On Sunday, after a full day climbing at Shelf, I yanked myself out of bed and drove up to Boulder Canyon. I met Stan at the huge pullout, and we drove up to Boulder Falls. It was a return trip to Plotinus Wall.
The day started out warm & sunny. By the time we reached the crag, a chilly wind stirred. The sun danced in and out of clouds all day, as we went through wild hot and cold temperature fluxuations. I felt like we were in a lab, being put through quality testing…We were caught most off guard!
Lucky for us, I had a handwarmer & a windbreaker. So we traded these back and forth all day.
I only lead one climb. My fingers were cold & I was beat from the day before. I put up “Chore Boy”, 5.10c with quite a bit trepidation, and even a couple hangs at the lower crux. I was grateful to Stan for putting the draws on, and for giving a good belay in spite of the shivering cold.
Next, Stan put up the short & fun “Napster”, 5.10c. I really liked this climb, and it’s a big candidate for a redpoint next time. The sun graced us while we were on this climb, and momentarily we were warm.
Finally, we topped off the day with the long and popular “Sleepless in Boulder”, 5.11b.
Stan very nearly got the onsight-it was a solid attempt considering the freakish weather and our frenzied day at Shelf. I really enjoyed SIB, the bottom moves were quite challenging, and it took me a couple tries to move through the crux. The delicate moves at the top were also a thrill, with a strange horizontal move into a gaston.
When I came down off SIB, the sun had disappeared from the horizon, and night was nearing. We hiked out with Stan’s dogs, who were just as hyper as when we arrived 7 hours prior…They splashed in the creek, and brought a smile to my dirty, cold flushed face.
Tags: Boulder Canyon, Plotinus, Rock Climbing