My trip west was under peculiar circumstances this year. Three days before my month-long adventure I found out my grandmother had a severe brain hemorrhage. Because of an unexpected rally, my father gave me his blessings to go ahead and go -- with the foreknowledge that I could be coming back home at any point. So after my last day of work I hopped in my Tacoma and headed west.
I stopped for a kush bivouac in Boonville, Missouri before pounding it out across Kansas and on to Salida, Colorado. Dirtbag road trip pro tip: Pilot Stations > Wal Mart parking lots.
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| Pilot Travel Center and Convenience Store, Boonville, MO |
Not all campsites are created equal....
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| Banks Gulch Trailhead, Mt. Shavano, Chaffee County, CO |
After a couple days bouldering and milling around Salida and BV I headed up to Denver to meet up with my friend Barrett. We soloed the Second Flatiron in the AM and then drove up to Torreys Peak that evening. We ascended Torreys via the Kelso Ridge and it was a rad day in the mountains! (Read about it
here.)
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| "Kelso Ridge," Torreys Peak, Clear Creek County, CO |
Kelso whipped me into shape for a week working back at Wilderness Expeditions. It was a blast -- albeit eventful week -- taking these kids from Alabama up one of Colorado's tallest mountains. We saw a mama bear and cub, had two moose wonder through camp, and a glissade "rescue" for a kid who slipped and slid down a snow slope. It wasn't bad, but to a 17 year-old kid from Alabama... he must've been scared. Anyway, Shavano is beautiful and the students were cool.
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| Colorado Trail, Mt. Shavano, Chaffee County, CO |
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| mountaineering is sexy, Mt. Shavano, Chaffee County, CO |
After eating my body weight in Moonlight Pizza at least twice, I headed to Boulder to meet Paul. We hiked up the East Face North Side of Seal Rock before I picked up Josh from DIA. The Seal is classic! The fourth pitch finger crack is the epitome of 5.fun.
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| "North Face East Side," Seal Rock, Flatirons, CO |
Josh showed up and we had a few days to squeeze in as many classic easy pitches as we could before I had to head back for my grandmothers funeral. We played in Boulder Canyon and the Flatirons before heading to Colorado Springs and then on to Kentucky.
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| "North Face Center," Cob Rock, Boulder Canyon, CO |
Climbing in the Springs was... interesting. Fanny packs, wide brim hats, obese RV campers everywhere. We were even asked to explain our gear to a group of Asian tourists. Josh was peeved but I embraced it as a part of the Garden's experience. Our roles interestingly reversed. That's the price you pay for desert towers in city limits.
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| a sea of fanny packs and wide brim hats, Garden of the Gods, CO |
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| "North Ridge," Montezuma's Tower, Garden of the Gods, CO |
Oh, and I got a mullet.
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