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Vedauwoo – Clamshell
No Vedauwoo season would feel right without a day spent on top of the clamshell, a giant boulder that rests against Fall Wall in the main area. Dad, Doug, and Liz join us for the fun scramble up through the tunnel underneath to the base of the wall. We’re quickly reminded we’ve been climbing cracks,…
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Green Mountain Loop
I’m nearly a casualty before this hike even begins when Dad drops the tailgate on the double barreled dog cannon and nearly scores a direct hit. Dad fires the double-barreled dog cannon Having survived that, following Dad’s cross country route to the pleasant loop around the Green mountains is a breeze. We scramble up a…
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Reynolds Hill Loop
One of the things I love about Vedauwoo is that it’s too complex for me to mentally map, and I’m always discovering new places and new aspects of places I’ve visited. I’ve been in the Reynolds Hill area many times, but never followed the creek downstream, where it enters a windy, rocky little canyon. A…
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Vedauwoo – Plumb Line
Before leaving for a short trip to Fort Collins we drive visit the Plumb Line crag. The climbs here are short but brutal. The first works me hard, and the classic Plumb Line utterly defeats me, leaving me wanting to return for a better effort. When will steep hand jams start to feel solid? Routes:…
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Vedauwoo – Turtle Rock Loop Barefoot
The sharp crystals of Vedauwoo granite are a little rough on the feet, but I manage to run my favorite loop trail barefoot from our campsite. The variety of flowers in bloom keeps me dazzled the whole way.
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Vedauwoo – Blair III
Kate, Mark, and Sean join us for camping and climbing. Campsites in Vedauwoo have a lot of trash left over from the fourth of July weekend, so we spend some time cleaning up our site and pulling nails out of a huge leftover pile of pallet wood. Pulling Nails Climbing starts out well for me.…
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Craters of the Moon National Park
We make a brief overnight stay in this gigantic lava bed in southern Idaho, finding the sparse landscapes punctuated by spry limber pines and stark wildflowers appealing. A nice stretch of trail runs from our campsite past the rims of a few craters and down to the smaller “snow cone”, a crater that preserves snowpack…
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Zimmer Creek Hike
Plans refuse to be realized today. Confused by a wrong mileage in our guide, we fail to find the first trailhead we look for, even walking half a mile up a dirt road to make sure. Left with less time we try a shorter hike, but even after starting at the right trailhead on the…
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Hike up Tamarack Ski Resort
George W. Bush made a well-promoted visit via helicopter to this up-and-coming Idaho ski area, but then the economy tanked, bankruptcy struck, and construction stopped. We start amidst monstrous Tyvek-wrapped shells of buildings to do a nice strenuous hike up the ski hill with Ann’s brother Randy. Intermittent rain showers keep patches of mushrooms fresh,…
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Black Cliffs with Randy and Nephews
We take Ann’s brother Randy an his sons Jonathan and Nathaniel to the Black Cliffs for a little climbing. As an only child, it never occurred to me that I might still have nephews some day. I hear “Uncle Dylan” a few times before I really register that it’s me! It’s fun watching how these…