Rock Climbing – Vedauwoo, WY (Day 1)

Summit of Ed's Crack (5.7)
On my Friday off, I decided to hop in a hybrid (with Stan & two trusty companions) and take off to wide crack country. Destination Vedauwoo!

We met so early I forgot to add sugar to my coffee, so I sipped it bitter as I drove to the carpool lot. Stan was there promptly, and we quickly juggled gear into his hybrid.

We then called Jen to let her know there’d be room for her on the return trip to Denver on Saturday. This was good news for Jen, as she had arranged a ride up with her boulderite buddies (Max and Joeby) and was in need of a ride back.

I was all too happy to be sharing a tent. It’s so much more comforting sharing a tent with a friend than going solo! Besides, Vedauwoo has some hair raising sounds at night time (animals & gun shots).

With the administrative stuff out of the way, we were ready to hit the road.

Stan did the driving (thank goodness cause I was SLEEPY, yawning every 5 minutes), and we made one pit stop before arriving at the campground. We scoped out a sweet campsite, made a deposit, and staked a claim.

Next up, CLIMBING! Here I am at 10:21am lacing up for the first pitch of Ed’s Crack (5.7+).
Clare Getting Ready to Climb Ed's Crack (5.7)

The view from the top of Pitch 1, at 11:04. Pitch 1 time = 43 minutes, including setting the anchor. Not bad for my first Vedauwoo climb of the season!
Nautilus & Beyond

Stan’s TR of Pitch 1 ~= 10 minutes. Fast considering he also removed gear! Here he is at the big ledge, before launching out onto the slab.
Stan Cleans First Pitch of Ed's Crack (5.7)

Here’s Stan preparing for Pitch 2 of Ed’s Crack. We were both excited about the exit roof, looked fun!
Stan Prepares for 2nd Pitch of Ed's Crack (5.7)

Here’s Stan cleaning the Anchor for Pitch 2 of Ed’s Crack. This was right at noon, so the whole thing took us about 1.5 hours from bottom to top.
Stan Cleaning the 2nd Anchor of Ed's Crack

The downclimb is not bad, we just followed some 3rd/4th class ledges on the north side of the formation. It took about 15 minutes to get off the rock, and another 20-30 minutes to make it back to the car.
Stan Still Walking Off Ed's Crack

We had lunch & liquid at the car, and geared up for the next climb. We decided to go look at Mainstreet (5.10a). We grabbed the biggest pro we had and headed off.

The rest of the day, from about 3pm to 5pm was spent in a painful episode which can hardly be called climbing. First Stan, then I. A battle of inches, which never seemed to relent.

At one point, I thought, “What if I can’t do this?”. The implication forced me into action.

I chicken winged, butt & back smeared, clawed, and kicked up the rock. Every inch, Stan pulled with all his might keeping the rope taught. The rest that normally comes from top rope was not fullfilling, as I had to keep my body from being ejected by Mainstreet’s insipient crack.

I have ***never*** been so exhausted, after 1 pitch, in 10 years of climbing!

I now know I’m horrible at climbing overhangy, wide crack. The lack of proper technique accounts for some of the extra fatigue, but not all of it! Stan later told me that he had to lay down for a moment when he got to the anchors, due to fatigue, so I was not alone.

He was only able to place 5 pieces of protection (the five biggest pieces we own), and gratefully clipped the two bolts provided.

The 5 pieces were: #6 BD Cam, an older #5.5 BD Cam, two #5 big Bros, and a #6 Big Bro. We decided later, that we needed more #6 Cams and Big Bros. It’s just huge!

The pitch was over 30 meters from the ground to the anchors (fixed bolts). In fact, it’s probably closer to 40 meters. So there was some extra pressure bestowed on me to make it to the top, as Stan couldn’t get down otherwise. Since I was on TR, I didn’t mind hauling the second rope up, I just hoped I could make it…

In hindsight, I’m just so happy he made it to the top safely, and I was able to get him the rope. It’s a wicked challenge, Mainstreet!

Here’s a picture of Mainstreet area on the Coke Bottle Formation. Actually, Mainstreet is just barely obscured by the face of the cliff. Just right of the pine tree, the Mainstreet crack is in the first big open corner.
Mainstreet (5.10) at Coke Bottle Crag

Here’s Stan’s dog Kona.
Kona at the Voo

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