Backpacking in Lost Creek Wilderness

When: September 10th-12th, 2010

Start: Goose Creek Trailhead, Lost Creek Wilderness

Destination: Shaft House Area

Caitlin and I decided to finally get in a backpacking trip just as the Fall colors were starting. We decided to check-out a place that my roommate was just a few days before us as the scenery looked just amazing.

We took off late on Friday and drove to the trail head as quick as possible (lets just say the Honda Civic tore-up the last 14 miles of dirt-road to the trail head) and arrived to the parking lot with the sun just about to set and darkness setting in really quickly.

We took off down the trail moving as quickly as possible to try to take advantage of the last glowing hints of evening sun, but we quickly found ourselves hiking in the dark. The trail is relatively easy with the first chunk of it on a smooth hillside just above the creek. At one point it does climb far above the valley and with the looming trees (and moonless night) we encountered some seriously dark hiking. Out comes the headlamps and what seems like an eternity of rolling trail we eventually got to the turn-off to the “Shaft House”.

Relieved that we finally hit the turn-off we hiked-up this new trail with no idea of where we would camp. In the pitch dark we occasionally smelled some campfire smoke, hear some bumps in the night, and eventually set-up behind a massive boulder. The sheer darkness and absolute stillness of the night made it challenging to get our bearings.

Morning was an unbelievable site. Huge granite rock-formations everywhere with thick forest and the beautiful fall colors just starting to show.

We hiked out to a overlook over a massive valley with an incredible array of large domes, massive boulders, and a creek wandering through the middle.  With the help of some guys that were camped nearby we learned that it was possible to get all the way to the creek bottom. We scrambled all the way to the far stream in the picture below:

Views from the Shaft House Lost Creek Wilderness

Attempting the get to the creek bottom was a major event in itself. With a significant amount of rock hopping and scrambling (sometimes over great exposure), we had to drop through chimney’s, climb over knife-edges, do some sketchy jumping over crevasses, all while trying to pick out which route would be possible. Awesome stuff!

Once we were at the stream we were rewarded with a Wild Raspberry Bush!!!:

Picking Raspberries in the Lost Creek Wilderness

Hanging out down at the stream-bed (ie Andy falling into the stream):

On the hike out we found a little more direct route but had to take this insanely sketchy, rusted-out ladder that was precariously perched between a couple boulders (not bolted into the rock), above a pretty gnarly ravine. Here Caitlin shows her discontentment with me taking photos instead of holding the ladder steady:

Sketchy Mining Ladder Lost Creek Wilderness

Once back to the top we had to relocate our campsite to this one with a phenomenal view of the valley around us. Then off for more exploring.

Caitlin at the old Shaft House (they actually tried to pump concrete into the ground to seal-up all of the rocks to form a reservoir where we hiked earlier in the day; luckily they failed):

We snagged a sweet spot from the guys we ran into previously. Our campsite had to be one of the most scenic locations I have ever slept:

Amazing Campsite at Lost Creek Wilderness

We built a fire on top of the massive rock formation and hung out looking at the stars in a perfect moonless night:

Hiking out of our camping spot was fun. We were completely protected on all sides by rock cliffs, boulders, and tight squeezes. Here is what we had to do to get out of there:

Tight passage between boulders at Lost Creek Wilderness

We hiked out with minimal water (the filter was not working well) and towards the end the heat of the day caught-up to us and made the last climb out of the valley very hard. Once back to the car (which was in direct hot sunshine) we raced out of there and headed down the dirt-road to where the road went over the river; we desperately needed to cool off and clean off the grime!

The drive home was a little different as we stopped at Zoka’s for lunch (amazing as usual) and then headed towards Breckenridge over Kenosha and Hoosier Passes as Caitlin needed to go buy some skis on pro-form (she picked up some new Armada JJ’s!!!). The colors were starting to look real nice on both passes and the drive was well worth it.

If you are following from a feed please check out this post on http://andylibrande.com/news/

Bachelor Party in Camp Dick

When: July 30th – July 31st, 2010

Where: Near the Camp Dick campground close to Lyons

Who: Ben, Andrew, Scott, Yours Truly, and Stranahan’s

Why: Well Ben decided to randomly get married on extreme short-notice so we had to throw a bachelor party on extreme short-notice.

Let’s get the elephant in the room a little explanation. Yes, we did have a bachelor party in a place called Camp Dick. Yes, it was just a bunch of dudes camping out together, drinking together, and reminiscing about the good ol’ days. And yes, it was a lot of, uhhh… fun….

We left Denver Friday night all jammed into Andrew’s SUV with several crash pads, gear, food, adult beverages, and four of us with the mission to give Ben a damn good evening/weekend. Luckily for us the drive to Camp Dick is just enough time to enjoy some beverages in the backseat and ramble on about how cool we all once were.

We get to Camp Dick and Andrew has to navigate the 4×4 road in his Ford SUV which was a little tight but we managed. We quickly found a awesome camping spot near the river and had a awesome boulder that we could sit on in the middle of the St Vrian river were we could cook and chill. Luckily I have been there a couple of times (documented here), so everything was pretty easy to figure out.

Morning was a little rough but here Scott and Ben discuss the merits of sleeping in a tent directly under a fallen tree:

Car Camping at Camp Dick near Indian Peaks Wilderness

We hit up the Bolt Boulder to try out our climbing skills the next day. Awesome high-ball boulder with easy access and a few really fun problems. Andrew getting high into the crux of the main easier problem there (crux is at the top):

Bolt Boulder Camp Dick

Ben showing off his good looks:

Bouldering at Camp Dick on the Bolt Boulder

There is a easier slab climb to the top which is much more sketchy when your hands are wet from the condensation on your beer and you have to use your teeth to hold the can:

We tried to convince Ben to eat this colorful friend:

Anyways congrats to Ben and Beth!!!

Great Sand Dunes Party!?!

Where: Great Sand Dunes National Park

When: June 11-13, 2010

Who: Myself, Caitlin, meeting up with Trent, Bethany, Duncan, Cara, Dan, plus the dogs.

So this recap is a little late considering it is now September and this happened back in June. But I couldn’t leave out this trip from the records because it was ridiculous. Let’s start at the beginning and all the photos will be in chronological order just for sake of ease.

We all convened in the Pinyon Flats Campground Friday night on a relatively quick drive from Denver. It is Bethany’s B-day weekend but we were able to reserve only one campground that can’t have more then two tents and two cars; we were not about to let “the man” hold us down so we set-up camp under a beautiful clear night sky with 4 tents and 4 cars (as we were traveling from all over the state). Spirits were high that night we were excited for a awesome weekend on the dunes filled with glorious adventures and abundant amounts of fun. Let’s just say everything changed quickly…

About 2-3am was when we encountered our first challenge: insane winds!!!!  We are in the sand dunes so that means where there is wind there is also flying sand; this is not just a little sand, but epic amounts of fine grain sand getting into every little crevice that it could find. Sleep quickly became a luxury as the wind and sand combo was blowing up tiny particles of sand underneath the rain fly and dropping down on us in the tent; it was literally raining sand.

Morning dawns…kinda. It’s cloudy, it’s windy, it’s kinda raining, we are sleep-deprived and it is  really early so we do what any logical human being would do in that situation: drink. Out comes the Jack Daniels which we enjoyed alongside numerous fresh cherries and other breakfast goodies; let’s just say each one of us was focused on this activity with Olympic-like intensity.

Several hours later we decide it is time to go do something (not before we had a run-in with vigilante park ranger about the tent situation even though our tents combined took up less space then the tent cities some of the other campers had). We head over the the incredibly busy visitors center (cold, wind and tourons do not mix), which was fun because well, we were  intoxicated. Then it was off to suffer on the dunes:

Hiking in wasn’t too bad, a little chilly and a lot windy:

Hiking into the Great Sanddunes NP

Trent Catching some Air:

The others turned around because they have the dogs and the sand was really messing with their eyes, however Duncan, Caitlin and I keep venturing further. Bad idea as the wind was to out backs but hiking out the wind was in our faces . Right before we decide to turn around:


Luckily the group found an awesome out of wind bank along the river. Some of us caught up on the sleep we were missing:

The low-hanging cloud on the right is part of a small fire that was happening just miles from the campground:

After catching up on sleep (and starting our afternoon hang-over from all the morning drinking) we thought we would get out of the wind and sand and headed to Zapata Falls. Nice little short walk to some freezing cold water (in the deep canyon part ice was still lining the walls). Duncan trying not to fall:

The evening gave us some nice light and you can see how crazy the wind was:

High winds at sunset at the Great Sanddunes National Park Colorado

Next morning we awoke to beautiful skies, no wind, and perfect temps. It was such a radical change it was hard to realize that it was the same place. Trent, Bethany, Caitlin and I all found a quite area away from other people and played in the creek, tried some sand-boarding, and just enjoyed the sun:

On the way out Caitlin and I took the scenic route up the San Luis valley eventually hitting up 285 for the ride home. While we were dealing with wind and a little rain in the sand dunes, the I-70 corridor was hit with a very late season snow-storm (most of the snow had already melted off of the peaks and we were sure glad we weren’t camping in that):

Now I can finally say I have been to the sand-dunes (even if I am still scraping sand out of my eyes 3 mos later)!

Backyard Bouldering Comp Results and Recap

The first ever Backyard Bouldering Competition was awesome. Thanks to all that came and made it such a success; for all those that could not make it I hope you have the opportunity to join us in future events (and yes after the success of this event there will have to be more!).

Here is a video of the event made as a stop-motion film from the ~600 photos that I took over the course of the evening. Sit back and enjoy:

Backyard Bouldering Comp 2010 from AndyLibrande on Vimeo.


Results:

Awards:

  • Men’s 1st: Jake F. (and overall winner!)
  • Men’s 2nd: Ben S.
  • Men’s 3rd: Andy L.
  • Women’s 1st: Caitlin S.
  • Women’s 2nd: Whitney H.
  • Women’s 3rd: Beth S.

Prizes:

  • Best Costume: Jon J.
  • Most Bonus Holds: Andrew G.
  • Best Determination: Brian G.
  • Best Moves: Jake F.
  • Kegmeister: Andrew G.
  • Midgets Unite!: Annie B.

Comp Recap:

Congrats to the above winners! This was the first time I had ever done anything like this and I believe the results were pretty sick. In the end we had 9 different routes all deploying a variety of moves from powerful traverses, to slopers, to balance/slab type problems. I learned quite a bit from the results and gained a ton of skill in terms of route-setting for a significant range of climbing abilities.

Thanks again for everyone that came and to all of those that helped with the party!

Comp Details:

For all of the specifics on the comp, prizes, and rules check out this page: http://andylibrande.com/news/2010/08/backyard-bouldering-competition-sept-4th-2010/

Select Photos from the Event (Please watch the video for a lot more action):

Who can forget about the 17lbs of pork that we smoked for 8 hrs and turned into the best carnitas tacos ever:

Prize winners:

Thanks for Coming!!!

Backyard Bouldering Competition – Sept 4th 2010

Introducing the Backyard Bouldering Competition:

Party – BBQ – Climbing Competition

Saturday September 4th, 2010

Starting at 5:00pm

By Andy Librande Productions

A simple open competition taking place on the backyard wall at Andy Librande’s house. A keg of beer and a dinner buffet will be provided. Everyone and all ability types are welcomed and encouraged to attend. Please indicate that you are attending by leaving a comment below with your email address.

Close-up of the Climbing Wall Featuring Optimus Prime

Close-up of the Climbing Wall Featuring Optimus Prime

Format:

  • At least 10 climbing problems will be featured on the climbing wall and will range in difficulty from Easy to Hard
  • Each problem will be given a set of Stars to rate its point value (and potential difficulty)
  • Each competitor has at least two hours to attempt as many problems as they can with no limit on the number of tries
  • Each competitor will share the wall with everyone else and take turns as necessary, time will go until everyone has climbed every problem or as attempted as many tries as seen fit by the overall judge
  • Each competitor will keep track of their own scores throughout the competition

Cost:

  • Entry Fee: $5 to cover beer, food and prizes

Scoring:

  • Each problem will be given a set of Stars to rate its point value ranging from One Star to Four Stars
  • Star rankings may hint at difficulty but are warranted more on quality of the climb. Therefore an easier but aesthetic problem may be worth more points than a harder contrived problem.
  • Each attempt on a problem is worth a certain amount of points. Flash (sending problem 1st try) is worth the most. There will be no points awarded for problems that are not completed. However on select few climbs there may be “Bonus” awards that a competitor may earn if they reach a certain hold but do not complete the problem.
  • A completion of the problem is considered when a competitor has complete control on the final hold. Grabbing a final hold and swinging out and not holding on will not count as a completed problem. Bonus holds count when the competitor at least has minimal grip on the hold with their hand; there are no bonus foot holds.
  • Completion of a problem means that the competitor has climbed the problem clean. This means only using the appropriate hand and foot holds as dictated by the competition scorecard. Dragging your feet on the pads, accidently placing hands/feet on off-route problems/features, or hitting other competitors with any part of your body will be considered a “dab” and competitor will need to restart the climb.

Score Details:

Star Ranking Grid and Scoring Points
Flash 2-3 Attempts 4+ Attempts Bonus Hold*
1 Star 25 pts 15 pts 10 pts 10 pts
2 Star 35 pts 25 pts 20 pts 10 pts
3 Star 45 pts 35 pts 30 pts 10 pts
4 Star 60 pts 50 pts 40 pts 10 pts
*Bonus Hold only Counts when the problem is not sent by competitor

Awards and Prizes:

  • Awards will be given to the top climbers with the highest scores.
  • In an event of a tie the winner will be determined by a game of CLIMB (aka Horse in basketball). Where each climber will alternate in climbing a problem and then the other climber has to climb that problem or earn a letter.
  • Awards will be for:
    • 1st-3rd place for Men
    • 1st-3rd place for Women
  • Prizes will be abundant and attended to be light-hearted and will be decided by the Comp organizer (Andy Librande) or by popular vote:
    • Best Costume: Competitor with the best outfit/costume/etc and earns at least 50 points. Popular Vote decision.
    • Best Determination: Competitor that puts forth the best effort throughout the competition (does not mean climbs hardest). Comp Organizer decision.
    • Most Bonus Holds: Competitor that attempts the most problems and gets the most bonus holds but does not fully complete the problem. Comp Organizer decision.
    • Keg Stand Meister: Competitor that does at least a 15 second keg-stand and then flashes a Three or Four star problem.
    • Midgets Unite: Competitor under 5’5” with the highest score.
  • Awards and Prizes will range from Plaques to Gear to Cash Money

Preparation:

  • The climbing wall is open 24 hours a day 7 days a week in my backyard. Let me know if you are coming by to climb at anytime. Pads are in the house and if you need them and I am not there I can let you know the keycode.
  • Climbing wall will close several days before the comp to reset all of the problems for the competition.

The Wall:

Thank you and Please let me know if you have any questions!!!

– Andy

Welcome:

Based in Colorado I spend as much free time as possible exploring various aspects of the outdoors. Everything on this blog is kept tightly categorized in the top links (ie "Blog Post Categories"). I only post about once a month and try to make each post interesting and useful. If you like something or have a question please leave a comment.

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