Willow Crossing / New Bridge to Area A

It's never been better.

August 26, 2008: By completely removing both old log jams/beaver dams/bridges to Area A in the Mount Evans Wilderness Area AND rebuiding 2 new ones, I'm hopeful this swampy zone will no longer be a bog. By accumulating water and holding it in the area 24 hours a day for 7 months a year after the April thaw, the boggy mess encouraged folks to leave the main social trail in search of dry footing, resulting in a threadwork of exits from the log jam on the far side. No more. Stay on the main social trail as much as possible here and elsewhere in this sensitive area, as this increases our clout with the wilderness rangers as a responsible user group. And yes, the rangers have said so. There is talk of a designated trail to our precious little rocks which would indefinitely preserve access. Take care of this place people. It's one of the country's best bouldering areas. More about this issue and our day can be seen at www.straightintoyerfacelam.blogspot.com/

we've all been there ...

High up and nowhere to go but UP.

April 21, 2007: Marcelo Montalva on Therapy Traverse, Lower Fern Canyon, Flatirons, CO. Ok, I'll admit I took these pics from too far away. That said, I was still close enough to sense the tension as Marcelo finished the first 30 feet of the "traverse" and began to slide across the sloping lip towards the perceived topout based on our best guess from Horan's Best of Boulder Bouldering guidebook. From the safety of my perch on a distant boulder, I felt bad for Ashley who was spotting the Meat Missile on a 45 degree slope. He was having enough trouble just standing on the hillside, much less spot the Delo effectively. What may surprise you though is that the sports action at the lip encounter scared even the Delo, if only for a moment. In that moment, he had to fully commit, trust his instincts, his balance, his kinesthetic awareness and to make smart movements that minimized his risk. He uncomfortably had nothing to actually crimp or pull on, just slopers to push down on, miles of air underneath him, a bad landing with a few pads that would have done very little IF he even hit them. The whole thing was a bad idea, but MM worked it out. Like I said, we've all been there ...

it's been awhile ... miss me?

I've been a little busy with the other blog and hooking up some new employment.

March 26, 2008: SNeel & Andy Raether on Dogwalker and Skywalker, respectively. I'm still taking photos, although most of them have been for the Flagstaff Mountain blog-guide. Nevertheless, I did make a quick trip this spring to check out the Walker Ranch stuff and, although limited, it did not disappoint. Of note, the rock on the Burnout Block looks and feels incredible.

My e-mail to Falcon Guides

"Dear Sir/Madam –

Your company is preparing to release Bob Horan’s “Bouldering Colorado”, a guidebook aiming to more comprehensively cover the outstanding bouldering opportunities found throughout Colorado. While I applaud the idea, it is with great disappointment that I learned that any of the bouldering contained in The Mount Evans Wilderness Area will be included and I hope Falcon will consider removing the section covering Mount Evans’ Area A or any other area located within the Wilderness Area.

Wilderness Areas are secluded spots, miles from roads and development of any kind. They are a place people go to get away, to enjoy the grandeur of the wild, which isn’t easy to do these days. In addition, the Northern Colorado Climbing Coalition has determined that officials for the management agencies in the Mount Evans drainage were not informed, consulted with or otherwise told of the upcoming guidebook’s release. Finally, access to the bouldering opportunities around Mount Evans is tenuous at best at this time. Local climbers are in the process of building relationships with the aforementioned land managers and release of this guidebook may irreparably damage those efforts. In addition, officials for the Wilderness Area are currently assessing spots already suffering climbing-associated impacts in an effort to get ahead of the curve and begin to assess ways we may give of our time to mitigate and/or reduce those impacts.

According to language contained within The Wilderness Act of 1964, Wilderness Areas “… shall be administered for the use and enjoyment of the American people in such manner that will leave them unimpaired for future use and enjoyment as wilderness, and so as to provide for the protection of these areas, the preservation of their wilderness character, and for the gathering and dissemination of information regarding their use and enjoyment as wilderness.” Recreation in Wilderness Areas is expected to be wild and dispersed. Release of this guidebook will certainly increase the total number of climber-days spent inside the boundaries of the Mount Evans Wilderness Area. More climber-days each season means more impacts. With a little logic, it’s easy to see that that more impacts means more administration by officials charged with managing the Mount Evans Wilderness Area.

I have spent close to 100 days inside the boundaries of the Mount Evans Wilderness Area - all without a guide - enjoying the bouldering opportunities that exist within its confines. A guide is unnecessary and by bringing more climbers, who will spent time hunting for the areas and problems not covered by Horan’s guide, social trails and other impacts will multiply.

At a minimum, please consider postponing inclusion of any bouldering found within the confines of the Mount Evans Wilderness Area until a later date. The other major publishers (Sharp End & Wolverine) have responsibly passed on their inclusion in upcoming guidebooks and responsible boulderers hope Falcon will do the same. It is the only choice, as closure of the bouldering areas within The Mount Evans Wilderness Area may be the unacceptable consequence of releasing Bouldering Colorado in its current form.

Warm regards,

Chip Phillips