the elevation of the area. Fifteen minutes later we were at the lake and started loading our packs. We walked over and around the cirque to the top of the black wall in about 45 minutes. Man, I love this approach! Gravy...

We simul-rapped in to speed things up and were at the bottom soon after arriving. The last little bit is easy downclimbing in a tight chimney but not too bad. We reached the base of our route and decided Jay would tackle the crux pitch and I would get the 10+ pitch above that. I started up the first pitch which was easy 5.10 with varied climbing. I set the belay and brought Jay up. Next up was the 11- crux, which was a layback crack that arches left near the top. It didn't look too bad from below but Jay later found out that it was really continuous with hardly a rest it's entire length. Jay made an impressive onsight of it with an occasional "ahhh!" when a hard move was encountered. I followed and cast off on the 3rd pitch after reaching the belay.

This pitch was long but not near as hard as the previous and had the occasional rest. At one point I was pulling large bushes out of the rock just so I could see the crack and place gear. After climbing almost an entire rope length I set a belay at the top of the pillar like formation. The next couple pitches were kinda junky and the last pitch, which I led, was completely wet and loose. This last pitch took quite a while to get up because of the loose, wet rock all around. I was so glad to finally top out and be done with it!

It had actually rained some while we were climbing, but since weather moves in from the west and we were on an east facing wall it never got to us. We stayed dry the entire day


Jay coming down the loose ledges



Me racking up for the first pitch.






Me on pitch 1.




Jay on the crux pitch




Jay nearing the belay on pitch 3





rain showers we never felt





Me on last pitch. It was wet and really spooky

Journey to Ithaca

When you start on your journey to Ithaca, then pray that the road is long, full of adventure, full of knowledge. ~C.P. Cavafy

Ithaca is the name of a route on Arrowhead in RMNP I have been wanting to climb for the past few years now. I always knew it would be "full of adventure" as I found out over the weekend.

The journey started about 3pm Friday when Steven arrived at my house. We sorted gear and loaded up, then drove over to Estes Park. After a brief stop at the backcountry office to pick up our bivy permit, we were at the trailhead about 5pm. The weather was great for the hike in but unusually hot though. We arrived at Black lake in about an hour and a half and took a quick break. I was feeling kinda whooped from the heat and was hoping it would cool down soon. We still had about an hour to go and the final push was steep and relentless. When I arrived at the talus field below Arrowhead I was definetly not feeling well. I must have not drank enough water on the way in and it had caught up with me. We found our bivy site just as it was getting dark and settled in for the night. Unfortunelty, I had no appetite from the dehydration issue and went to bed hungry. The thought of food made me want to vomit.

We awoke to blue skies and very warm temps about 7am the next morning. I had been up in this very same area 3 weeks prior and it was quite cold in the morning. We could have been in shorts and been fine though. We discussed the route, called Ithaca which goes at 12a and decided Steven would lead the crux pitch since I felt he was in better climbing shape than me. Steven has been living on the road the past 6 months and been climbing non-stop.

Steven takes the first pitch which is a completely run-out slab for about 130 ft. The guide calls it 5.8 but we both felt it was easier. There were great holds the entire way up. This was good because a fall from it would be nasty. I take the second pitch which goes about 11a. It's a left facing corner and kinda tricky to protect. It ends below the looming ceiling above which is the crux. It's now time for "meat and potatoes" of the route and Steven is up. The guide says there is a "fixed nut" that protects the run-out traverse, but we can't seem to locate it. It's gone.... Steven plugs in a couple decent cams at the start and conjures up his psyche and starts out the strenuous traverse. It looks really awkward and you have to keep your feet really high just so they'll stay on the smooth rock. Halfway out, he thinks about trying to place another cam but realizes it's useless and continues on to easier ground. After about 15 ft, he reaches good holds and places a bomber #2 camalot. Whew! It's over and he onsighted the crux in style! He says, "that ain't 12a dude", more like 11c. After I followed it, I must agree that it's not 12a. I would just say 11+. We were both expecting it to be much harder.

I took the lead and linked pitches 4&5 together for a spectacular 5.11 link-up. Steven took the final pitch which had some spicy 5.10 and fun climbing on jugs to the top. We topped out shortly after lunch and started the long walk back out to the car. Maybe I'll do something on the Diamond next trip before it gets too cold.


Steven starting the heady crux of Ithaca. Notice the "intense" look on his face!


Me leading 4th pitch.


Coiling the rope after a successful summit


On the summit of Arrowhead


Me on the last pitch

Arrowhead

Just got back last night from a kick ass trip to Glacier Gorge in RMNP. This has got to be one of the most beautiful places in all of CO. It also has some of the best climbing in the park. Yeah, Yeah, what about the Diamond on Longs you ask. The Diamond is great, but for shear beauty and solitude, nothing beats Glacier Gorge.

I met my bud Guy Friday over in Estes Park so we could hike in that evening to bivy and get up early Saturday to climb. We arrived at the trailhead about 5pm to sorta sketchy weather but nothing horrible. I actually don't mind this because it makes the long hike in more tolerable with the cooler temps. It usually takes about 2 1/2 - 3 hours to get up there but the scenery is awesome the entire way.

Just as it was nearing dark a rain storm moved in catching us off guard. We still had a little ways to go before reaching our bivy site so we huddled behind a large rock trying to stay dry. After about 20 minutes we decided to make a break for it because the rain didn't appear to be letting up and we were both soaking wet. We decided to head over to a known bivy cave below Spearhead, a neighboring peak, since we weren't sure about bivy sites around Arrowhead. We found the bivy empty and settled in for the night.

We awoke to a beautiful morning, and after a quick bite, headed over to Arrowhead. Some low clouds early in the morning had us a little uneasy, but it turned out to be a nice day. Our route of choice, called Arrowplane, looked wet on the hike over but dried out by the time we arrived. The first pitch is a spicey 5.8 slab with little protection but not death defying. I found the 2nd pitch a tad wet but luckily there were good holds around. I pushed this pitch into a 220ft lead to save some time. A couple more pitches brought us to the crux pitch which is a spectacular finger hand crack. The crux comes right off the bealy and soon eases to moderate crack climbing. A final 5.9 roof puts us on the summit. After a quick rap we are back at our packs and soon begin the long hike out. I always ask myself why I put in so much effort to come back into here, but time and time again I return. The climbing, combined with the beauty of the area always brings me back.

Me on the hike in at Mills Lake

Guy coming up final section before topping out.On the summit! Chiefshead is behind us

Rope art

Just been doin' some local craggin'

It seems that the weather always turns to crap when I want to head into the high country to do some alpine climbing. Last Sunday, me and my good friend Steven had plans to climb in RMNP up at Arrowhead but a cold front moved in Sat evening and ruined that. Ya see, Steven lost his job back in Feb and decided to just travel around a be a dirtbag climber for a while. He finally came back this way to spend some time here so I was super psyched to get out with him. For the past several months, I've only been able to keep track of him on Facebook.

Since the weather was too sketchy up in the mountains, we decided to just do some local stuff in nearby Boulder canyon. BC has a few really good crags with some ultra classic trad climbs. One route in particular, called the spoils, has got my interest again. I tried it, I think sometime last year but never went back to finish it. It's rated about 12b and kinda heady. It goes entirely on gear so I am really drawn to it for that reason. I'm still toproping it so I can figure out the crux before I lead it. It's got some wicked "body english" down low just getting into the crux section. After a few laps on the spoils we headed down canyon to Elephant Buttress. I told Steven there is a route there he should try called FM. It's probably the best hard 11 route in the entire canyon. He came really close to onsighting it but fell once.

Hopefully the weather will be nice this weekend because I have plans to go up to Arrowhead in RMNP with my friend Guy. I'll post a trip report if all goes well....

Below is a link to another blog by C.W. It showcases someone climbing the route I have been working on called "the spoils". Check it out!

http://verticalcarnival.blogspot.com/2009/07/spoils.html

Alpine season is here!

The weather has finally moderated here on the front range and it's high time to get your alpine on. It seems that the season is running a little late this year due to heavy snow this past winter. Me and Joe decided to check out how the black wall is looking today on Mt. Evans. I awoke at about 4:45am to a beautiful morning just as the sun was lighting the eastern sky. Joe rolled in about 5 and we headed down the road to I-70 towards Idaho Springs.

We arrived at summit lake about 6:30 or so and started racking up. The great thing about climbing at the black wall is that the approach is a "two pack a day, smokers dream". It only takes about 40 minutes to reach the top of the wall. Normally, an alpine day in RMNP would require a long steep hike taking about 2-3 hours. Also, you rap in from the top and climb your way back out and your done!

We had our sights set on a route called Cary Granite, which clocks in at about 5.11c. It's a really clean looking line and truly spectacular. We hoped to climb a second route, but the weather turned to crap and we bailed after our first climb.

Cary Granite has a really cool third pitch which starts with a spooky traverse requiring techy footwork to a thin hands crack. Above the crack looms a roof with a good hand crack but is really steep and powerful.

The climb was truly amazing and we had a great day in the mountains.

Joe starting up first pitch

Me after the spooky traverse