I must say Colorado is WONDERFUL! If there's any place I'd like my boyfriend to move to and reside in, Colorado would be top on my list. Visiting would cost an arm and a leg for flights every time, but it was a wonderful place. If I were loaded with cash-money I would pack my bags and go to school in Boulder!
Saturday - Flatirons
We climbed both Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday we did the Flatirons (and I'm horrible because I totally forgot which Flatiron we did, lower? Upper? Second? Shoot...).
It was a wonderful route and very easy. It was listed as a classic route that everyone should try while climbing he flatirons. There wasn't too much required as far as technical skill, but that doesn't mean I wasn't totally pooped afterward. It's draining being on a massive rock while the temperatures outside are enough to make you
Sunday (part 1) - Bastille Crack
Sunday we went to Eldorado Canyon to do some more classic rock climbing. Aaron was hankering to do the Bastille Crack which is only a 5.7 but the problem is it's CRACK! I had surgery in high school on my right foot, and my foot has never quite been the same. Not to mention I just have very sensitive feet. So crack is always out of the question for me. It's far too painful. It's incredibly scary (for me), I don't feel secure. However, after waiting for 2 parties to ascend the Bastille Crack ahead of us, I managed to watch a girl (REDHEAD) climb the Bastille Crack with some ease, and some struggle, but overall she climbed it. Naturally, being stubborn and competitive, I figured if she did it then I could do it as well.
(Aaron on the crux)
(It's a lot harder than it looks!)
(Me on crack!!)
The problem with this wall was that the rock was incredibly slippery! When you're rock climbing, you depend on your feet 100% especially if the hand holds are minimal. So when your feet consistently slip from underneath you, you begin to lose confidence. This route (for me) was incredibly terrifying because the rock just didn't grip well, so I really had to focus on hand holds and feet placement.
Sunday (part 2) - Wind Ridge
After we finished the Bastille Crack first pitch I felt uneasy about continuing on another wall for a multipitch route. I wasn't feeling confident. I used more effort than needed to accomplish my first crack. I was tired. However I was excited to do the Wind Ridge route because I picked it out (and I like to believe all of MY ideas are the best ideas). The Wind Ridge was rated a 4 star 5.6. Upon completing all 3 pitches, we agreed the crux was more of a 5.8+. PAT ON THE BACK!
The crux of the route was most definitely not a 5.6. It was a roof with very few handholds!! When we got back into Reno, Aaron researched comments on the route and most everyone agrees it's a 5.8 crux. Good thing I could handle it, I'd be worried for someone who couldn't pull a 5.8 roof! Aaron was too funny when he was trying to manhandle the roof. He got caught in an awkward position with rock right between his legs.
Sunday was a glorious day for me :-)
Golden/Boulder/Denver
The rest of the time in Colorado we spent being tourists and seeing things in the town. I made it a point to visit the Theta house in Boulder!!
Boulder was a wonderful city. It was an adorable little college town and I had so much fun just walking around and looking at all of the shops and restaurants. I loved it there!
We also visited Golden for a brief afternoon while killing time. I loved Golden! The downtown area was clean and alive. There is a river/creek that runs through the city where everyone swims or floats. HOW FUN! I couldn't believe how many people were swimming, so I felt the water (to compare to Truckee) and it was DECENT! Not nearly as cold, it made me wish I had a bikini on so I could jump in too.
(Aaron taking a picture of me taking a picture of 2 rainbows)
We also hung out in Denver for a brief afternoon so that we could experience the city. We went to the 16th Street Mall which reminded me a lot of Union Square in San Francisco. One thing I have noticed about Colorado is there are a TON of places to eat! And 90% of them seem to be little local places (they could be chains, but I'd never heard of them before...). So the 16th Street Mall was more of a 16th Street food Court, in my opinion. Out of all of the places we could choose from, we decided to eat pizza for dinner! We went to a little hole in the wall pizza joint (Two Fisted Marios... or something along those lines) and the pizza was SO YUMMY!
(Yup, that's really Aaron eating a PIZZA)
Overall the trip was wonderful and we both had a great time. I really loved Colorado, there wasn't enough time to do everything we wanted so I am excited to possibly have the opportunity to go back again if anything progresses with the State Trooper option!!
I love colorado!!!!!!!!! There Theta house is INSANE there, isn't it? So nice!
ReplyDelete