Saturday, September 17, 2011

Projects in Lower Chaos Canyon


I was able to get up to RMNP Thursday and Friday.  Thursday, Danny and I hiked the approach and knew the weather was going to be an issue.  We tried to wait out the weather, but were thwarted and forced to rest.  Although we had a forced rest day, Danny showed me a different area, Emerald Lake, where I feasted my eyes on Whispers of Wisdom.  Whispers climbs a powerful overhang to a 20-foot slab section.  Definitely a classic line!  After climbing, we headed back to Boulder to see the premier of the Reel Rock Film Tour, which got me pretty psyched for the following day!
Lake Haiyaha - Altitude 10,221'

Friday was a beautiful day with only slight drizzle.  We woke up at 630 and were out at the boulders by 8.  It has been a very long time since I’ve been this psyched about climbing and I was ready to find some projects.  So, after warming up on Tommy’s Arête and a new V7 called Potato Chip we headed to the Centaur Boulder…
Potato Chip V7

The projects begin! 
The first project I started on was the line Danny previously did on Tuesday called Secret Splendor.  After working out the moves, I made a great link from the beginning and my foot popped when I was just about to throw to the lip.  This climb has very small holds and demands a lot of skin.  I was only able to give the climb 8 to 10 attempts before my skin wore thin.
So we moved on…
I walked over to a problem I tried on Tuesday called Bush Pilot.  I worked out a good sequence for the last hard move and the top out, but I could not link it from the start.   I fell 3 times going for the last hard move, where you have a very high left foot and have to swing your right leg toward the next hold for momentum, in order to snag a 3/4 inch pad crimp.

 Bush Pilot V11
After that we hiked down to the parking lot and drove down the road to a problem called Veritas, another problem that I worked out most of the moves.  With such an impressive list of great climbs I’m getting excited to get to work to finishing them off before I head to Utah.
 Danny on European Human Being

1 comment:

  1. Awesome posts, Jon! Just read them all. It's great to see what you're doing! Have fun and be safe, can't wait to see you in the gym when you get back.
    - Carly Sugar

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