'Rado Roundup

With a stomach full of Pumpkin Pancakes (Oh yeah, they're delicious) I've been looking through some photos from the last few weeks. Snow is falling this morning, but Rocktober has lived up to its name here in Colorado. I've been able to climb in Boulder Canyon, Clear Creek, Rocky Mountain National Park, the South Platte, and even Utah's Castle Valley.

In the South Platte, I climbed the famous Center Route and Wunsch's Dihedral with my friend Jason Killgore.
Long flakes on the Center Route:

We brought plenty of gear, but Jason was feeling frisky on Wunsch's.

After some local sport climbing, Kelly the Estes Park local gurul took me out to the Rock of the Ages in Rocky Mountain Park. We did some of the local classics and tried not to get blown away by the wind. It's a beautiful cragging spot.


Our buddy Forest Woodward came into town and we went out to Lumpy Ridge to climb and get some photos. All these shots are Forest's.








See more of Forest's Work

Finally it was off to the Castle Valley, to meet my Washington friend Jens Holsten and climb around on some towers. I climbed with Coloradoan Clayton Laramie, and Jens roped up with his friend John Schmid. We had a great time camping and hanging out together, and shouting back and forth from across the tower-tops.

The parking lot was full of WA plates... NW represent!


Day 1 : Fine Jade and The North Face (Right Side) of Castleton Tower

The climb and Clayton on Fine Jade

Linking crux pitches:



On to Castleton Tower:

I'd climbed the normal North Face route last year with my friend Kurt, and so this year we went for the right-side start. It was definitely harder and less secure, but also very good.

Pitch #1 from above


Desert Sunset




Left-to-Right Shadows:
The Priest, The Rectory, Castleton Tower

The Day 2 plan was to climb the Priest Tower via Honeymoon Chimneys, and then re-climb The Rectory via Coyote Calling.



Inside the mountain...




Clayton stems wide and onsights the 5.11 crux, moving between towers.


Jens and Jon - Waving hello after tagging a nearby tower called "The Nun".


After shivering in the shady and windy chimneys of the Priest, we decided to do something warmer than Coyote Calling. Clayton and I chose one of the several "mystery" routes along the sunny West face of the Rectory. 100 meters North of the route Crack Wars, we climbed an overhanging hand and finger crack in a corner, 100' of perfection. I don't think the route is in any guidebook, but it definitely deserves traffic!