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Vedauwoo Weekend
Doug decides to subject his mom Beth to a weekend of camping and climbing with us at Vedauwoo. We all pool resources to make her first night in a tent comfortable. We supply the two-person tent, Kate & Mark supply the ample air mattress, and Doug & Liz supply the sleeping bag. Beth is a…
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Clear Creek – High Wire Crag
We’re looking for some easily-reached climbing before we head home today. I have a very old guidebook with some routes in Clear Creek Canyon above Golden, an easy drive. After perusing The Mountain Project information as well, we choose High Wire Crag for its selection of moderates. It turns out to be a popular choice,…
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A traipse on Greyrock Trail
In improvisation mode, Mom asks for a drive up Poudre Canyon, and then a short hike along Greyrock Trail, one of my favorites. The flowers are in bloom here too, and today I get some very nice photos of Scarlet Globemallow and Bull Thistle. Mom spots a new bird I’ve now forgotten, and Fairy Ring…
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Button Rock
We take Mom up to Buttonrock Reservoir to do a couple of the roadside climbs that she can watch. Ann and I both enjoy Green Slab 5.9+, then toprope the strenuous Buick 5.10a, an overhanging lieback crack. Ann gives Dihedral 5.8 a try, but is turned back by the insecure stemming and finishes it on…
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Bear Creek Trail Blooms
Now that the few patches of snow on Bear Creek Trail have melted, it’s swarming with mountain bikers. Ann and Dad contend with them for the full 5 mile trail, while Mom and I take the opportunity to examine all the wildflowers that are blooming just off the trail while we dodge the bikes. Neither…
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Cheesehead Ranch Climbing Festival – Dark Side
It feels like it will be a hot day, so we go to the Dark Side to look for shade. The views and flowers at The Bank Campground are enough to make me giddy. Bright sun shines on many wildflowers, while the snowy Sange de Christo mountains loom over the southern horizon. It turns out…
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Cheesehead Ranch Climbing Festival – Mural Wall
I’ve been fighting a cold all week, but I’m determined to make it down to Shelf Road with Ann, Doug, Liz, Kate, Mark and many other climbing friends for the annual gathering at Cheesehead Ranch, a generous climber’s spread near the crag. I’m still watery-eyed and runny-nosed as we set up camp Friday night. Saturday…
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South Ben Tyler Trail Hike
We had planned an attempt to climb Mt. Sherman with my Dad, but upon reaching Kenosha pass we decide it looks too snowy and stormy. Instead we drive in to the South Ben Tyler Trailhead and follow the Ben Tyler trail up into the Kenosha Mountains. There are some thunderstorms, but the hiking remains quite…
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Getting the hang of Vedauwoo 5.7s
Not that they don’t still scare me, but I’m starting to gain just a little confidence on 5.7 Vedauwoo cracks. Sean and Colin join Ann, Kate, and me for some more quality time on the Nautilus. I start out on Ted’s Trot 5.7, which looks like an endless, grueling offwidth. To my relief it’s fairly…
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Twin Mountain Hike
Ann and I part ways today. She’s participating in a women’s climbing day, and I’m off to tramp around Vedauwoo. It doesn’t take long for me to reach unfamiliar terrain north of Reynold’s Hill. I find some roads and trails that go my way for a while, then turn away to parts unknown. I don’t…