Day two in Colorado...and the heat persists. We knew, based on various radio stations, that there was a heat wave; but the intensity of the both the blazing sun and heat was more than we had anticipated. And I usually love the heat.
Next on our agenda was Boulder, with intentions of finding a local climbing hotspot. After checking in with our hotel to extend our stay another night, we plugged our route into our Tom Tom and headed over to our destination. With snow-capped mountains guiding our way, we pulled into Boulder mid-morning looking for a local restaurant for breakfast. The scenery was everything that I had anticipated, including barefoot hippies kicking around a hackey sack. Being in a college town, it seemed that there was no shortage of places to eat, so we picked a cute little coffee shop, where we sat outside and overlooked the Rockies. Our outdoor table even offered some wisdom—Live Life Like It's a Gift.
Given the heatwave, we were in no rush to sit out in the sun and climb, so we delayed our journey by checking out the local farm market and art display. It seemed as though almost the entire city was there—playing in the river, perusing the market and shopping.
Finally, we decided that we couldn't spend all day in the shade, so we headed over to the local R.E.I. To purchase the climbing book that was recommended and to get an opinion on a good place to climb. The dude we talked to recommended that we check out Boulder Canyon since there are so many different places to check out.
Turn out he was right. Just a short distance out of the city was a winding road that took you through the mountains, with a roadside climbing mecca paving the way. Everywhere we looked, cars were parked on either side of the road. Off in the distance, we could see people ascending their multi-pitch climbs or trekking down the mountain.
Our first climbing attempt was up a small face that was supposed to have an easy scramble at the top so we could set up our rope. Either the guidebook was full of sh** or we found the wrong place to climb. The way up was steep and full of loose rocks. One little slip and you would find yourself in a lot of pain (although you'd be at the car pretty quickly). After getting to the top and assessing the situation, we decided that there wasn't really a good place to set the lines and went back to our car to find another locale pointed out in the guidebook. People were already climbing it, and we couldn't quite figure how to get to where they were standing. At this point, we were already on the verge of giving up and our second attempt solidified our intentions. The trip, however, was not wasted. We found some great hiking trails and were able to see some great views along the roadway.
After a great dinner in downtown Boulder, we found a huge art fair along their pedestrian way. I meant to count how many blocks it was, but at least five blocks were full of artistic talent. Then it was back to dinner to meet up with some friends for drinks.
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