As usual, click on a picture to see it in detail.
First thing we did this year was get dad on the rock. Dad did
his first ever rock climb. The first pitch of the 1st Flat Iron (rated 5.6),
on the west end of Boulder (no picture, we forgot the camara that day). To
give you an idea of what dad did (this is not the most accurate description
of ratings), keep in mind that climbs are rated from 1.0 to 5.14¹ (on the
Yosemite system, started in you guessed it, Yosemite, CA). The first number
is basically a risk indicator, where 1 is walking on a sidewalk and 5 means
there is risk of severe injury or death (without proper safety gear AND
usage). The second number indicates the difficulty in completing the climb,
with 0 being the easiest, and 14 the hardest (originally 10 was the hardest,
but at technology (shoes and safety gear) advanced, and the sport grew, limits
were pushed and folks started climbing even harder). Please keep in mind that
this is just a brief intro to ratings, and that much campfire (and other)
time is spent discussing them, and that ratings are often very subjective.
|
Along the way, we practiced our map reading skills. It really is amazing how much more detail you see than is shown on a topographic map. However, Canyon Lands was definetly an interesting and easy place to get used to using a topo map, since there are so many features visible on the map. |
The next day we got up and drove (4 wheeling) up to Salt Creek Canyon -
a veritable oasis in the desert. Salt Creek Canyon, and apparently quite of
|
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
In the farthest left photo, I'm showing off my brand new and entirely huge back pack, which worked great. I'm so glad I went to all the shops in boulder trying out all sorts of packs, and spent at least 1.5 hours in the final shop adjusting, walking, readjusting, walking, readjusting... Anyway, I probably had about 50% more weight than dad, but I think my pack was much more comfortable than the ancient external fram pack dad was using. |
![]() |
![]() ![]() |
![]() |
![]() ![]() |
¹
I've read that recent Chris Sharma finally broke the 5.15 barrier. Since I haven't been climbing or keeping up with the climbing community, I don't know if there is any contention on this claim.