Headed up to meet Ram and Little Ram in Fort Collins, Colorado, DB and I passed through Rocky Mountain National Park one day. It was a first visit for both of us. Soon after entering the park on its west side, we spotted a large elk grazing right next to the road!
Enjoying the grand views as we passed through the park, we eventually exited in Estes Park and made our way to Lumpy Ridge, an interesting collection of granite boulders that hosted a large assortment of climbing and scrambling routes. Time to play...!
Picking a nearby crag, we enjoyed some funky class 2 & 3 scrambling to the highpoint, which required an exposed, dyno step-across move to attain.
From the top of the crag, I spotted a steep and impressive crag nearby that had a vertical chimney rising to the summit from near its base. I'd better give it a go!
What I found was a fun and strenuous (5.7ish) route, soloable with care, that, sure enough, dumped me off right at the summit.
As good things must come to an end (to make room for other good things), it was soon time to get outta there...and head to Ram's place in Fort Collins!
Screwing Around in Rocky Mountain National Park
