Mr. Wimpy

Hearing that my friend Mike's car broke down yesterday and his girlfriend, Jen, needed to get to work in Rocky today, I had no choice but to elect to drive her up to Estes. As it turns out, Mr. Wimpy had shut me down last Thursday when I was back at The Kind with Jordan and Dave and Ashley's crew, so I was dying to get back on the problem.

It was looking like it was going to be a repeat of Thursday, when I flew past the crux of the problem on my first serious attempt, yet was unable to finish through the final moves.

Keeping a curious watch on the clouds that seemed to be billowing in on me from every direction, I decided that it was now or never (at least for this day).

With my caffeine levels just about maxed out, I let the sound of the stream nearby fill my head and drown out the chatter of approaching tourists. As I grabbed the starting hold and posted my feet, I began the problem I have attempted numerous times in the past couple of weeks. Suddenly I wasn't feeling like a Mr. Wimpy. Moving past the crux, I made a crucial foot adjustment; though subtle, the heal I had now allowed me to drop down into a critical hold that I needed to make the last throw for the lip. Gathering the last bit of strength I had left, I mantled out Mr. Wimpy with a heartfelt, yet great full "you bastard!"

I gathered my things and made my way up towards Emerald to see if I could spot the infamous Large and Real Large when, moments upon my arrival the rain began to make itself known. Hiking out with an ear-to-ear smile plastered across my face, I took the time to explain what was on my back to every tourist that presented the question. It was a good day.

Kind Boulder day 2

I wish I had one thing to say: today I got Mr. Wimpy. Unfortunately, I can't say that as I didn't. With another beautiful day at Rocky, I thought I was most certainly going to send the problem I fell in love with last Thursday. I was feeling really strong and my first serious effort propelled me through the crux though, having slight difficulties on the finish, I decided to (idiotically) remove myself from the problem. I continued working Mr. Wimpy and sequenced through the crux several more times, though I was unable to muster enough gusto for the finish.

A while later, Ashley made her way down from Chaos with the local Red Feather man, none other than Jacob. Jordan, Ashley, Jacob, and David spent some time at a more moderate boulder that, after a full day in Rocky, didn't feel as "moderate" as described.

Jordan and I hiked out a bit later and made a stop at Ed's, where I felt like I could have eaten the owners out of their business, had it been a buffet. Even though I didn't get Mr. Wimpy, it was a beautiful day and I was glad to get out climbing with Jordan again. All in all, it was a good day.

Rocky Mountain Adventures

I woke up early today and met up with an acquaintance to go climbing with Ashley and David (two of the nicest people I have ever met) in Rocky Mountain National Park. My first time in RMNP, I decided to go with David and the girls to Emerald Lake, founding ourselves at the Kind Boulder with a couple of other climbers.

After a warm-up or two, I started to work out the Kind. In only about three or four tries I had nabbed the ascent! What an amazing line that is; I will have to agree with its classic status. While I wish I could state that many more climbs were ascended, that is not the story of the day for me. Enticed by another line on the Kind, Mr. Wimpy, I wore my tips out repeatedly attempting to work out the moves on the problem. While I was able to pull through the crux move independently, I was having a hard time sequencing into it . . . my first RMNP project (of many to come). A group of Japanese (or other Pacific Island descent) climbers showed up and began campusing the Kind . . . they were an interesting group of kids that certainly pulled hard. I believe a couple of them were working on the Kind Traverse.

Hiking out in a gentle rain that turned a bit harder, we got back to the car tired, hungry, and a little damp. A quick stop at Ed's allowed us to procure a drink or two and some much needed grub. I also ran into my friend Shawna bartending at Ed's where she poured me a not-so-modest helping of Don Julio 1942 . . . delicious. My acquaintance and I returned to Fort Collins and had a hard time watching a movie due to the droopy nature of our eyelids.

The next morning, while I was sleeping, she used my shower, flipped through a couple of magazines, used my internet, and possibly stole my pants. I know, this sounds odd, but I can't find them anywhere. This girl is a rafting guide in Clear Creek and I had run into her in Fort Collins a couple of days in a row when I decided she might have a fun time up in Rocky. I thought I was being an accommodating person, giving her some amenities that she had been lacking throughout the summer. I wish I could have told her my pants weren't included in my accommodations.