climbergirl blog

On Sunday, I met Tracy & Margaret down at Castlewood Canyon State Park. It was a half day centered around exploring this local crag. We three were new to the area, but were curious to see what it has to offer. We took pictures with Tracy’s camera, and as soon as I get them, I’ll include them in the post.

It turns out the crag is pretty extensive, and most of the routes are done as TR’s since the cliffline is short. One could easily get by with a 50 meter rope, or even better yet, a few crash pads (the bouldering looks rad)! (more…)

I drove down to Co Springs to pick up Margaret. I got to her dorm around 8am in the morning. We were at the crag around 9:30am. There were only a few cars…

It was such nice weather that all the Boulderites stayed up in their neck of the woods. It was still a little crowded at Shelf, but nothing like what we experienced back in February. The high was definitely around 80 degrees-both Margaret & I had tank tops on. And, both Margaret & I got burned. DOH, we forgot to reapply sunscreen.

I only led one climb, a dubious route called “Mr. Fred” a slightly run out 5.8/9 with a slightly nervy 5.10a finish. Not a great route-but I was proud that I did the scary lieback just off of a hospital ledge, and managed to make the clip, instead of break myself.

The following routes were put up by a most gracious Margaret. I cleaned them, for the most part without hanging. I believe I said “take” a total of 4 times all day.

Slicer 5.10b *** (TR – 1 Hang)
Christmas Tree 5.10c ** (TR)
Mr. Fred 5.10a * (L)
Dihedrus 5.10b **** (TR)
Almost Gothic 5.11/12a **** (TR – 2 hangs)
Axis of Evil 5.10d *** (TR – 1 Hang)

The 5.11d/12a was a great climb, and I’m happy I only had to take twice. I haven’t climbed that hard in many years. Margaret was very encouraging, and gave a most attentive belay.

I drove down to Co Springs to meet Tracy for some Shelf Road climbing fun. We arrived at Shelf around 10:30am…and met up with Tony who climbed with us all day.

We climbed until the sun went down. The weather was fantastic-tank tops in the sun. We left the crag around 7:30pm and had dinner at Chili’s in Canon City. The service there was pretty slow as it is crowded. The salad greens looked a little wilted, so I was happy I had ordered taco’s. (more…)

It had been too long a time since I climbed at the RRG (Red River Gorge), and so I flew back to climb with Barry. We had gorgeous weather on Friday (mid 60s), not so great weather Sat (mid 40s) and contrary weather (low 30s) on Sunday. It was the first time I stayed at True North Outfitters Hostel, instead of the comforts of a private cabin. It turned out a group of folks from MI came down and met Barry & I, and rooming with them was fun.

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The Players: Barry, Mark & Jenny (from Indy), Climbergirl
The Place: Eldo Canyon – Redgarten Wall & Windy Ridge
The Climbs: The Bulge (5.7), Windy Ridge (5.7), Tagger (5.10a), Cest La Vie (5.9+ but more like a 5.10-)!
The Time: 10am-1:30pm

I met Barry & his friends’ Mark & Jenny in Eldo for the day. Barry had to get back to Indy, so we stopped short of a full day of climbing. Mark & Jenny moved on to J-Tree to round out the end of a fabulous road trip. The day started out super cold (29 dF and foggy), and warmed up to just cold (upper 40s). But, the rock was warm to the touch as it had seen morning sun.

Mark working The Bulge (5.7)
Mark on Windy Ridge (5.7)
Clare on Windy Ridge (5.7)
Clare High on Windy Ridge (5.7)
Smiling @ top of Pitch 1 Windy Ridge (5.7)
Cest La Vie – Crux
Anchors of Cest La Vie