Wham Ridge!

After about 6 years of being told that Vestal Peak's Wham Ridge is a must do climb, and 6 years after climbing my first Weminuche Wilderness peaks, it finally happened.  We hiked in the 8 or so miles to camp below the peak, and blasted off the next morning fairly early.  Thankfully thunderstorms were moving in very late in the day.


With four people, we brought two ropes and racks and simul-climbed the first 400 to 600 feet of the steep terrain... the fun thing was, we simul-climbed right next to each other... not the best idea in case of a fall, but that wasn't really an option anyway.  Running it out 60 feet, casually looking down at the last piece, and not really caring was commonplace.  


We climbed 2 or 3 normal belayed pitches after the long simul-climb, after which the rock got more blocky and loose, so we unroped for the last few hundred feet to the top.  That was the scary part for me, blocks, ledges, wandering route finding, and that awkward balance - a rope slows down the group and might knock rocks off but helps the mental game and safety game.  Anyway, I was relieved to top out the 4th class junk near the top and reach the summit.






After hearing rumor for years that the "Dues Collector" descent to the Arrow-Vestal saddle was "horrendous," our friend that had tried both descents informed us that the descent to the Vestal-West Trinity saddle was much better, we took that and it was actually pretty nice.  Rough and steep, but secure and not too exposed... after the top of Wham Ridge, it felt casual.



Then we got to walk through some Tolkien-esque landscape below Vestal back to camp.

The hike partway out that afternoon and the next day was long, made us all sore, but overall was uneventful. This trip was a good push, a reminder of why I like ultralight backpacking - without climbing gear, and a great time with friends exploring creation.

Summer Sale!

EDITED 9/4/12 - Pricing back to normal listed prices - I'm plenty busy right now.  Thanks!

Temporary price drops for summer, yes, all of summer:

Frame Bag base price $100

Seat Bag $90

Bar Bag $65

That's $10 off each of the big items, or a total of $30 off the full collection - that'll buy you a bit more trip food!
I have more time to sew in the summer than in the school year so may as well use it.
There's a few bar bags already in stock ready to ship out too!
Here's the latest:
16" Karate Monkey, map pocket, tapered and padded, hydration tube hole, bright orange lining.  Came out super nice.

Grenadiers!

With two days off work and an itch to wiggle I ran off into the Grenadier Range of the Weminuche Wilderness area with a light pack and a plan....

At 4:20 AM in Vestal Creek basin, I started walking... Three peaks were on the menu for the day - The Trinity Traverse, served with loads of Class 2+ and Class 3 scrambling, with a bit of Class 4 chimney, tons of exposure, and high weather commitment... not the best place to be in a storm.






After topping out the last peak, the descent was supposed to be a straightforward Class 2 descent... and it was, for a while. So I took some flower pictures... then I got off route and things got scary again.


There was some pretty lichen - the color variety here is neat.

 


Then I got back below treeline, had a nap while the thunderstorms came through intent on having the rest of the day off, had dinner at 2:00 PM, read my Bible for a while, then got bored...... Arrow was calling, and I answered... and started walking in earnest, this time at 4:20 PM. The exposure on Arrow freaked me out enough I barely took any pictures, and just climbed as fast as possible.... besides being scared I also didn't want to downclimb that Class 3 - 4 mess in the dark. The route up Arrow follows the prominent ramp on the left side.
 
On the summit I snapped two pictures, took a shot of honey, crossed my fingers, and dropped in... on the way down I ended up on a different route variation, this time on the outside of the prominent ramp instead of the inside. It wasn't really any easier...
So after four scrambling peaks and a lot of scare in one day, I ate my last dinner and decided to hike out a day early. Thank you Lord for safety and the beauty of Your Creation!

Wetterhorn

Climbing.... with a Lady!

Yep, that's right.  My girlfriend just climbed Independence Monument in sneakers, on a super windy day - gusts up to 60 mph according to the weather man.

So I just had to put my arm around her so she wouldn't blow away!

Our friends F and S were along for the action too.  It was good.... and scary..... to be lead climbing again.  I was glad for a toprope on the last pitch...

Who's that guy reflected in her glasses?

We made a pi shaped apple pie for church potluck.  Its so nice to be living only 7 miles away instead of 300!

Our expressions here are just..... priceless.  Oh Yeah.

There's also two more bags out to a couple Horrible Mean Trolls right here in Grand Junction.

Tabeguache

Wednesday I finished finals and the first half of school, Thursday morning I hit the trail for another try at thru-riding the Tabeguache Trail from Grand Junction to Montrose. The first 50 miles has no reliable water and is really hot. I had to take breaks in the shade every half hour or so.... and was dreaming about the water pipe at Big Dominguez Campground. Mmmmm water. MMMMM.... sweating out lots of salt - good thing I started with 6 liters of pre-salted water to replenish!
9 mile hill...hot stuff.

There's millions of these yellow guys up on the Uncompaghre Plateau.

The (Divide) Road goes ever on and on....

Somewhere up there I missed the turn off for the Roubedeuix, which I was partly planning to skip anyway - my legs were shot.... I was crawling, even on a perfect dirt road. So I actually didn't ride any of the second half of the Tabeguache Trail proper, but rather continued on the Divide Road to the top of Spring Creek Trail, and rode it all the way out to Lower Spring Creek Trail for a nice interesting finish. After gravel grinding on the Divide Road, I was ready for a change. The mud, roots, stream crossing, and swamps of upper Spring Creek were a welcome relief and a taste of New York trails, but without the mosquitoes. The more technical riding was also more entertaining.

Then, best of all, I was picked up at the trailhead by my friend and fellow conspirator Fritz, who packed that night to ride the Tabeguache the other direction - I ride to Montrose, drop him off at the trailhead, drive his car back to Grand Junction, then he rides here on the Tabeguache, I pick him up, and then he gets back in time for work Monday morning! It was a hard trail... my legs are done in for a few days, but it was certainly a good challenge.
Stats for those that care:
Hours ridden: 14 day one, 11 day two.
Miles: 133 total plus another 11.3 to the trailhead.

In sewing/job news, I'll actually be working 30 hours/week at the Grand Junction Math and Science Center, teaching kids day camps, sewing will be part time on top of that but I should be able to keep up with all your orders just fine - much better than during the school year!

Most exciting of all, my girlfriend is moving to town tomorrow!