June 1st, Climbergirl turns 30! To celebrate, Dylan, Dennis & I headed out to Holy Saturday Wall and climbed two routes. We did Hide-A-Way Chimney 5.5, and Flake 5.8+. Both felt harder than the grade (normal for Vedauwoo), especially the crack which had a thrilling crux, and a very exposed finishing move.
We had the whole wall to ourself all day, and were blessed with wonderful weather. We even saw beavers swimming in the adjacent beaver ponds!
May 31st, the Eve of my 30th birthday, Dennis & I drove up to Ft. Collins. We got a room at the Hilton, and it was surprisingly affordable, for a hotel of that calliber. The lobby inside is fantastic, a huge open space with fountains & the ubiquitous starbucks café.
Apparently, there was a big car show in one of the neighboring townships as the parking lot was full of old remodelled cars. In fact, one whole side of the parking lot was cordoned off, so we walked & gawked.
My favorite was the 1930s gangster style get-away car. I imagined riding the running boards in a trench coat, fedora, and wielding a large gun. His favorite was an old jeep with a flatbed in the back. It was just such a unique truck…too bad I left the camera in the room!
For dinner, by Ann’s referral, we went to the Rustic Oven downtown. We had spinach artichoke dip, and had a wonderful meal. I had a Sangria, which made me tipsy. We shared dessert (of course, it was my birthday the next day!) a strawberry rhubarb pastry with creme fresh. After dinner, we walked around a bit and then headed back to the hotel to watch a beautiful sunset.
I dreamt of cracks & chimneys…a happy birthday dream!
Finally, we get a day to climb! The Vedauwoo gods smiled upon us. So, we set off for Jurassic Park wall.
On the way, we spotted a pair of dinosaurs…
…oh wait, nevermind, they’re climbers! Read the rest of this entry »
On Saturday morning, I woke up with a layer of sleet over my tent. It was probably a typical night at Vedauwoo, but it was a little scary for me. Alone, in the tent, with very gusty wind, and the sound of sleet on the tent walls. A few times, I woke up feeling the tent being pulled upward. I swear, I saw the wicked witch of the west peddle by my pad! Read the rest of this entry »
On Friday, I left work at 2pm, eager to get out of town for the weekend. Unfortunately, so was the rest of Denver! Travel was hampered by several Road Construction Projects along Hwy 25 (and the biways of Longmount). It took me nearly 3 hours to reach Ft. Collins, twice the normal time.
I was relieved at the sight of Dylan, all loaded up in the camper and ready to go. I was frazzled from the drive, but the thought of joining Ann & Sean up in Vedauwoo soon made me forget my troubles. Dylan helped me unload my camping & climbing gear into the camper, and we battened the hatches for the drive. Read the rest of this entry »
