A few more photos from our drive up/into Estes Park Colorado.
We rolled past this spectacular peak just after coming up out of the canyon on Route 7. It’s not a volcano, there’s just a perpetually forming cloud stuck to the shoulder as the wind blows steadily from the left.
A volcano in Colorado?
Route 7 also rolls past Long’s Peak, which has the world-class climbing feature called “The Diamond” (the slightly darker, diamond shaped area of rock on the right.) But whichever way you swivel your head, the views are majestic!
Closeup of The Diamond on Long’s Peak.
This last shot is of Mike, who ran out of the van and jumped upon the bridge railing as we were driving down the access road to our campsite in RMNP. It turns out, this beautiful hunk of granite is McGregor slab. We had intended to climb its very accessible 5.7-8 routes, but that’s another story.
Our climb of the third Flatiron was leisurely enough that we took a lot of photographs. As I’ve been going through them, I’ve carved out a second set of must-see shots.
(There’s also my first Flatiron 3 post about the best beginner climb in the solar system.)
The Flatirons are just smack-dab right next to Boulder. Everywhere you go, the “front range” is just looming to the West. Sitting at Einstein Bro’s Bagels, the slabs of rock beckon tantalizingly close. Flatiron 3 is striking because the backside is exposed too, making the tip of the climb into an impressive prominence. (…and it makes for a wickedly fun, triple-rappel off the back too!)
View from Einstein Bros Bagels!
View from within the park (3 is leftmost).
View as you approach, before getting into the trees.
The approach is simply a beautiful, long, hiking trail. (Or as we took to joking, a trail for the “walkers.”) The lower parts of the trail are heavily trafficked, but the further you go, the more interesting the terrain gets. Eventually, Flatiron 3 starts peeking at you through the trees.
A few shots from the top… just taking in the view!
High above Boulder
At the very top, there’s a comfy recess just behind the true summit. Mike got excited at the huge slab with the prominent crack system that is hidden behind the Flatiron. (If he’d had his way, we’d have trekked over there immediately after rappelling off the thing.) There’s also a commemorative plaque set in the rock. Beyond the plaque lie the Rocky Mountains!
After you rappel, you “walk off” down a steep ravine filled with scree, between the 3rd and 2nd Flatirons. If you look closely in the first two photos, you can see “hikers” (or perhaps climbers walking off) on the rock to give you a feel for the scale.
We were in Eldorado Canyon on three separate days. These photos are from Wednesday the 20th, when we went in to climb the Wind Ridge route on the Wind Tower. As you approach Eldorado Canyon, you’re driving into the “front range”. You leave the Flatirons to your right, and wind your way into the canyon.
The Flatirons are visible to the right (south) as you drive into Eldo.
Eldo is a surprisingly tight canyon, with the tiny village of Eldorado Springs nestled at the entrance.
Once you get inside the Eldorado Canyon State Park, there’s world class climbing just jammed everywhere. Just inside the park is a foot bridge that leads to the south side climbing, and the Bastile is just a few paces up the road.
Looking back out of the park, towards the foot bridge to the south side.
Staring straight up at the Bastile from the middle of the dirt road.
Climbers are always on the Bastile. At the bottom, they’re basically standing in the [dirt] road. But, you can see them from various other places in Eldo. Here, I took a pause climbing to get the camera out and snapped these photos across the canyon.
There are four climbers in the photo.
On the left route, here’s one at the bottom, just getting started…
…and far above is the leader, “hauling up his second.”
From the Wind Tower you get a better sense of the size and layout of the canyon. This first photo is taken while walking off after the climb. So we’re descending and heading back towards the creek and road. The second photo is from the very top of the Wind Tower, looking across the canyon (the road and creek, in the bottom of the canyon, are not visible.)
Looking into the canyon; The road, with the Bastile obscured to the left.
Looking out of the canyon; That’s a foot trail, the road is down/deeper out of sight.
Finally, some views of the Wind Tower itself. As you enter the canyon, it is on the right — the lighter colored mass. The slightly darker rock, on the left, is another feature, with a trail snaking up between them into a high ravine. To get a sense of the scale, note the huge flake of stone that has slid off the tower.
In Jurassic Park there’s a route called The Edge of Time (5.9R ***) which is on the cover of the guide book.
Simply an unbelievable piece of rock carved into a literal prow.
My attmept was sketchy. I spent a while projecting the 5.9 crux (which is way above my climbing grade.) Eventually, I punted and move left to East of Eden (5.9 *) and worked my way up, and then back over to finish the arete. (Sadly, no photos of me un the upper part of the Edge.)
Along the Edge of Time
Mike’s run up was a straight shot as he put up the top rope for the rest of us.
A short walk up from Lily Lake is a hidden ravene with sport climbing routes galore. (There are bolts drilled into the rock making it easy to clip in for protection.)
The first rock on the left is, well, “Left Hand Rock” and is home to Dark Days (5.8), which simply runs straight up a seamingly featureless curved slope. The next rock up is Dinosaur’s Foot, with the aptly named Index Toe (5.8) and Middle Toe (5.9—).
Sloggin’ up the approach at about 7,500′.
Our first glimpse of Left Hand Rock.
Looking up Dark Days (5.8)
Mike untieing after making Dark Days look easy.
A better view of Dark Days showing the slope.
Looking up the ravene at Index Toe on Dinosaur’s Foot.
Index Toe in the foreground, with Left Hand Rock behind/downhill.
Index Toe (5.8 *) straight up this keel.
Middle Toe (5.9— **) is a nearly vertical, blank wall.
Mike’s view from Middle Toe.
From the bottom of Middle Toe, looking at an easier line to the right.
If we’d had any more fun, we’d have been arrested.
Mike drove up from Denver, and we headed up to Oskar Blues brew pub. We ordered two flights of their beer samples — ten delicious beers — and a kick *ss burger with arugula and a touch of honey. Da-YAM! …Mike knows how how to pick ’em.
Back story: Mike and I were in St. Martin back in 2001, and Mike introduced me to cigars — Cuban cigars to be exact. So I pulled up Yelp! and found Jonnie’s Cigars in downtown Boulder. We spent an hour or two working our way through two big, fat stogies, and several doubles (Glenmorangie and Stranahan’s) while people watching from the patio.
From there, we found our way to Pizzeria du Lupo. Mike ordered his favorite appetizer, and I suggested we send Summer a photo… “no! wait! dont tell her I ordered our favorite… ” <snap>
We rolled out of there, stuffed to the gills. And Mike says, “there’s one other place…”
The local gear shop in Estes Park suggested a couple spots to do some top-roping nearby before heading into Rocky Mountain National Park.
We spent several hours climbing 20 foot routes up this “little” rock next to Mary’s Lake. I think I did 7 or 8 routes practicing footwork and technique with Mike either lecturing on details, or scrambling up to show me examples.
…unfortunately, neither of us took pictures of the climbing. Good practice, but not very photogenic.
On Monday (25th) we left Boulder and drove to Estes Park, just outside of the Rocky Mountain National Park.
It’s a smooth cruise north along 36 out of Boulder. Construction on 36 near Lyons had us detour onto route 7. And what a spectacular detour! Route 7 winds up a narrow canyon, and then down into Estes Park.
In Estes Park, we found the local gear store, picked up a guide book for Lumpy Ridge and directions to some nearby sport climbing.
Almost like an open prairie north of boulder.
Road trip to Lumpy Ridge!
The back of the van. “Here be climbers!”
On top of route 7 we got a spectacular view of Long’s peak, and the famouse “diamond”.
Coming down into Estes on route 7.
Estes Park is nestled in a valley surrounded by mountains and granite. A climber’s paradise!
In prep for going to Lumpy Ridge this week, we decided to go back into Boulder Canyon; climb on some granite, and work on some finger-jam cracks to push my grade. (Lumpy is notoriously stiff.)
Cob Rock was the obvious choice being so assessible.
This is another roadside park, Tyrolean over Boulder Creek, and up a short scramble. We started up a 5.6+ which was a real struggle for me; but I did it. Then we moved onto the main 5.7+ route up the center of the north face. Parts were straightforward, but one off-width crack, and a second jam crack really gave me trouble. Took my first real fall off the wall at one point, and even had to jug up the line to get around one section. (Involves tying special knots with slings and standing up on the sling to move up the rope. Total cheat, but when your completely stuck on a face, up is up!) Fortunately we had just been practicing this the previous day.
When we left, we discovered some local kids had rigged a slack line under the Tyrolean making for some unexpected fun on the exit!
I had a Saturday to myself while Mike was working. I ran some errands, cleaned, organized etc in the hotel, dodged two hours of heavy rain, and then took a drive up Flagstaff road.
(That’s what the guide books say.) After our climbing in Eldorado and Boulder canyons, we decided to go back and run up the third Flatiron.
We started from the now familiar Chatauqua parking lot, and tore up the approach. Mike’s favorite dig is, “hiking?! …you mean walking. That’s what we do to get to the climbing.”
We walked up about 500 vertical feet to the third Flatiron. Gorgeous trees, rubble fields, scree… and all the while this huge prominence of rock is sticking up into the sky. The face is about a 60 degree incline, with just little undulations, texture and some little ridges for hands and feet. From the top, it’s a triple rappel off the back side, then a “walk off” — which means you scramble doen the steepest, gnarliest terrain you could imgine ever “hiking” down.
Our climb on the first Flat was more epic; mostly because it was my first climb and it took seven pitches, mostly in the dark. The third was a fun, three pitch cruise. The left edge, bottom to top, is about 1,800 feet (if memory serves). On our ascent, we started about halfway up, on the right side. By the second pitch, you’re looking down on Boulder, and the raptors are cruising *below* you sailing the ridge lift.
The Flatirons of Boulder Colorado
Mike lost in thought. (Probably was a girl off to the right.)
Walkers (climber wanna-bes) beware!
Up up up ever upward.
Some people simply scramble all the way up without safety gear! This is not mike nor me.
Slip slabbin away…. easy climbing, but the slope is endless.
View looking back down the slab from the first belay.
Huge cleft in the top of the flatiron.
Mike’s belay perch when I reached the summit.
Edge of the world at the top of the first rappel.
A view from the top looking south.
Down this is considered a “walk off.” Class three approach terrain.
We’ll head up to the town outside of Estes Park to pick up provisions and to visit the local climbing shop for a guide book and local knowledge. We’ve a campsite a short distance from the ridge. So we can ride our bikes a few miles to access whatever we want to climb.
So far, my visit to colorado has been pretty easy; hotel rooms, and climbing about half the days. But this week is going to be a lot more climbing. Yesterday (blog post/photos not yet up), we climber two single-pitch routes on Cob Rock in Boulder Canyon to get me some time doing jam cracks on granite. Oof! Burly stuff.
Photos from our ascent of the Wind Ridge (5.6) route on the Wind Tower in Eldorado Canyon.
The canyon is an indescribable mecca of climbing, with classic routes just criss-crossed all over the canyon walls. We selected Wind Ridge because a) I could climb it and b) it was a short three pitches with easy access to water for our ALS ice water challenge.
Foot bridge over the creek with Mike pointing out the route.
I was quite pleased to march right past this sign!
A view of the route during the approach.
Easy! …or at least, it sure looks easy in the guide book.
Craig coming up onto a belay point.
The “Wind Ridge” route
Mike taking in the view from the top as we started some down climbing to get to the rappel point.
A Clif Bar with an image of a climber, image taken by a climber on a cliff. o.O
This had my name written all over it. (“Craig” means “dweller of the crag”.)
After climbing the first Flatiron, we only got a few hours of nap time. After some shopping, (new climbing shoes!) we heading into Boulder Canyon to climb on some granite in a “sport climbing” setup – meaning the rock had countless rock bolts set making it super easy to setup the fall protection.
Turned out I was so burnt from the previous day, I could only do a couple small sections. On the up side, I got to spend a lot of time belaying Mike while he worked on some project routes.
Getting to the climb involved a short walk down the road, traversing the roaring creek on a tyrolean traverse and a short walk back up the other side. Seriously fun!
Picking and preparing gear.
View of the rope slung from the granite block on the left, across the creek to the tree.