Rocky Mountain National Park is one of the finest displays of mother nature in the world. It has harrowing granite peaks, deep emerald pools, countless trails over its 415 square miles and the best part of all; some of the finest Bouldering areas west of the Mississippi.
Our story begins at the entrance to the park, where a beautiful blonde park ranger asks us for our National Parks Pass, or the appropriated $20 fee for a week’s worth of use. As a resident of Colorado you would expect that I have a pass, but having just moved back, I needed to make a purchase. With my entrance from Estes Park we enter the Moraine Park Visitors Center on our way to the Bear Lake Parking Lot, also known as the end of the line. Glacier Gorge, Bierstadt Lake Trail and the Moraine Park area are in our rear view mirror.
Upon arrival at Bear Lake, we are greeted by joyful park rangers, quizzical looks from out of town visitors and nods of approval and recognition from other climbers/outdoors folk. These are our people. We begin to hike towards Lake Haiyaha, a high alpine lake in Chaos Canyon, and also a convenient divide between the layers of Lower Chaos and Upper Chaos Bouldering. There is Upper Upper Chaos, Super Chaos, Super Duper Chaos and a bunch of other superlative-laden names for things far and away from where mere mortals hiking in this area.
As we hike by gawking tourists, we are notoriously ambushed by questions about the pads on our back, colloquially known as ‘crash pads‘. We are asked if they are beds, camp tables, massage tables and other random products that would provide no function in the middle of the alpine tundra. We respectfully tell hikers what they are, and continue hiking at a brisk pace, weather in the high alpine area waits for no one.
Upon arrival to the warm up area, the Potato Chip (V7)looks ripe and ready for the crunching. This is a stout boulder problem and provides us with some work throughout the day. While there we spot a blue grouse which is huddled over in a crop of pine trees surrounding Chaos Canyon.
We warm up and get on Potato Chip, my friend Ben sends it, I do not…yet. I will come back another day. We hike to the Lake Haiyaha area and climb the classic V5 the Autobot. Still the same after all these years! With the best top out in the canyon (top out is climber speak for the finish when you pull up and over a Boulder) we are rewarded for our efforts with a brilliant view of the lake and Upper Chaos Canyon; Hallett’s Peak in the distance on the North. We finish up our day on the notoriously hard Gangbang Arete (V8), and struggle to piece it together. We are worked, tired and sleepy. A good day in Chaos Canyon, and inspiration to come back again.
On the way out we stop at the roadside Veritas Boulder. Among it are some of the toughest problems in the Park, among them a Daniel Woods testpiece, Hypnotized Minds (V15), had never been repeated. We look at it quizzically, assume because it has been done, we know it is possible and proceed to agree that we will have to try it another day. Well, off to Chelitos for the best view of Estes Park from the roof deck, a light cool down and some delicious Margaritas.
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