Clare comes up from Denver hoping for sun, but high clouds just seem to thicken. The temperature still hasn’t reached freezing when she gets here, but she’s game to do a little hiking if it’s too cold for climbing, so we head up Poudre Canyon anyway. The clouds don’t lift, but it is warmer at…

Ann emails Kate and offers to trade me for a pound of stew meat. The deal is made, and I’m carried up to The Palace by Kate and Mark, where we enjoy some routes in pleasantly warm, hazy weather. One of the routes doesn’t even have a slash or a + in the grade! Cheerleaders…

Mark joins us to meet our friends Clare and Dennis for breakfast and some sport routes. We’re excited that they’re moving to Denver from our prior home of Ridgecrest, California. We get a positively summery day at North Table mountain – Clare has done a good writeup already, so I’ll just sprinkle in a few…

No pictures from me today. While Kate and Mark seem to have a good day, Ann, Sean, and I are all a bit off our game. After warming up on the always good Churchill Rejects 5.9+, I watched Ann and Sean get hacked up on Battle Axe 5.9+, a cantankerous climb with a nice clipping…

One of Ann’s goals for this season was to lead Ed’s Crack, the classic Vedauwoo 5.7. To set ourselves up for an early start we camp near the Nautilus. The weather in the morning is almost unbelievably nice, and despite another party heading for Walt’s Wall, we have Ed’s to ourselves. Ann starts strong on…

At last a day dawns breathless and clear. Bob and Sandy join us as we head up to the Scud Area again to have our fill. It doesn’t take as long as we hope it might. Girls’ Day Out 5.7 – Ann kicks us off on this nice long route with a good variety of…

Again the morning is promising. We hike up to the SCUD area and manage to get a few routes in. I decide it’s too windy when I have to reach above me for my rope on rappel. Check out the rope in the picture. Routes: Dog ‘n Dude 5.9+ – good pocket warmup, bigger holds…

The wind has died down in the morning, so we pack up the climbing packs again and head up to the OK Corral wall of Wild Iris. At 9,000 feet, we know this area will be hit-and-miss in October, and it is indeed quite cold when we arrive. It’s sunny, getting warmer, and windier. In…

We’re a bit slow in the morning, but happily able to perambulate, so we pack up and descend the canyon a few miles to East of Eden 5.9, a lovely dihedral rising up next to the road in the Narrows. The crux comes early on this 100-foot route, at a blocky roof. Just after I…

We have errands to do today, but we decide there is time for a quick trip to North Table Mountain for some sport climbing. At my suggestion, Ann starts up Deck Chairs on the Titanic 5.9+ on lead. The opening moves of this climb are pumpy, which make the remaining crimpy face harder. Ann has…