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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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paul roehl
Boulder climber
california
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Wow! What a remarkable idea. Just when you thought it had all been invented! How about canisters that contain a charge?
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Scott Cole
Trad climber
Jackson, WY^
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So,my battery powered coffee grinder is OK in the Winds after all! FAs are everywhere in the Winds, if you are willing to hike, and most of the rock is excellent. Like the Sierra Nevada, but better!
Scole
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Captain...or Skully
Social climber
Boise....
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That place just lends itself to great pics, huh?
Yours are fabuloso. Woot!
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guido
Trad climber
Santa Cruz/New Zealand/South Pacific
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Great posting-thanks
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dee ee
Mountain climber
citizen of planet Earth
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So cool!
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divad
Trad climber
wmass
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Thanks for the TR, adam. I'm headed that way next week and it was great to see this.
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N0_ONE
Social climber
Utah
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Nice! Thanks!
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mucci
Trad climber
The pitch of Bagalaar above you
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Aug 10, 2009 - 03:07am PT
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Man what a way to learn how to climb!
Fantastic Report and nice FA's
Looks like Team Cirque had toooo much fun up there!
Good show, great read.
Mucci
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Prod
Trad climber
A place w/o Avitars apparently
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Aug 10, 2009 - 07:28am PT
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Way to get at it.
Prod.
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mason805
Trad climber
East Bay, CA
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That's a beautiful place, where is that?
Great TR.
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Captain...or Skully
Social climber
Idaho, also. Sorta, kinda mostly, Yeah.
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Wyoming, yo?
West Central. Dig it. The Winds.
Big as All OutDoors, there.
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mason805
Trad climber
East Bay, CA
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Then I'll have to head out that way next summer. Looks dreamy.
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homemade salsa
Trad climber
west tetons
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Hey Adam- Nice TR. I worked one of those Cathedral ROCs back in something like 1999. I did the Sweet Lady route- stout and steep at the crux. We went in from Dickinson Park and climbed some crazy domes just N of the roadhead on our way in.
Those are some of the best courses at the school.
I also did the first one that went Little Sandy to Deep Lake back in maybe 1994 with Pete Absolon- so much fun to wander around, find perfect granite, and put up climbs. Then to onsight routes like all those on Haystack, Steeple (as a thunderstorm rolled in). And you did mention the fishing...
Good job with the climbing, the instructing, and the great photos.
Lynne Wolfe
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adam d
climber
closer to waves than rock
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Topic Author's Reply - Oct 2, 2009 - 01:30am PT
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Thanks Lynne,
The ROC is a good course for sure. I got the RM to start doing one 4 week ROC a summer a few years ago and I like that as well. More travel, kind of like a WMT but only rock. The first one I led we started in the Cathedral Cirque and made our way past Geike, Midsummer Night's Dome, Bonneville, and Nylon. Great climbing and time for independent student group expeditions for the last 3 days to the road head.
I envy you getting to work Deep Lake with Pete back then...good times in the mountains I'm sure!
Adam
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