Mount Evans, Colorado
“What’s the furthest you’ve ever hiked for bouldering?”
My father asked me this question last week. And last week I responded with a reference to a heinous approach in Joshua Tree, California to an area called The Underground. If my memory serves me correctly, I think I remember this approach taking about an hour, with about 1000 feet of elevation gain, and quite a bit of scrambling. Last week, this was my answer.
This week however, I have a new answer. Mt. Evans baby. A new record has been set for Paul and I. THIS is the furthest we’ve ever hiked for bouldering. Our heinous approach record (for bouldering) has been re-established not only by distance, but more importantly: oxygen-deprived elevation. We visited both Area A and Area D of Mt. Evans, and sheesh….my legs are still sore!
Area A took us about 1.5 hours to hike into, around 3-4 miles I think, topping out somewhere around 11,000 feet. The boulders were, as promised, amazing and beautiful and remote. The Dali Wall is probably the sweetest 45 we’ve ever laid our tips on. Area D on the other hand, is waaaay the heck up there. Instead of hiking up to the boulders, like Area A, you set off from a trailhead at 13,100 feet and hike down to the boulders at 11,750 feet. The trail isn’t all that long, just steep! And dang, it sure makes a difference having to hike up at the end of a climbing day, versus getting rewarded with a hike down. Area D holds the ultimate MEGA classic The Nothing v8.
I would guess (or secretly hope, actually) that most boulderers would write these areas off as “too far”, “too much work”, or “too tiring.” I say the word ‘guess’, because it has been our experience that most boulderers are lazy, haha. Yeah, I’m talkin’ to YOU. I say the word ‘hope’ though, because I’d love for these remote boulders to remain just that, remote….quiet…..peaceful. While we were up there, we saw just one other climber. Quite a special treat for these two anti-social climbers.
Mt. Evans marks the end of this Colorado portion of the trip for Paul and I. Having spent the majority of our time up in RMNP, we only had a couple of days at Evans. I’m tempted to say we regret not spending more time at Evans because it turned out to be soooo soooo good. But I can’t say we regret anything at all. RMNP was awesome. And, Evans is awesome too. And, well….pretty much all Colorado rock in general is awesome. And for this reason, as we trek across the state of Kansas towards Pittsburgh, Sportsmobile humming along, Paul and I entertain the thought of making a quick stop at Evans, later on in this 6 month adventure, after our muscles have been honed in Rocklands, South Africa. Ooooo, the daydreams…..of blasting out that 1.5 hour hike, lacing up our rock shoes under the Dali Wall, and climbing that Colorado granite face to its top.
Mt. Evans, Colorado, Area A
Paul on the problem The Dali v9 on the Dali Wall, Area A
Paul on No More Greener Grass v12, The Dali Wall
Paul at the top of Mt. Evans
Goats at the top of Mt. Evans
Area D
Unknown name/rating, Area D
Unknown name/rating, Area D
The Nothing v8, Area D
Area D
Morgan
posted by arr from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
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