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Ancient Art/Liberty Cap April 24-25 2009
April 24: Ancient Art (Utah)Kim, Shaylee, Kessler and I met Kris in Grand Junction at which time we drove down to the Fisher Towers. We all hiked to the base of Ancient Art and waited about 30 minutes for another party to finish climbing the first three pitches (we were there at the same time, but I suggested they go first since I felt that they would move faster; in reality we found that we climb faster).
Kris and I climbed Ancient Art while Kim and the kids watched from below. Although it was windy, things went smoothly and quickly and at the top of the P2 (P3 ion Desert Rock) we waited another 30 minutes (we made sure we weren’t in the way of any other parties) for a lull in the wind and for the other climbers ahead of us to finish the climb, but we never got any lulls in the wind lasting more than one minute. We climbed P3 (called P4 in Desert Rock). It was still extremely windy and I chickened out as far as standing on the Corkscrew is concerned. It was scary enough just straddling that narrow “Sidewalk in the Sky” section while being buffeted by the winds. I hate high winds in exposed places; they always make me nervous.
While descending it was so windy that the rope thrown off the third pitch and down the chimney didn’t go down the chimney, it was blown sideways. You could watch it drop maybe 10 feet and could see and hear the rope go sideways.
It was a really great climb. We finished just in time because on the way down there was a group of very slow college students and the weather was also taking a turn for the worst with clouds and rainclouds “spitting” a bit.
topping out on P3 (P4 in Desert Rock) on Ancient Art April 24 2009. It was extremely windy on this day. If you look closely, you can see Kim and the kids watching from several hundred feet below.April 25: Liberty Cap (Colorado)
Kim, Shaylee, Kessler and I headed out to climb the Liberty Cap after church in the morning. We took the long and steep (but scenic) switchbacks up the Liberty Cap trail up to the base of the cap from Wildwood Drive. We climbed around to the east side of the summit block and ate lunch. Shaylee wanted to climb the crux pitch and old ladder in order to reach the true summit, but Kessler was too nervous to climb it.
I climbed the pitch with Shaylee and we stood on the summit for the awesome views before returning. By the time we got down, Kessler decided that if his little sister could so it then so could he, so I climbed the pitch with him as well.
After enjoying the views we returned down the longer Corkscrew Trail before returning home. It sprinkled slightly, but was a great trip.
Kimberly took this photo of Shaylee and I climbing the crux pitch on Liberty Cap.