Spring Break '07

The stars aligned, for once. I had a week off, Ian had 3 days free, and the weather forecast was spectacular. Easy decision – I was spending my spring break in Colorado. Enough daydreaming, reading trip reports, picture gazing, wishing – we both needed a fix. We were going to climb…a lot.


3 days, 20 pitches...


Day 1: Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs


Ian gearing up.


Ian hand/finger jammin'.


Day 2: Eldorado Canyon, Colorado


Ian on the infamous Bastille Crack, Pitch 1 - the crack crossover.


Bastille Crack, pitch 3.


Nice rack - the fruits of years of scrimping, saving, and REI dividends. With our gear combined, Ian and I have been able to finally put together a respectable climbing rack. It sure makes those trad climbs a bit more enjoyable.



The Bastille from afar. The Bastille Crack (5 pitches, 5.7 trad) climbs the obvious crack system up the middle of the face. Can you spot the party half way up the climb? (Hint - you'll have to zoom in.)



Tuckered out after a huge day which started before sunrise and ended rapping off the rock in the dark.


Day 3: The Sheep's Nose, South Platte Area Colorado.


No trip to the South Platte rock would be complete without a stop at The Doughnut Mill in Woodland Park - breakfast of champions.



Pitch 2 of "Lost in Space" (5.9 trad, 4 pitches). One word - "exposure". In climbing speak, that means you look down and see nothing but hundreds of feet of air directly beneath your feet. It's what makes climbing fun, and scary.



Ian taking in the view from the top of the Sheep's Nose - quite spectacular despite being in the middle of a forest fire burn area. Pike's Peak is in the distance.



Me on top of Sheep's Nose. We couldn't have asked for better weather for the week.



Bloody knuckles - a sign of a great day of crack climbing.




Ahhhhh, best friends. At the end of 3 incredible days.

Amelia

If you are a person who prays...please pray for Amelia Allen. She is a 4 month old baby girl recently diagnosed with leukemia. She is the daughter of Steve and Jen Allen - two very wonderful people who live in St. Louis. They hosted me back in February '05 when I was interviewing for med school there. They were more than gracious and welcoming to me. If you are willing, please pray for the health and cure of their daughter and for strength and hope for them. You can follow Amelia's progress at this website: http://ameliaallen.wordpress.com/.