Jim invited me to join him for a romp up the First Flatiron in Boulder, CO. I was (of course) obliging, as I have not yet climbed the Flatirons. I have hiked around them and bouldered at the base of them, but have yet to place my grubby paws on them!
As it was my first time, Jim thought it befitting for me to do the first pitch on lead. What a thoughtful partner! I’m not a connoisseur of slab, so it was a real challenge! I’m so happy I had the opportunity, because it was a thrill.
My favorite part of the first pitch was traversing over to the belay ledge (center picture at the tree!), knowing that I was a full 30 feet above my last piece. Of course, I whimped out and threw in a 0.75 cam in a slot to protect the final step-over!!! By the time I reached the anchor, I was grinning ear to ear, and I even yelled out a cheer. Woot-woot!
So, I led the odd pitches and Jim led the evens.
He did the exciting 6th pitch slot, which I think rivals the excitement of the first pitch. (I’ll have to do the evens next time!). Jim did great, he was really adept at the slab, and made it look all too easy.
We had a great time on the climb. And we didn’t see a soul until the end of the 5th pitch, when a trio of young lads caught up with us.
They were soloing together, and having a great time…as you can see in the picture. I met Brian and Nick, and they were super fun to be around.
When Jim & I got to the summit ridge, there was a cloud of annoying flies. They were not biting, but they were flying in my ears, nose, and mouth. It was really uncomfortable.
Jim & I climbed as fast as we could to make it to the summit, and rap off. The bugs were just aweful. Jim managed to get a couple of really good pictures in spite of the annoyance!
Our Times and Pictures:
Started Hiking at 6:50am
Started Climbing at 7:50am
1st Pitch at 8:25am
2nd Pitch at 9:10am
3rd Pitch at 10:05am
5th Pitch at 11:15am
6th Pitch at 12:00pm
8th Pitch at 1:00pm
End of Ridge Traverse at 1:25pm
Finish Climbing at 1:40pm
Back at Packs at 2:10pm
Tags: Boulder, CO, East Face (5.6), First Flatiron, Rock Climbing