Falcon's Lair Update

Yesterday was another day in the Lair. For me a mixed day, but worthwhile. Going in this time with David and Jesse the weather forecast was good, motivation was high, and we had a good number of pads. Warming up in the vicinity of the Lander Boulder a few good new lines went up. Added was a V5 (name not remembered) by David, A V0 and a V3 (names not remembered) by Jesse, and a V3 Dyno I named Boop. The next problem was where my mix came into the day. Pulling very hard on a close left heel, trying a low and powerful roof, my calf went into a solid muscle cramp. The entire muscle balled into a stone hard softball with intense pain. The rest of the day was restricted with a tight and sore left leg. In a strange addition to the mix, all lines I wanted to try involved a left heel move. I gained a massive respect for athletes who play full throttle through similar injury. Taking some time off to hydrate and salvage time for bouldering later in the day gave me time to better consider the area of the Falcon's Lair.

A line on the Riverton Boulder that David and Jesse spent some good time on while I restarted my day. It will be a true classic when finished!

Watching David and Jesse work their lines gave me perspective, encouragement, and mostly a deep motivation to boulder. Stopping to take it all in, the place has grown on me greatly. I estimate 200 problems of very high quality with at least that many to follow as lesser yet worthy problems! Even without bouldering, it is a fantastic place to find ones self in the majesty of the big mountains. Being so focused on observing with my own eyes, only eleven photos were taken the entire day. Once the motivation process started I encouraging the others to go to the upper end of the valley. After the long rest I was feeling ready to test the calf muscle and at the same time study the entire boulder field from above. David had unfinished business in the Ice Cave, Wind in the Willows V8. Jesse made the decision to take a long rest in hope of finishing his project on the Riverton Boulder. And I hoped to have a solid session in the depths of the Ice Cave linking the lowest holds into the finishing moves of Wind in the Willows.

The right half of The Ice Cave. Wind in the Willows originates from the back right while the new project links in from the lowest white edge on the bottom left of the cave. They both finish above the blue pad.

 David was incredibly close to finishing his project! For sure the next time he gets on it. I was able to do every move on the link up, but unable to complete what is now another project. It could have and should have gone in a day, but 3 left heels in the roof, flared the calf muscle up, and kept me out of hard effort for the rest of the trip. During the stay under the Ice Cave Jesse had noticed the beautiful line on the neighboring boulder. It is a line that caught our eye on the first day and will be one of the classics of the area. On the first trip the landing was a flat snow landing and the problem very doable. One all trips since, the landing has become a jumbled pile of blocks. It is very photogenic and still a project.

Jesse on the project with garbage landing. It too will be a classic.

 Above the Ice Cave snow continues to melt with new boulders emerging and new lines being found. A gorgeous rail on an insanely clean bloc caught our eye right away. Looking like it didn't need a left foot at all, David and I gave it some effort. We unlocked the line at V6 without the obvious start. One or two moves in the beginning may be V10 or harder. Again a waiting classic. Just below snow line I quickly put up a slab bathed in evening light. The rock is the cleanest I've ever been on. Even V0 slabs are fantastic to stroll up in this place. It is named A Fine Evening Indeed V0.
It was a fine evening and a fantastic day. David and Jesse climbed until they couldn't which is incredibly motivating. The entire area is motivating. For myself it has been motivating beyond what I have felt in some time now. Future days are always on my mind now. The calendar is showing open days where there previously weren't any. My calf feels tight as hell, but will be ready by next weekend. It has to be. I'm going bouldering.

A fine evening indeed

The Falcon's Lair

Yesterday, the 7th of August was the first full day of bouldering in what is now the Falcon's Lair. The name that started as a joke for an area that is no joke, now labels one of Wyoming's best summer bouldering areas (Yes the name is now official and still hard to take seriously). One week ago David Lloyd and I traveled into the Wind River Mountains to find alpine bouldering. What we found caused fits in our sleep and vows to return as soon as we could. We did just that with the good company of Brian Capps and his girl friend Jeanie. As usual, very welcome company.

The Falcon atop it's Lair

We started the day with a long, but easy hike, having only a talus descent/traverse into the boulder field. David's grin was encouraging through the entire hike and grew ever larger as the valley came into view, then the boulders. Warming up on what may be called the Lander Boulder (?), three lines were put up. Squamish Syndrome V2 or V3 a long and good lip traverse, Capps' Slap V3 from a fantastic sloper bulb, and Lander V1 that is an instant classic on great holds (all put up by David). We moved a few feet next door to the Black Fly Boulder and I established Day of the Black Fly V4 on great steep rock.

The classic problem Lander V1 comes out of the roof and up the prow of the big roof.

David on the third ascent of Day of the Black Fly V4. 

Once warm it was a bit difficult to decide on where to go next. So much rock and we only had a day, so we went up talus to the highest boulders we had previously found. We passed a good amount of rock on the way up. Two things were better understood on the walk. Some areas of the Falcon's Lair have less rock than expected because the talus is too small, while other areas of the talus have far more rock than expected because the talus is big.

David reconfirming the big blocs of quality stone.

In a single week of melt the large roof we had found, but not been able to look at was now climbable from it's middle. We had hoped for holds and indeed there are holds. Holds from the lower half of the roof will need another week or two of melt to be looked at. Snow melting in the upper talus has now revealed new boulders, the beginning of new boulders emerging, and changed some landings for the worse. All aspects of the alpine boulder field.
In the roof that is now the Ice Cave, named because of new icicles forming under it in the spray of a small stream, two lines were put up. First done was a crisp roof on good holds by David, Cracked Eggs V3, that I found to have an awkward finish for tall guys. The problem however, is very good for any frame size. On the right side of the roof Brian established Wind in the Willows V8, that is a classic and tricky problem on good rock. After nabbing the second of the problem and thinking long and hard I agree that it is a solid V8 and now the hardest line in the Falcon's Lair. It is good to be honest with grades in the beginning of a new bouldering area as those grades will greatly influence all future grades in that same area. Of course comparisons to other areas are just as important.

David coming so very close to the third ascent of Wind in the Willows V8.

Just above the Ice Cave is a classic prow that is now a project. I could blame the rain that soaked the thing but did dry, I could blame the many other boulders that distracted me but didn't hold my interest as much, but it remains a project because it intimidated me. Because bouldering in a talus field takes some getting used to when it's been a while. It is large and gets harder as one moves up the large prow, the landing gets a bit rugged as height increases, and the wind starts to blow. Now it haunts me. I want to get back on it so badly.

Brian in the depths of the Ice Cave with the big prow above.

On the way out two other problems were put up between the warm up area and the Ice Cave. David climbed a very clean arete he named Pika Prow V1+, while I put up a crisp slab on the same boulder named Musk V1. Also on the way out, we passed too many boulders to get on this season and the next.
In all it was a fantastic first day in the Falcon's Lair with good people. It gave us a good understanding of what is actually there. Though we had a relatively easy day of bouldering it was a big day and the potential is good for any grade of problem. With our new understanding of the area new rock will be developed quickly and benchmark grades for the area will be set as comparisons.

Inappropriate conversation, even for grown men, while we sat out the rain in the Ice Cave

 The Hike out was absolutely beautiful!

You can read more about the reconnaissance day with David and the bouldering day from this post on David's blog.

In The Summer Time

Went on an extended weekend to Lander and just returned. Though the place is a sport climbing destination I did not go for that reason. Rather to boulder and more specifically restore some motivation before it is too late. Three weeks of the hottest weather of the season really took the energy out of me, as usual. So I went and looked for rock, as usual. Motivation was low enough I didn't even post several good finds on this blog. In the Wind River Mountains however, some energy was renewed. Motivation found a way back and all I can think of is bouldering. All that was needed was a new boulder field of really good rock.
Many years back in the process of doing foolish things that could only be categorized as alpine climbing I noticed a large valley of many, many boulders close to a trail head. Thinking only of the alpine objective ahead, of the large granite walls and ice, I walked on by. The images in my head of boulders far below in the valley stayed with me. Those images resurfaced in my mind over the past weeks and I had to take another look.

With the help of David Lloyd, who has been fully devoted to developing new rock in the Lander area for two years now, we made plans to do a day trip with no pads. We took an unusual late start of 9am and easily made it to the upper end of the boulder field and snow in very little time. Despite looking for rock close to the road (turned out to be chossy Vedauwoo looking stuff) and a rather long bushwhack through overgrown talus, and a long slog up a mountain side, we made it back to the main trail and into the boulders with most of the day remaining. We walked the upper half mile of the boulder field that is maybe a long mile in total and returned to the trail easily. From the trail it is a quick bushwhack of open slabs and some open forest to the edge of the boulders. We quickly realized day trips with pads are completely possible. We were in Lander by 6pm without trying to rush any part of the day!
I was close to doing this reconnaissance silently and alone, but chose to have another set of eyes. At times I have found rock that would have been better judged with other eyes and at times I've been happy to go at it alone. On this trip, knowing the rock would be good and having little doubt about possibility, I simply chose to go with someone who could appreciate the place and rock. David and I shared a great day of exploration. We talked for hours about many things in life. Life, bouldering, motivation, lack of motivation, life not including climbing, emotions, the simple things in life, the complex, and then we talked about the best granite. The upper end of the boulder field is the best granite I've seen! To be clear, not the best rock, not the best gneiss, but the best granite.

Very good granite! The center boulder contains a large roof, mostly obscured by snow, the size of Unshackled at Lincoln Lake (for scale). The prow at right ramped my motivation from zero to hero.

A very excited David Lloyd in the thick of it. This is somewhere in the middle of the upper half of the boulder field and the point at which we really started to understand the good news.

The large boulders that mark the boulder field's center. From the upper end to this pile is a blur of good rock and memories clouded by excited rants and random moments of joy as we groped holds.

 As a boulderer who predominately explores and develops new rock it is becoming harder to find things that motivate on the same level as the best things I've found and climbed. Often good boulders can be passed up in the hope of finding even better boulders. Boulders are like drugs and no addict wants good drugs when they can have the best drugs. This boulder field is a fine drug indeed. Only a single problem was climbed in the day. A perfect slab with good friction and a decent landing. I called it Rusty is a Guy I Don't Know V0. It was enough to get me hooked.

Rusty is a Guy I don't Know V0 climbs from the lowest part of the slab to the apex. For scale the line is around 12 to 15 feet tall.

With motivation now high, David and I will be going back very soon to start developing! Now, if this post seems to have a lack of direction, location, and anything else that gives much of a hint it is for good reason. I've found enough rock in my life to know when things are rare. This is rare, and I would like to take a selfish look for a few sessions before going crazy with it. I like to understand an area before going to far with it and this one is an abstract at this time.