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adam d
climber
CA
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Topic Author's Original Post - Aug 7, 2009 - 01:55am PT
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I just rolled back into Lander after a 21 day Backcountry Rock course for NOLS in the Winds and I thought I’d share a bit. I've been working for NOLS for 10 years, but just a course or two each summer. 12 students, average age 18, and 3 instructors, we spent our first 5 days hiking and doing the typical wilderness and leadership curriculum, then got rerationed by horse with 15 days of food and all our climbing equipment just a mile and a half from our climbing base camp in the Cathedral Cirque. As always it was great to see students get excited by the mountains and climbing and gain a lot of skills in a short time.
Hiking in. Pinto Park looking west to the Cirque of the Towers
http://www.flickr.com/photos/adamdale/3793341194/in/set-72157621831645491/
Looking down at Sanford Park from the High Meadow Lake trail
http://www.flickr.com/photos/adamdale/3792531201/in/set-72157621831645491/
the Cathedral Buttress. A Royal Robbins route “Orion’s Reflection” (5.9 A2 I believe) goes up the center.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/adamdale/3793351050/in/set-72157621831645491/
learning to fly fish
http://www.flickr.com/photos/adamdale/3792537491/in/set-72157621831645491/
got one
http://www.flickr.com/photos/adamdale/3793357168/in/set-72157621831645491/
our main cragging spot…the Hall of Splitters
http://www.flickr.com/photos/adamdale/3792554097/in/set-72157621831645491/
Crack technique demo
http://www.flickr.com/photos/adamdale/3793372694/in/set-72157621831645491/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/adamdale/3793373660/in/set-72157621831645491/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/adamdale/3793380372/in/set-72157621831645491/
learning to climb the Wide
she went from not getting off the ground on this thing to sending it clean in a couple days.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/adamdale/3792570013/in/set-72157621831645491/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/adamdale/3792576039/in/set-72157621831645491/
A great 5 pitch 10c line “Papa Splitter
http://www.flickr.com/photos/adamdale/3793399324/in/set-72157621831645491/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/adamdale/3792584745/in/set-72157621831645491/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/adamdale/3793403942/in/set-72157621831645491/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/adamdale/3793406136/in/set-72157621831645491/
The Hall of Splitters. Great TR and single pitch climbs on the bottom two tiers with amazing huge ledges. Papa Splitter goes up the rust colored dihedral R of center.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/adamdale/3793406794/in/set-72157621831645491/
Sometimes you need some natural consequences…after some timeliness issues one morning many folks were just rolling out of bed when we were supposed to be meeting, so we left them in camp for the day and another instructor and I took one student who was on the ball and put up a new 7 pitch 5.9 (mostly 5.7ish) line up the formation opposite our camp. The line we initially tried didn’t go for us so we did a 200’ traverse right on a descending ledge system which led Matt to name the climb “Ramble On”.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/adamdale/3793413294/in/set-72157621831645491/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/adamdale/3793415746/in/set-72157621831645491/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/adamdale/3793416444/in/set-72157621831645491/
mostly good weather but we did get a few quality storms and some accumulating hail
http://www.flickr.com/photos/adamdale/3793418452/in/set-72157621831645491/
but the sunshine returns
http://www.flickr.com/photos/adamdale/3793418866/in/set-72157621831645491/
Even at the Hall of Splitters we did find some routes that weren’t amazing cracks
http://www.flickr.com/photos/adamdale/3793421806/in/set-72157621831645491/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/adamdale/3792612903/in/set-72157621831645491/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/adamdale/3792614087/in/set-72157621831645491/
but the cracks…oh the cracks
http://www.flickr.com/photos/adamdale/3793433784/in/set-72157621831645491/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/adamdale/3793436566/in/set-72157621831645491/
sometimes we cowered…from bugs, weather or just getting spanked on a route
http://www.flickr.com/photos/adamdale/3793435558/in/set-72157621831645491/
Another highlight was heading up to do an amazing clean corner multipitch route called Sweet Lady 5.9 with two students. Sweet Lady was wet but my eyes were drawn to the cracks next to the arête to the right. Mostly 5.7-8 cracks with a bit of a spicy 5.9 pitch sting in the tail to exit with rounded cracks, licheny face and some choss. We ended up calling it Dulce de Lady
http://www.flickr.com/photos/adamdale/3792641093/in/set-72157621831645491/
Getting started
http://www.flickr.com/photos/adamdale/3792622291/in/set-72157621831645491/
clean cracks
http://www.flickr.com/photos/adamdale/3792624669/in/set-72157621831645491/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/adamdale/3793440608/in/set-72157621831645491/
getting to put up a fun 5.9 FA in the backcountry for your first multipitch climb ever…priceless. A little shivering is good too.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/adamdale/3792627939/in/set-72157621831645491/
the view isn’t bad either
http://www.flickr.com/photos/adamdale/3792630713/in/set-72157621831645491/
More sweet cracks and good ledges on the arête (sweet lady corner down and right)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/adamdale/3793448196/in/set-72157621831645491/
summits matter
http://www.flickr.com/photos/adamdale/3793450050/in/set-72157621831645491/
students on the sharp end at the crag
http://www.flickr.com/photos/adamdale/3793453042/in/set-72157621831645491/
Hiking out we camped at an amazing waterslide the before hitting the trailhead and getting picked up to head back to Lander
http://www.flickr.com/photos/adamdale/3792642735/in/set-72157621831645491/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/adamdale/3793466106/in/set-72157621831645491/
great climbs, great folks, great times in the mountains…
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billygoat
climber
3hrs to El Cap Meadow, 1.25hrs Pinns, 42min Castle
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Fukking sick! Hall of splitters looks awesome.
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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what a great place, thanks for sharing!
I've only been to the Cirque of the Towers a couple of times, there is so much more to do there....
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Misha
Trad climber
Woodside, CA
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Glorious! Thanks for sharing. I will be there in 3 weeks
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eeyonkee
Trad climber
Golden, CO
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I wanna go! Thanks for posting.
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happiegrrrl
Trad climber
New York, NY
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Man - does that look like a beautiful place to be.
Funny - to leave the sleepy ones in camp for the day!
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mooser
Trad climber
seattle
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Great pics, great vibe in your TR, and man o man...I want to go to there! Thanks for the post!
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MH2
climber
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Powerful scenery, good-looking smiles, and fabulous water slide!
Enviable absence of brush.
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mrtropy
Trad climber
Nor Cal
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Awesome Spot Thanks
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Roxy
Trad climber
CA Central Coast
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awesome!!!!!
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SteveW
Trad climber
The state of confusion
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Great report--loved the water slide!!!!
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Zander
Trad climber
Berkeley
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Great Stuff,
It would have been fun to do something like that when I was that age.
Zander
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booze
Social climber
pirate ship
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absolutely killer.
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TKingsbury
Trad climber
MT
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Very, very nice!
Thanks for posting up!
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, Ca.
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Those cracks look really sweet, very cool adventure!!!!
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klk
Trad climber
cali
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my favorite part:
"rerationed by horse with food and climbing equipment"
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adam d
climber
CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 7, 2009 - 01:24pm PT
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Mine too...Having horsepackers bring in over 200 lbs of climbing gear and 15 days of food for 15 people 20 miles...priceless. (and she was cute to boot).
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
sorry, just posting out loud.
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so chill
I keep thinking about horse packing back country deals, or maybe just Llama pack. But then you have to live down the llama love jokes.
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adam d
climber
CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 7, 2009 - 01:54pm PT
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and keep yourself out of the horsepacker/llama feuds. not friendly 'round here. My co-instructor who joined us at that reration used to work for a local llama packer and he kept that on the DL during the time he was at the ranch and riding in. Good choice.
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adam d
climber
CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 7, 2009 - 01:59pm PT
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Here's something ya'll may not have seen before...an electric bear fence.
runs on 2 D batteries for ~2 weeks. Under special permit to use them with the FS. Way convenient, effective and lighter than canisters or hang ropes overall for a big group. Just be sure to turn it off before you try to step over!
evidence:
http://www.nols.edu/resources/research/movies/bearfence_xl.shtml
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