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Ouray - Jan. '04 - finally! It's taken me three years of failed trip planning, but we finally made it. And it was certainly worth the wait. Jerry, whom I'd climbed with last season, goes down to Ouray every year right after the Ice Festival. Having heard about their fun last year, I kept in close touch this season. When the date was set, I wasted no time making reservations. Shelly, Holly & I would be headed for the town of Ouray for a mini-vacation of sight-seeing and ice climbing. Driving straight from our temporary residence in Nebraska though, was going to be a bit much. We decided to break the trip up a bit by stopping at the Fort Collins house overnight and then beginning the 6.5 hour drive the next morning. We left dark and early in hopes that Holly would sleep the first few hours of the drive. She did, and before we knew it, we where there. Driving into the snow covered San Juan mountain range was a sight to remember.
Ouray is a small town that quietly and humbly sneaks into view as you approach. I think that the huge jagged ridges which surround the town keeps ones attention up high. And just as you realize that the mountains can't possibly get any closer, you find yourself on the main street of an 1875 Victorian mining town. Still in full splendor, Main Street boasts countless colorful storefronts, cafe's, and eateries. Shelly, Holly & I had a great time walking the shops and restaurants while the rest of the climbing gang trickled into town. The next day, it was off to the ice! I've never seen so much ice concentrated in one place. And it wasn't just in one spot either. A walk up the canyon or a drive further up the road reveals the true flavor and draw that ice climbing has in this town. Right away, Jerry would set up rope on Tangled-Up in Blue (pictured left). When the other two guys (Mark & CD) opted to set up elsewhere, I should have known that Jerry's warm-up was probably going to kill me. Jerry rappelled down into the canyon and climbed back out, just slightly winded. For me, it was a very long rappel. The further I went, the more I kept saying to myself - "stop! - climb out from here!". It was dead vertical for about 120 feet with a slight overhanging bulb at the top. Like a good soldier, I went all the way to the bottom. Getting to the top section proved easier than expected. I tried very hard to use all the energy saving tips I'd learned. Once at the top bulge though, I knew I was weak. I couldn't give up though - I might as well fall trying! I did just that. With my very first move onto the overhang, the body tension required to precisely distribute my weight would let loose. I managed to overcome the crux moves on the next try and still had an ear to ear grin nonetheless. This is what I came for! We would spend the next few days meeting for breakfast & coffee, and then hitting the ice. Cold and hungry, we would hobble out of the canyon around dinner time to meet our families for a warm meal. On the morning of our departure, Jerry & I conspired to meet early for one last climb. I asked him to take me back to Tangled-Up in Blue for a re-match. After a couple of days of solid climbing, my endurance was more where it needed to be for the long route. Again, he would go first. But this time, my second was a clean ascent. This re-match and victory was necessary, lest my long drive home be nothing but torture! I hope to make our Ouray trip an annual event.
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Guillaume, the one responsible for the better photos on this page, certainly has a way with cameras. He & I went back to Vail for the second time within a two or three week span for some more action. If it were closer, we'd probably have gone every day! This time however, Guillaume brought his 20mm lens camera equipped with a roll of black and white slide film. His eye for a good capture amazes me every time. I only wish I could return the favor with some good shots of him as the subject. It was a crowded day at the Vail amphitheater. The idea was to try and lead the Rigid Designator. With a couple of slow and reckless parties already on the ice though, we went nowhere near it. The Fang on the other hand, stood all by it's lonesome. So up we went (after dropping a toprope down). There was no way I could lead it, and Guillaume was a bit leery of it's soft condition. We both took turns and got our workouts. After a short rest, Guillaume had a nice lead climb up the Thang, a thin vertical smear slightly attached to the rock behind us. The first third of the route was bolted, with the rest of his protection being sunk into thin ice. I would go up it next, but only with the safety of a toprope belay! He snapped the 20mm shots to piece together a sweet panorama of my climb with the Fang at my back. It was a great day for both of us. We got to play on our own ice with the crowds waiting in line on the easier trophy's in the area. There were a couple of guys trying some absolutely absurd mixed routes near us though. It was great to watch them climb and gradually work the moves. We never saw them make it clean, but their falls were great entertainment nonetheless.
there was nobody there yet and we got first pick at a line up the Rigid Designator. When the ice first came into view, all I could do was look at it and smile. This was to be the biggest ice my axes had ever seen. The Fang stands all alone as you hike up the gully. As you get closer, the trees give way to an awesome view of the rest of the ice. It drapes like curtains over the natural rock amphitheater. The climbs are anywhere from 100' to 140' tall here.
Hidden Falls - Dec. '03, was in better this season than I remember seeing in the past. Jack & I headed up to RMNP for the falls after a tip from another climber. His reports were accurate indeed. Although we didn't do any lead climbing, we worked every section of ice, as well as a fun mixed climb to the left of the flow. We enjoyed it so much that we made time to get back up there the very next weekend. This time, we brought my brother-in-law Chad. Chad had never been ice climbing before. Since Chad was solely responsible for getting me into rock climbing (which then lead to everything else I climb), I felt that needed to return the favor by turning him onto the adventures of ice. As if either of us needs another hobby! Chad did awesome considering this was his first time on ice. Forearm fatigue would prove to be the toughest part of the climb. After being lowered and taking a good rest, he would be right back up it again. I think he had a lot of fun, and that alone was enough to make my day. Both Jack & I planned to lead this time since we had worked the moves during the week prior. However, in just seven days time, the ice had taken on a new face. It was also very brittle from the temperature, still cold from the night before. Again, we set up top-rope and worked any section we could, including the fun mixed climb to the left.
This years ice climbing season started off pretty well. I've been going crazy to swing my picks every since it started getting cold. Last year, late in the season, I bought my own ice tools (Charlet Mosar - Axars). I was only able to go out and play with them once before they got tucked away for the season.
The weekend of Thanksgiving, Guillaume, Jenny, and I hiked into Rocky Mountain National Park to check out the ice falls at Loche Vale Gorge. They weren't exactly "Fat", but thicker than I expected and proved to be plenty for the first day out in the year. Guillaume, with some twisted sort of mentorship in mind, thought that we should get on a mixed route called Mixed Emotions. Since I had never climbed a mixed (rock and ice) route before, he felt that this M6- would give me good sampling of what M ratings are all about! Well, I was having some 'mixed emotions' of my own - Thanks G! O.K. - it wasn't that bad. I peeled off a couple of times trying to figure out how exactly my ice axes were going to cling to this rock. Thank God for top-ropes, I can't imagine having to lead this! I managed to make my way up and finally sink my picks into some ice - very thin ice at that. When all was said and done, I wanted more. I'll have to get back to some more mixed climbing as the season progresses. We spent the rest of the day climbing the remainder of what was formed in the gorge, mostly straight ice routes. I did manage to get spooked by a pretty hollow sounding column on a route called the Lochness Monster. Again, thank God for top-roping! Guillaume would lead, and I would follow. We both had fun, nonetheless. Jenny, on the other hand....well, Jenny snowshoed. She has one wrist in a plaster cast and the other wrist wrapped in an ace bandage. Sorry Jenny...maybe next season you can join us.
I had a week off over the Christmas Holiday. I took the time off in hopes of heading down to Ouray Colorado for some of the most coveted Ice in the state. However, for the third consecutive year, my Ouray plans had collapsed. No biggy..."how many people live 45 minutes from Rocky Mountain National Park!?", I told myself. Itching to use my ice axes, I scanned my guide books for a couple of days looking for something requiring axes, yet something that could be done as a solo effort. Finally, I found my perfect "one day adventure"! The very next day, I would head into Tyndal Gorge for a reconnaissance hike to check the snow and ice conditions around Tyndal Glacier. I got a nice and early start and the weather was picture perfect. My destination was the Dragon Tail Couliors on either side of the Dragon Tail Spire - a sharp fin/spire coming directly from the summit of Flattop Mtn. The couliors were flagged in the book as being dangerous and avalanche prone during the winter months. Well, this is Colorado, I thought to myself. We haven't had a whole lot of snow yet, and the conditions change constantly. The ripeness of a climb seems to come and go with every setting of the sun. It took around an hour of easy to moderate hiking to get to Emerald Lake. From here, the view was inspiring. Hallet Peak, with it's huge rock face loom's over you to the south, and the south-facing spires of Flattop taunt you from the north. Between them, Tyndal Glacier invites you to it's 
ridgeline, the Continental Divide. The couliors, as described in the guide books, were indeed blanketed in more snow than I cared to test. Simply reaching the base of the climbs would require traversing several hundred feet of steep snowfield, hence the avalanche danger. However, I did manage to spy a lower angle coulior to the east of the Dragon Tail coulior. It was more melted out. It even glistened with a couple of curtains of ice. The day was young and the sky was blue. After a lengthy sandwich break while studying potential lines up this thing, I strapped on my crampons and set off. Two hours later, the day turned sour. My coulior seemed to have taken a couple of turns that were not quite visible from below. The clouds turned from a light gray to a heavy gray, and the flurries seemed to have taken a dose of steroids. I turned back and down-climbed back to Emerald Lake, and hiked back to the car. It was a long ride home, as I could not get the rest of the climb out of my mind. I was probably only half way up the thing and had encountered so much more than I thought I would. I'll be back...
It would be 4 days before my return (solo again). I couldn't quit thinking about it. I actually tried to recruit someone to head back up with me. Who could pass up a 45 minute approach to a sweet un-roped winter ascent up a WI2/M2 climb in RMNP? Well...everyone I asked. Solo I go. Got an earlier start. Cruised straight to the foot of the climb. Just a quick rest stop for some hot tea and salami before I take off. The second time on the lower portion was not as cool as I remember. Been-there done-that, I guess. The balance of the climb was pretty sweet. There were several times where you could not see over the next hump of rock and ice. Upon reaching said hump, you could then see the next obstacle - another section of ice or mixed climbing. I'm certain that I had an ear-to-ear grin for the entire day (thus far). The top of the climb presented a fairly stout section of mixed climbing. Loose flake and chimney type scrambling on ice tools took me to a gentle slope, which led to the summit. Twelve O'clock exactly - summit to the left - trail & car to the right - sky steadily turning gray above...Hmmm. I took a rain-check on the summit and headed down the trail for home. The heart of winter is not the time to test mother nature on a solo adventure at the tip of the Rocky Mountains. It was a beautiful morning and beautiful climb - I took my winnings and headed for home. I located trail and headed for the car. That lasted about ten minutes! The north slopes of Flattop Mtn. are severely windblown and drifted with snow. The map showed a fairly straight-forward tourist trail directly from the parking lot to the summit. I was off trail before I reached the tree line! The worst part, was that I tried very hard to find the trail, and could not. I had a gut-wrenching feeling that my day was long from over. With an aerial view of RMNP in my mind, my snowshoes, and several hours of daylight remaining, I felt relatively confident in marching through the trees in the direction I knew I had to go. Again, within minutes, the stakes were raised - the snow was too soft for my snowshoes. I was plunging into waist deep snow every other step (time to buy those snowshoe tail extensions for use with heavier packs). It didn't stop here though. God decided to test my faith that day. As the snow-clouds dropped to about head height, I pondered digging a snow cave now (while still warm, un-injured, & fresh), or marching on to regain the trail until I could no longer go. I chose the latter of the two. I hope I passed His test that day, because I did a 
lot of praying, and trusted that He would lead me in the right direction. I pulled out my compass and took a reading on the last of the visible valley below. Within minutes, the clouds would drop to the point that I could see nothing but snow and gray, in every direction. "God...if you want me home tonight to celebrate New Years Eve with my lovely wife and precious daughter, you're going to have get me back to the car."
Hours later, I ran smack into a trail junction (4+ miles out of the way) that directed me to Bear Lake. I got back to the car around 5:00pm/30 min. past sunset. I called Shelly (3 hrs. late) to let her know I was alive. By 6:30pm, I was on the floor of my living room cuddling with Holly - Thanks God! And Happy new Year!!
- Winter ascents alone...Bad Idea!
- Winter ascents alone and descent routes on unfamiliar trail...Very Bad Idea!!
My inaugural season to ice climbing. I'm hooked. Off to the budget committee (my wife Shelly) to submit my request for a few new gear purchases....crampons, better gloves, some better shell garments, and...oh yeah some ice axes?? Well that was shot down quicker than Clinton's chance at another term after his cigar trick! I guess I'll have to continue borrowing gear and saving my lunch money. My friend Jack and I went ice climbing in Boulder Canyon several times this season. It's close proximity and 5 minute approach makes it ideal for his spontaneous schedule. We made a trip to Hidden Falls in RMNP, but didn't manage to get back this season. We also made it to Lincoln Falls twice - wow - I wish we lived closer to that. I wish I had taken some pictures of that! It was the thickest, deepest colored blue ice I'd ever seen.
I was gradually able to build up my gear arsenal and enjoy our outings a little better each time. Warm hands and feet are key to having a good time. End of season sales - If you can wait - your wallet (and if you have one, your budget committee) will be pleased.
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