We had been in Colorado Springs for 3 days. Not one day had gone by where our plans hadn't been hindered by the rain at some point. Well today the weather had finally cleared and it was time to get on top of Red Rock. Mike took the morning off to come with us and show us up.
We started off the day on a pretty easy but slabby 5.7+ which I took a stab at first. I got the route, Helios, first try and it was my first successful sport climb
Pic by Mike
After that we headed left on the wall for some more challenging climbs. Nate took the lead on Tava (5.10a/b) which he ascended first try. Mike and I followed up on top rope and both completed the 80'er as well.
To finish off the day we went over to Ka-Ching (5.10d). Nate's 60 meter rope was just barely long enough for the climb which meant the anchors were a legitimate 100' off the ground. Mike took the lead this time, as it was the hardest climb of the day. Despite a hefty lead fall about 3/4 of the way up the route, Mike finished off the climb and set up toprope for Nate and me. I got about half way up then called it quits. Nate took a stab, and despite pulling himself up by the rope trough a section he made it to the top.
Cop following us near Buena Vista, CO.
Cops seem to have been a common theme on our trip. After leaving Red Rock, we parted ways with Mike as he went back to work and we went to his apartment to pack and leave. We got all our stuff out and locked up, when Nate realized he left two Nalgenes in the apartment. Standing outside, Nate climbed to the second floor to go through the balcony. Unfortunately the door was locked so I went upstairs and picked the front door using the old credit card trick. Well, one of the neighbors saw us. After speaking with him he told us to stay put and wait for the cops. Luckily the cop was cool and we politely explained our story to him. A few minutes later we were on our way unscathed.
The rest of the afternoon we drove heading west to eventually get to Utah. We figured we would drive until about dusk and then stop at a campground, where ever that would be. We made it to just past Independance Pass before we called it a night. Here are some pictures from the drive.
Pike's Peak. At over 14,000 ft it is visible from Co Springs
The Land of Many Uses
The Land of Many Uses, as seen through Nate's Ashburys
Mt Harvard?
Some rocks near Buena Vista, CO
Twin Lakes, near Independance Pass
Independance Pass, looking Southeast
Independance Pass, Looking Northwest
Mule Deer, 20 ft from our campsite
AHHH I'm so jealous!!!! Incredible shots. I've been telling @nevko that I'm going to fly out there to visit one of these days. I really gotta get on that.
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