Days 50 to 53: Boulder...I'll be back (when it's warmer!)

Rufus (back) and June Bug

I arrived at Jessie May, Robert, Dennis and Polly's house in Boulder late Tuesday night.  Robert and Polly were the only ones up at that time and after taking a much needed shower, I too retired for the night.  Jessie May is my soon to be step-sister (my mom is getting married this summer), Robert is her husband and Dennis and Polly are his parents.  They have a really cool home which employs solar panels and radiant floor heating for energy efficiency.  They also grow quite a bit of produce in their mini orchard and raised gardens and have two really friendly dogs, Rufus and June Bug.

L.D. representing!

On Wednesday I went out to explore Boulder but ended out getting sucked into the library for most of the day.  I really can't say enough about American libraries; I love them!  I also stopped by Neptune Mountaineering, the top climbing store in Boulder.  They had a great selection and I even saw my friend Matt's guide book from Taiwan sitting proudly on the shelf.  They also had an interesting exhibit on the history of climbing and the gear they used to use (glad its the 21st century and can't wait to hear what the next generation says about our gear).  For dinner Jessie May, Robert and I went to Sun Mountain Brewery for some delicious burgers and beer and for dessert we checked out the famous Glacier Ice-cream store, which was a real treat.

Jessie May, Robert and I

Robert had some free time on Thursday so he suggested going to the gym to get some climbing in.  Robert has been climbing in Boulder for about 10 years now and he's a really solid climber.  I hadn't planned on going to the gym in Boulder, a climbing mecca, but since the weather wasn't really cooperating, this was the next best option.  Because it was my first time I didn't need to pay and I was impressed with the size of the gym and the other facilities they offered.  We climbed for at least 3 hours and then stopped by Whole Foods to pick up some stuff for dinner.  At home, we made a great meal that included salad, lamb burgers, and some of Uncle Roberts delicata squash.  In the evening, I planned something to do then next day as the weather was breaking and the skies were meant to clear up.

Long's Peak Trail

Read: It's about to get a lot colder

Long's Peak and the Diamond (face)

It's colder than it looks at 3600m

The skies were indeed clear on Friday and it was the first time I was able to see the beautiful views that Boulder residents are treated to most days of the year.  I had decided to go to Rocky Mountain National Park for a high elevation hike out to Chasm Lake.  To get there I followed the Long's Peak trail most of the way, starting at about 9,400 ft (2864m) and finishing around 11,000 ft (3350m).  The trail ascended a steady, but moderate grade through pine forests for about 2 miles before entering the alpine tundra zone.  The dozens of animal tracks (dear, bobcat, and others unidentified) I encountered in the forest testified to how well the national park has maintained the habitat.  After passing into the alpine tundra area the trees began thinning out, which gave the frigid wind freedom to blow uninhibited.  The snow started getting deeper and the trail harder and harder to follow.  For much of the way up the mountain toward a ridge that overlooked Long's Peak it went something like this: step on hard snow, step on hard snow, step two feet through soft snow, hop up on a rock, repeat.  Being alone, I was nervous about twisting an ankle or smashing a knee on the rocks as I fell into the soft powder.  With the freezing wind whipping in my face, I trudged up the rocky slope until I reached a ridge.  My altimeter read 3600 meters and I could see the frozen lakes below.  The ridge provided great views of Long's Peak and the Diamond, one of America's most famous alpine big walls.  After enjoying the scenery and numbness of my nose I began my 4 mile descent.  Along the way I climbed a false peak of Battleship Mountain which involved some light scrambling and delicate bushwhacking. On the walk down I stopped by a Rocky Mountain stream and used the water to make a cup of tea.  With dusk quickly approaching, I made it back to the car and headed back to Boulder for some R&R.

Snow whipping over the top of Long's

Spinach Tamales

Eldo climbers, I'm jealous

A few of Eldorado Canyon's cliffs

After the market there was one more stop that I just had to make before leaving Boulder; Elorado Canyon.  Eldo is one of the best climbing spots in the Boulder area (and with the tremendous number of climbing spots in the area, that's saying a lot) and even though I didn't have time to climb it was great to see.  For about and hour and a half I hiked around some of the crags and saw some people braving the brisk weather for the love of climbing.  I was jealous but I had other cool things to do later in the day so I moved on, vowing to come back when the weather was warmer. 

From Boulder I drove westward, into the mountains, to a town called Keystone for a climbing film fest screening.  The Reel Rock Tour is a collection of 6 short climbing films and this was the only time I'd be able to see it on this trip.  The town of ski town of Keystone is high in the mountains (9,000+ ft) and needless to say the weather is a bit different there.  In fact, as I started getting higher the snow began falling.  In just two hours when I was enjoying the films they'd gotten about 4 inches of snow and that was nothing for them.  It was something for me though and it was the first time I'd driven in the snow in at least 5 years.  The films were great and really got me pumped to climb.  When the ended I weighed choices about where to go next between Moab or back to Shelf Road.  Since Shelf Road was closer, and I knew I could camp there, that's where I went.  The stressful driving lasted only about 45 minutes until I was low enough to avoid the snow.  When I finally arrived at Shelf Road again, I found some climbers who had a fire going and joined them.  More on that in the next posting.

Thanks again to Jessie May, Robert, Dennis, and Polly for letting me stay at their place in Boulder.  It was great and I'm sure I'll be back.