Last weekend Sir Jason Bakewell, Ryan and I left the Great Plains and Rockies respectively for a taste of granite splitter cracks in Wyoming’s Vedauwoo.
Vedauwoo is a high altitude meadow with wildflowers, streams, aspen groves and stacks of massive blocks interrupting the green landscape. The rock formations look like a giant toddler was playing with a granite Lego set before getting bored and Oozinating some of his buddies.
After Jason and I cruised up some beautiful lines in Eldorado Canyon, we hit the road in time to do some short Friday evening climbs in Vedauwoo.
Testing the wind, Bakewell geared up for an unknown 5.2.
On Saturday we woke up late, had a cup of coffee and hiked through a vibrant marsh to Reynolds Hill. Jason roped up for the onsight of Maiden, a perfect hand crack that got our blood flowing.
(Left) Jason starting up Maiden
We continued with a fantastic dihedral crack of varying width, Pooh Corner before scrambling to probably the most aesthetic line of the trip, Climb and Punishment.
Climb and Punishment began with a slightly overhanging, slightly too thin crack. I thought if I could struggle through the cruxy beginning by laying it back that I would be able to pull into the crack and finish the climb with traditional jams. Unfortunately, the crack flared and I could never reach far enough in to establish a quality hand jam. After about 25 feet of struggling, I finally peeled and entered the crack from the classic hang dog position.
(Left) Me demonstrating exactly what not to do on a splitter crack.
We then hiked to Spindle Spire where our fist to off width technique was tested on the grunty Wrist Ranger
(Right) Ryan about to discover that an inch can feel like a mile when you’re in an off width
We ended our day with Grand Central Station, a cool line of two parallel cracks on different sides of a left facing dihedral. The beta was to cross your arms over, getting a right fist jam in the left crack and a left hand jam in the right crack while bumping feet up the left crack. Cool.
The next morning we woke up and did a few lines by our campsite at East L.A then ventured to Space Oddity, a sport line that is probably the hardest climb I’ve ever tried to lead. It starts in a vertical chimney, takes a 90 degree turn into a horizontal chimney requiring a pleasant belly slither before standing up on a ledge and being greeted with 100 feet of business. There are no rests and no moves easier than 5.11+. Last time I was at Vedauwoo I left the thrid bail biner on the route. This time I made it to a merciful fixed ring 8 bolts up. Next time maybe I’ll finish the route. If I ever climb this line clean, I might retire on a high note.
(Left) Me wondering why I do this
The trip ended rather abruptly when a violent hailstorm interrupted our pleasant trip up E.O. Lieback. When close thunder signaled imminent drenching, I ran up the crack as fast as I could, trailing a rope so we could double rope rappel as far down the boulder field as possible as fast as possible. As I was setting up the rappel, a crack-boom less than a hundred meters away sent a shiver down my spine and the hail began. By the time I reached the base of the climb, a minute at most, I was soaked and in a hurry to get out of there. Jason had already packed up and hiked down. Ryan and I simulrapped and scurried back to the car. In five minutes, the rain and clouds were gone and the blue skies gave no clue of the immediate past.
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