towers rock.

these last two weeks have been a whirlwind of activity. first joe flew out to denver for some moderate multipitching and microbrews then genoa came in the morning after joe left for some cultural exploration and some gritty climbing. i have explored the state of wyoming with gusto. most recently genoa and i climbed devil's tower. everything about this experience was ideal. we rolled into the park just as lightning was flashing in the hills behind the nation's first national monument. within moments were were staring up at the absurd collection of columns from underneath a metal awning while hail pounded down around us. the big skies delivered a great show. stunning. after a stroll around the tourist loop we went over to frank's place the devil's tower lodge, to set up camp. frank was beyond generous, inviting us in for dinner, giving us more route beta than we could possibly retain, and making a true spectacle of enjoying the rope rug i made him with some help from fellow campers and genoa. we made immediate friends with all the dudes already posting up and felt among friends the entire stay.
the next day we set off in 95 degree weather for what was supposed to be the greatest thin hands crack on the tower. the approach pitches warmed us up for the new rock which was slimy and hot, but solid. the 30' of wide finger crack (crux) down low was wet but we cruised it anyway then breaking free for 110' of gorgeous #1 and #2 crack. yup, one hundred ten feet of it. so great. 2 more pitches after that and genoa and i were standing atop one of the most easily recognizable rock structures i have ever seen. instead of basking in the top-out of our secord major tower we were quickly driven down the rappels by swarms of biting/flying red ants and full on hothothot sun. celebration ensued immediately with some sasparilla in town followed by tacos, gloating, and devil's tower brew (which lamely is made in montana) in frank's hot tub under the big sky of stars.
the next day we said our goodbyes which included frank and i playing a blues duet on the lodge's yamaha amid many old-school climbers making a much bigger deal of our departure than was expected. traveling with genoa has its benefits! sorry all my beloved male partners, genoa has a couple of traits that you will never master. (1) she likes my Glee CD (2) she lets me have all the fun leads (3) people spoil us cuz we're cute (4) mad dread-trimming skillz. I am constantly amazed how few females are out here solo or in pairs. ditch the dudes ladies. go!

now off for some trail running in the tetons!