Tim, Jeremey, and Myself at the Royal Arch

For a nice morning hike, Tim, Jeremey, and I decided to hit the Royal Arch outside of Boulder. The view was fantastic, and it made for a really nice brisk morning hike before work. I'm really enjoying the quick access we have to different hikes here in Boulder.

A Very Excited Jonah

Forgive me for being a little random, but I'm feeling deep in thought and in need of expressing myself.
As I'm starting up my last set of classes for my Bachelor's degree, and with the kids starting school themselves soon, I can't help but feel nostalgic. I miss and admire the experience that my kids are getting over the next week or so - shopping for school clothes, picking out fun pencil boxes, getting folders and backpacks and other things that say something about who they are as little people. Every year school felt like a fresh start to me. I would show up with my stacks of blank paper and freshly sharpened pencils feeling optimistic, like I was really going to accomplish something this year. And ultimately, I did accomplish something - I grew up. For better or for worse that progression of events is inevitable.
Now the fresh starts in life aren't quite so well defined as the end of summer break or the start of a new year. A new pack of pencils isn't quite as fun as it used to be (although they still bring me back to a joyful reminiscence of my childhood). And there's generally no congratulations and 3 month long break at the end of a hard set of tasks accomplished. What's the point? I guess it's just that it makes me appreciate the little breaks that much more, and makes me admire and appreciate the stage that my own little boys are in their lives right now. It encourages me to make the most of it.

Lincoln Monument

This weekend I set off with Dane, Jadon, and Jonah for an adventure at Vedauwoo's amazing sherman granite rock formations.  Vedauwoo most likely comes from an Arapahoe word meaning "earth born".  It features some of the world's finest offwidth climbs, and is a popular destination for climbers all over the world.  Since Dane and I are still limited to sport climbing, we had to search for a while for some route options among the many traditional routes.  Vedauwoo's climbing ethics prevent bolts from being set near any cracks (which are suitable for pro gear) so the sport routes are mostly slabby climbs with few hand holds.

Jadon made his first full outdoor top rope ascent this weekend on Fall Wall's E.O. Friction (5.5).  He followed that up with an ascent on the neighboring E.O. Lieback (5.6).  Dane also achieved his first lead ascent on Beehive Buttress' Middle Staircase (5.7 PG).  The highlight of my weekend was at Beehive Buttress leading Water Streak (5.10a) - and of course cheering Jadon on in his ascents.

Not to leave Jonah out - he tried out a little climbing and was happy to help cheer on a provide comic relief.  At one point he looked at a beetle and exclaimed "Dad, look!  A baby gorilla with wings!"  The beetle declined a photo op.

Checkout the photo gallery here.

Full Picasa Gallery available at: http://ping.fm/0oaDh

On the road!

Makin smores!

Tetris teaches important life skills

Taking a break

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Climbing on Walt

Climbers on Walt

Coke Bottle (Right)

Inside Coke Bottle

Inside Coke Bottle

Jadon Climbing on Fall Wall

Jadon Climbing on Fall Wall

Jadon Climbing on Fall Wall

Jadon Climbing on Fall Wall

Jadon Ascends on Fall Wall

Jadon Climbing on Fall Wall

Breakfast

Breakfast

Breakfast

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Lincoln Monument

Lincoln Monument

Lincoln Monument

Lincoln Monument

Lincoln Monument

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Dane

Dane

Dane

Dane

On the road home

Conked out

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I hit a road trip to the Black Hills of South Dakota last weekend in search of some unique climbing and relaxing camping in the wake of Sylvan Lake, which has got to be one of the most beautiful little lakes I have ever seen.  Climbing the Needles was amazing, although my guidebook left a lot to be desired.  I've since been told that there is a little shop in Custer that sells climbing gear and some kind of guide cards that have good, up to date beta on the climbs.  That would have been useful knowledge beforehand, but I'm sure I'll return better armed next time.  The best spot up there for sport has got to be the Moonlight Ridge area, which is near the Needles Eye on Needles Highway.

Check out the photo gallery here, or on Picasa.

Check out the photos on Picasa: http://ping.fm/UsfN3

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I like to take my boys out for a breakfast treat on the Saturday mornings that I have them. This morning, at their request, we went to the Original Pancake House in Boulder, CO. As I looked at the menu I realized I would have to get creative to find something friendly with my Paleo palette.

I asked for the two egg platter with sausage links (I know the sausage isn't strictly Paleo, but I don't do open meals, and rarely eat processed meats).  The only problem was that they came with a stack of buttermilk pancakes - delicious, but not what I wanted.  I asked if I could substitute the cakes with a bowl of fruit.  They sacked me for an extra $2.50 to do so, but went along with my request.  The fruit turned out to be mixed with some canned peaches, which I just ate around since they spent most of their existence suspended in corn syrup.  The end result was $9 for eggs and sausage and small bowl of fruit.

Not my best Paleo dining experience, but I walked away knowing I could have put way worse into my body.

Adam atop "Road to Eisengard"

This weekend's climb was at The Watermark in Boulder Canyon. After initially getting off course and attempting some climbs at Vampire Rock (which we thought was The Watermark until it became apparent that a route I was attempting was a 5.12 and not a 5.8), we did a little bushwhacking and found our site the hard way (it's actually quite close to the highway if you just follow the guide *blush*). The Watermark is a lot of fun, and has several routes with names inspired by Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" series.

I led my first 5.10 outdoors here (Minas Tireth 5.10a). I was unable to on-sight it, but was satisfied just to be able to push through and make a personal milestone. I've included some photos and a video that highlights the crux of the climb.

Check out more photos of the climb.

Check out the full Picasa gallery at http://ping.fm/Gqrqm.

Silliness

Jadon Mantling

Climbing Neighbors