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Rock climbing in the Southeastern USA
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Trip Reports - 5/19/02 - Devil's Tower, Wyoming and the Flatirons, ColoradoMay 19, 2002 Submitted by: Wayne BuschI was still dazed and exhausted when we pulled into the K.O.A. campground just outside Devil's Tower National Monument on Wednesday, May 15, 2002. The previous 64 hour week of work had sucked the very marrow out of my bones, and I'd had precious little recovery since I stepped out of the hospital Tuesday afternoon into my wife's waiting car to be whisked off to Jacksonville to catch my flight to Denver. Dede and Guy Humphrey picked me up at the airport, and took me home to Fort Collins for a brief nights rest. We were up and on the road before the sun came up, the miles of monotonous rolling Wyoming grassland screaming by my window. We first spied the tower from what seemed like 30 miles away, it's unmistakable silhouette visible for a few moments on the distant horizon across the rolling treeless prairie. It was another half hour before it came into full view sitting on the hill above us as we pulled into the campground. Memories of our previous visit mingled with the dreamlike visage that now dominated the landscape and commanded our attention. So remarkable is this formation it is as if it has a special gravity that draws you to it. We unpacked, pitched our tents, and had peanut butter sandwiches for lunch. Afterward, ignoring our fatigue, we sorted our gear and drove up the road into the that park to reestablish climbing contact with the tower.
We registered for climbing with the ranger at the office. Approaching the rock, it was quickly apparent our intended route, Rangers are People Too 5.9 on the North face was occupied by another party. Since the West face was closed to climbing due to raptor nesting, we made our way around to the East side of the tower and worked up through the boulder fields that surround most of the base to gain a clear shot at the fluted sides of the steep formation. We emerged to find no less than two other parties here, including one led by John from the Devil's Tower Lodge. Making the best of what was available, we passed the afternoon leading, then top-roping, the first pitches of Broken Tree 5.7, New Wave 5.7, and Everlasting 5.8+ all within sight of our last trip's disappointment on McCarthy's North 5.11. It was a nice afternoon of comfortable climbing, and we retreated to the campground a little after four. We worked out our plan of attack over a dinner of tacos and burritos, deciding the best routes for our push to the summit. The forecast for Thursday called for cool and rainy weather, but Friday was expect to clear and warm again. We proposed to do what the weather allowed tomorrow, then do our summit climb on Friday when the weather stabilized. I hoped for a chance to climb Solar 5.9, an enticing route on the southwest corner of the tower. A light rain fell Wednesday night. We awoke to a cool morning and an overcast sky as predicted. Guy and I selected Bon Homme 5.8+ as a suitable route to climb this day as it offered frequent opportunities to bail off it when the bad weather moved in. I inquired about the days forecast when I registered our climb at the office. The ranger confirmed low 40's and rain and gave me a suspect look to be going up in light of such predictions. Undaunted, Guy and I set off. Dede would remain on the trail today, to meet Guy's father who was driving in for a rendezvous. We scrambled up through the 4th class rock approaching the base of the climb only to find a guided party of four already starting the route. Disappointed, we climbed yet higher inspecting for routes that offered us the flexibility of an easy escape, but turned back when none were found. At the base of the tower, I convinced Guy to start upward through what appeared to be easy territory. The Durrance Route 5.7 was nearby, and I hoped we could traverse to it if no other climbers were on it. Guy proceeded through unnamed 5.5 territory and established an anchor, I came up, and traversed over to Durrance, to find it vacant. We could easily escape from this route if needed. I "generously" allowed Guy the lead through the next two pitches of off-width crack. We grunted and scraped our way through more than a hundred feet of nasty territory whereupon I resumed the leads that brought us onto Bailey's Direct 5.5. Dede and Guy's father watched from below as we gained the summit early in the afternoon, then rappelled back to the base. In celebration of our achieving the summit, Guy's dad treated us to pizza in nearby Hulett. We returned to camp satisfied and full of hope for the good weather that would follow tomorrow. The night reluctantly gave in to a cold gray morning that showed no promise of the expected warmth and sunshine. The moist wind had a bite that spoke of more rain to come and we resolved to pack up camp and head back to Colorado. Within minutes of leaving the park, we drove into the cold rain that would stretch across the state of Wyoming. Though pleased with achieving our summit, it was at the expense of aches and bruises that now manifested themselves. My old shoulder injury was revived and I recognized I would do no more strenuous climbing this Trip. We rested Friday afternoon, catching up on sleep and fortifying with Thai food and beer in preparation for Saturday. I asked Dede and Guy to show me some easy climbs, something we could enjoy without doing further harm to my old bones. As the weather remained cool, the Flatirons just outside Boulder fit the bill perfectly. The parking lot at Chatauqua Park was already approaching capacity when we arrived a little after 8 AM. Loading our packs, we hiked up the trail avoiding the more accessible first and second Flatiron, skipping the third since it was closed for bird nesting season, and continued on to the base of the fourth. Here we found (what else) a large party already starting up several of the routes. Ever flexible, we continued up the trail to the Royal Arch, then split off to gain the base of the East face of the South side of the fifth Flatiron. See
larger view of the Flatirons Here again, a large party was spread across the rocks ascending via several routes. It seems the Colorado Mountaineering School had chosen this day to introduce a large number of students to vertical rock climbing. Even so, the fifth Flatiron is a big expanse of stone, and we recognized we could sneak by the group by hugging the 5.4 territory on the left edge of the rock. It wasn't long before we outdistanced them, and gained the summit promontory via the classic thin ridge. It was a quick rappel to the ground, then a steep descent through the brush to the base of the climb. We grabbed our packs and hiked out to the car. Enlarge
photo of Fifth Flatiron Dede and Guy showed me a good time. We achieved the summit we were unable to reach on our last trip to Devil's Tower. I learned there is no "easy" way up that formation. You're going to pay a price to get to the top. I had a first climb in the Flatirons, and was surprised to find the routes so pleasant and easy to climb. It's no wonder the area is so popular. I'll be returning here to explore more in the future. Thanks for a great trip, |
See larger photo of the
Tower
View larger image of New
Wave 5.7
Enlarge image of Guy
