To get to the “Jurassic Park” climbing,area, we parked at Lily Lake. Spectacular walk around the lake to get to the climbing approach.
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Lily Lake →
Aspen Glen Campground →
It’s been many years since I was camping, but this campground was superlative.
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Catchin up with Mike Allen →
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…”
What is this i dont even . . .
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Sport Climbing at Mary’s Lake →
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.
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Pizzeria Locale →
On Saturday (23rd) I found my way to Pizzeria Locale on Pearl St in Boulder.
Mike was working all day, so I took the opportunity to followup on a friend’s suggestion and tried Pizzeria Locale for dinner. After a whole week of doing the “dirt bag” climber thing, this meal was ambrosia.
Bruschetta (with green olive tapinade), Italian Chianti, Margherita pizza, Budino (butterscotch pudding with caramel and nuts), and cappuccino; What a delight it was to eat a nicely paced meal!
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Drive to Estes Park →
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.
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Cob Rock →
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!
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Flagstaff Road →
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.
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Best Beginner Climb in the Solar System →
(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.
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Rainy Day →
We’ve had an unbelievable run of weather. But last night and this morning it’s been raining. Wet rock equals no climbing.
This morning we’re down in Estes Park holed up in a coffe shop. Mmmmmmmmmmm latte and Internet.
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