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Sunday, August 28, 2011

RMNP#2

A short week after my first trip to the Rockies the opportunity came to make another trip back to CO. Weather in the east has been sketchy with rain and wind so timing was perfect for this second trip. It has been warm with a lot more rain than usual for September. The park weather has been hot during the day with temperatures reaching the mid 80’s but cooling off in the evenings so we have been looking for other options to keep us busy. Most of our time is spent hiking and swimming at the reservoir and making trips to other climbing areas near Fort Collins.

This past weekend we went to Wyoming for a throw at some offwidth and crack climbing in Vedauwoo. Vedauwoo is an amazing area with pink granite littered with large feldspar crystals.


Predominantly crack climbing, Vedauwoo offers large flaring cracks with small feet on amazing rock. I am not a great crack or offwidth climber so after I got seriously shut down hard on some local warm ups I started looking for potential lines that fit my style a little more. I was shocked at the potential that still remains at such an established climbing area. I spied no less than 5 hard double digit projects in the very first area that we climbed at about 100ft from the parking area. One project in particular that I put some effort into could easily go at v14/15 on a gently overhanging face with small patina crimps. I put time into another line that I was able to FA and called it The Republic. This line climbs out an overhanging arete with small crimps and a large span move that I was able to stick close to my max extension. I feel honored to add my vision of climbing to a list of classic hard lines in the area. Vedauwoo is a place where I could easily spend decades of time exploring and pushing my limits.


I have extended my stay to the 12th to capitalize on some good weather headed for CO this week. I hope to have the opportunity to climb at as many areas as possible before I leave. Photos and video to come soon.

Thursday, August 18, 2011

More From KAdams

RMNP #1

The east coast is an amazing place to live with a beauty that changes with each season. I am always amazed each fall at the shift in color, temperature, smell and landscape that comes with the changing of the seasons. Winters are cold and Springs are short but offer a new look with a vibrant palate of greens, reds, yellows and blues with every tint and shade in between. Summer is hot and humid its the perfect time to have a beer and relax with friends. This summer however; I have had the opportunity to make several great climbing trips. One trip that I have been looking forward to more than others has been to Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado.


Littered with granite cliffs and boulders that attract climbers, hikers and nature enthusiasts from all over, RMNP is a destination anytime of the year but as a climber it offers an escape from the heat and humidity that settles in the east from May - September.

This journey marked my first trip to Colorado. I had been told about the rock, the culture, hiking, climbing and mountaineering that the Rockies offered. I was completely blown away when I finally made it to FoCo, Boulder and Estes and met some amazing new friends that continued to get my psych up to climb.
It takes roughly 30 minutes to get to chaos canyon and the lower bouldering areas. 15 - 20 feet of snow lay on the ground peppered with car and house size granite boulders and surround a beautiful snow melt lake. “This place is amazing” is all I could say. Temps in the 70 - 80’s during the day with no humidity and dropped to a cool 50 in the evenings.


We had perfect conditions on my trip and with the cooperation of the weather I was able to put down so many classic boulder problems and a couple traditional routes too. I feel comfortable giving this summation or advice to climbers planning a trip to the park, work on crimp strength, cardio for your hikes and power because you will need them all or at least I did.

It made me sad knowing that this place was only a destination for me and that I wasn’t calling it home. In my mind I knew that I would eventually have to leave but only for a short while.