I finally got to lead the even pitches of the East Face of the First Flatiron. I had led the odd pitches before, but not the even pitches. When Doug suggested climbing the route, I was oh-so-happy to oblige!
It was a nice fall day, with chilly temps in the shade and a crispness in the air. Winter was definitely around the corner and I was a bit sad to say goodbye to climbing season.
Left to Right: Chad, Chris, Andy, David, and Slava. Leader Clare in Front!
Trip Leader Portrait
I led a CMC trip to the Whale’s Tail rock formation in Eldorado Canyon. It was a chilly fall day, but with very little wind, we’d have a super time. The Whale’s Tail formation is a good place to take a small group of people; I found that no more than 6 people is really the ideal group size.
I have climbed a bunch at Whale’s Tail, so none of the routes were new. However, Slava and I did have a good deal of fun climbing the center route in our approach shoes (on top rope, of course!).
We Climbed on Granite Domes Just Below the Moorish Castle!
Clare Bathed in Sunlight On Solar
Dennis Climbing Solar
Two days of climbing in a row, how lucky am I? We drive to Sintra and park the truck. From the truck, we wander around a bit and then head up to the climbing crag. I’m just itching to sample some granite…Pedro said we would climb underneath a castle on granite and I had him repeat it to me, just to make sure I wasn’t day dreaming!
More Pictures Below:
Dennis Climbing Adamastor
Clare Leading Astrolabio (I placed a couple of supplemental cams on my way to Bolt number 3).
The View from the Top Floor of Hotel Cidadela…Not Bad!
After 6 days in country, I finally get to go rock climbing. Yay! We drive from Uchas Country House, back towards Lisbon and stop in Cascais for some beach cragging. We park the truck, grab our gear, walk down the stone steps, and we’re there!
Dozens of bolted climbs await. I have a hard time picking which one I want to do first. We head over to the easy moderate section and I fire up a climb. I climb Adamastor and Astrolabia and then it starts drizzling. The rock becomes very slick, so we decide to call it a day.
We checked into Hotel Cidadela, which used to be a 4 star hotel. It’s been knocked down to 3 stars, but it still has the amenities one needs. It also sports a very nice private pool area. We ate dinner there one night and it was adequate, but definitely nothing special! Better bet is to eat somewhere in town!
More climbing pictures below.
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. (more…)