Doug Cruising the Crux
Clare Up High on Lover’s Leap
Doug and I climbed Lover’s Leap in the canyon Hwy 285 winds through, just outside of Morrison, CO. It was a fairly simple approach involving crossing a log bridge and then hiking a short steep bank up to the base of the crag. The approach takes about 10-15 minutes.
Fuzzy Picture of Log Bridge
Approach Scramble Up Steep Bank
Taken From the 3rd Pitch, one can see the car pullout. As you can see, there is ample room for vehicles in that space. If you look really close, you can see Doug’s silver SUV down in the lot.
One other interesting fact about climbing LL is that I saw 4 people get speeding tickets over the course of our climb! So, beware next time you drive down this section of Hwy 285!
Looking up from the base of the crag. You aim for the notch in between the two needle looking formations.
I climbed up a steep crack until I almost bonked my head on this block. Then, I pulled underneath, around, and plopped myself onto a ledge. There is a block the size of a coffin perched on this ledge (but still attached to the wall behind it). That’s where I put my anchor. I could have moved up another 20 or 30 feet, but I had some icky rope drag, so I stopped.
Here I am at the end of Pitch 1 (again, I stopped prematurely). Doug is down there getting ready to climb.
The first pitch is not that great. The rock, in spots, is questionable and I didn’t like the psychedelic lichen on the rock, it felt slick underfoot. However, the higher up we got, the better the climb became both in climbing movement and rock quality!
Looking up at the coffin sized block from my perch at the end of pitch 1. It was super fun climbing up the right side of this thing.
Smiling on Lover’s Leap!
Looking down at where I would probably set the belay for the end of Pitch 1 (next time!). This is just after climbing up that coffin sized block.
Looking up from the same spot as the prior picture. You can see where Doug set up his belay. This part of the climb was super fun!
We finally found some bolts! Earlier, we did not see any…when we thought we might!
Crux Pitch of Lover’s Leap
The crux is very protectable, but definitely features several sustained movements in a row. At 5’4″, I was able to reach the edge I needed to, but just barely. I think it’s a bit easier if you’re a tad taller, but it’s still uber fun either way!
Doug scrambling down the walkoff. It’s easy to get back to the packs. When you get to the top, just turn right and then go down a gully which doesn’t drop off into a cliff. I believe it’s heading South and then West.
Overall, I liked Lover’s Leap. It was a fun climb, with the exception of the first pitch. It’s just a wee bit dirty and loose for my taste.
Tags: Lover's Leap, Moderate, Rock Climbing