The next day, however, we rallied big time for some climbing missions. Colorado Springs, is apparently, a mecca and ultimate playground for rock climbing. Mark, who were we staying with, and his friend Brian, who owns a climbing company in the area- Front Range Climbing- treated us and took us out climbing on a few Colorado Springs classics. Brian also provided us with harnesses, helmets and ropes... you know, the small things.
Our first stop was in the Garden of the Gods, where we got a "warm up climb", as neither Lisa nor I had ever done any outdoor climbing. We couldn't have been in better hands, and both Mark and Brian took excellent care of us, and Bruce, our Belayer couldn't let us crash too hard as we had hidden the car keys.
Brian Belays while Mark leads the climb.
For all our climbs, Mark would go first and set the rope for us, meaning that Mark had to climb up to find anchor points for ropes which set our safety. He would climb without any back-up until the first anchor point, and then he had wherever he had last anchored himself as his safety. Pretty Badass. After that, Lisa, Bruce and I would climb. While Bruce's lots of experience clearly showed, we didn't do too bad for first timers.
Lisa killing it on the first climb.
Climbing aside, Garden of the Gods is absolutely stunning.
Rocks in the Garden
You can see it from the road, and it is a public park with free access. There is a bevy of walking trails and paths that allow easy access to the rock or to the park itself. As we set up to climb, groups of school children and many other people would stop by to watch for a while, and then continue on their way. The views are spectacular, even from the ground.
Walking into the Garden
The rocks in the Garden are stunningly red- which was made more evident by our blue bird skies. We honestly couldn't have asked for a better day weather wise. The lack of wind meant that we had the opportunity to climb Montezuma's Tower, one of the classic Garden climbs that is challenging in how exposed it is- both the rock and the climber on it.
Montezuma's Tower.
Montezuma's Tower is a narrow fin that the climber has to scale. Because there is air on either side of you, it is pretty intimidating mentally. You feel super exposed, and it is a little unnerving.
I contemplate the climb ahead of me
Clearly Lisa and I aced our first climb- and we had fantastic company, or we wouldn't have attempted something like the Tower our first day out climbing. I never felt unsupported, and they let us rappel after the first half of the climb, before the boys continued on to a steeper pitch.
Bruce continues on with Mark ahead and Brian below.
Lisa and I enjoyed the sunshine and hung out with Winston, Mark's dog- while we watched the boys on the tower. It was impressive to get to watch Brian, Mark and Bruce climb- they made it look easy- and they were absolutely still having fun. It was even more fun to watch after having been up there.
Bruce, Mark and Brian sit on the Tower before continuing the climb. The Rock is Enormous!
After the Garden we headed down the road about 7 minutes to Red Rock Canyon, another free park in the area with great climbing- but in a totally different style. While the climbs in the Garden had obvious and clear holds, the climb at Red Rock was much smoother rock, with no great secure place for either your hands or feet. Mark and Bruce called it "mantle moves", where you are using your body as though you are trying to get out of a pool without a ladder. After watching Bruce and CJ (another climber friend of Brian and Mark's that joined us) I was hesitant, but gave the climb a go. It was pretty challenging, but felt amazing to have made it to the top. (It took a few tries in one small section, but i eventually figured out how to smoosh my feet more effectively into the rock to give me more support and leverage.)
One of the most special parts of our day was getting to watch Brian climb. Brian had been diagnosed with a brain tumor about the size of a baseball a mere 3 months earlier. He had surgery to remove the tumor, which Mark had nicknamed "Arnold" only 2 months prior to climbing with us.
As motivation for getting Brian back out there, Mark and CJ bolted a route, which they named "Arnold's Demise", but left it unclimbed with a sign asking climbers to choose another route, because they wanted to save the first ascent for Brian post surgery.
Brian leads the climb. Look down in the trees for sign marking the route.
It was pretty neat to watch Brian and Mark tackle the first ascent- anytime you get to watch someone who is at the top of their sport challenge themselves I find a better understanding of what draws people into their sport in the first place. Bruce and CJ climbed the route once Brian mark led the climb, and they all walked away feeling a bit of a redemption.
Mark watches and Belays Brian on Arnolds Demise.
I definitely walked away from our day of climbing with a lot more respect for the sport, and a greater appreciation for what the sport is about. I would certainly be keen to give it another go- and would absolutely spend some more time in Colorado Springs.
After a great two days, we hit the road again... keeping on our way to Tahoe .
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