[TR] Colorado Classics: Bastille & Le Petit Grepon

[Lisa_D]

Trip: Colorado Classics: Bastille & Le Petit Grepon

 

Date: 8/3/2009

 

Trip Report:

My sister got married in Boulder August 1 - after some initial craziness in the days before the wedding, it all came together. I got to play my violin for the ceremony, it was outdoors with beautiful views of the Rockies, and lights strung in the trees for dinner and dancing. It was an absolutely beautiful wedding, and I will always remember it. Jon came along to meet his future family and all our family friends, which was also great! After the wedding festivities, we had 2 days to climb in Colorado.

 

On Sunday, the morning after the wedding, we were all tired and decided to sleep late and crag rather than climbing Bastille crack as we'd planned. Jon and I each led the 1st pitch of the Bastille and LOVED IT! Really fun climbing.

 

 

We brought my cousin Bo (not related to my cousin Steph - this is the other side of the family). He lives in TX but is soon moving to CO. It was his first real outdoor climbing experience, and he had a blast and climbed really well! He jammed right up Bastille crack, and made it almost all the way up the stiff 5.10 climb to the left of it (pictured below). I have a feeling that CO will be like a giant playground for him! It would be awesome to have another climber in the family..

 

 

We finished up at Bastille around 2, and then Jon and I headed to the Rocky Mountain National Park. Several days before, we had called the ranger station and reserved a bivy site at the base of Le Petit Grepon, and we had to get to the ranger station before 7 to pick up our permit and pay the fee. We got lost in Boulder buying fuel, lunch, food for the trip, and filling up on gas. We also needed beta for the somewhat involved descent, since we only had one rope and could not do the standard rappel route. At the Boulder REI, I dumpster dove for some paper in the recycling bin. Then we found a pen, looked through a few guidebooks, and wrote down descent beta from 2 different sources. Finally, we drove up 36, through Estes Park, and to the backcountry ranger station. Thankfully, one of our family friends had given us their weeklong park pass, which saved us the $20 admission fee. We still had to pay $20 for the bivy site. Bloodsuckers!

 

We began hiking at 6 PM, feeling the 10,000 elevation only a little. The trail was remarkably touristy, with huge, elaborate log bridges built over foot-wide creeks, and stairs cut into the hillsides. That's why they charge so much to get in... Jon, always a good geology TA, stopped to admire some metamorphic rock along the trail. Apparently it's the most metamorphic rock there is. We'd see a lot more of this rock before the trip ended.

 

 

We arrived at Sky Pond just as dark fell. We cooked dinner and made bagels for the next day, and then relocated to avoid alpine snaffles who might be interested in our crumbs. After a few hours of sleep, we awoke to headlamps and climbers hiking quickly! The race to climb one of North America's most popular routes had begun. At 5:30 the alarm went off. At 5:40 we were booking it to the base of the climb, seeing people everywhere. And this was a Monday! 5 parties climbed the route that day, and we were 2nd in line. Fortunately everyone was friendly, efficient, and fun to be around! Looking up, we took in the beauty of our objective.

 

Since we were doing a carryover, we climbed the route with full packs. Our food was the one violation of the "fast and light" way. A 6-pack of bagel sandwiches!

 

Since we hadn't had breakfast (or caffeine for me), Jon led the first pitch so I could wake up. The rock was awesome: steep, juggy, with lots of positive holds where you want them, and there was usually good gear.

 

Lisa and I swung leads. The climbing was an interesting variety of face and crack climbing, often run-out and relentlessly steep. We felt that the grades were a bit sandbagged, but that could be due to the fact that we were climbing with full packs at 12,000 feet!

P1: easy slabs.

P2: mostly easy chimney - I unfortunately created some rope drag for myself. Sling and place pro wisely.

P3: a beautiful left leaning crack.

P4: more chimney. Why did I draw the chimneys, and also the tiny, uncomfortable belays? Jon got crack pitches with huge ledges at the end. But then again, he also got the scary pitch near the top.

P5: an awesome sustained and thought provoking 5.8 pitch.

 

Jon coming up.

 

Jon disappearing into the sky on the crux pitch, which had some tense and run-out moves, probably more exciting due to elevation and full packs.

 

Climber on the spire next door.

 

Pitch 6 was a wandering, run-out pitch that I led. It wandered right, then left. Mostly easy climbing, but some thought-provoking moves. I was a little slower on lead than usual, and didn't like that because there was a party behind us. But I did it all cleanly, and plus, when Steph took me on climbs similar to this a few years ago, I didn't want to lead ANYTHING. So it's progress. I think I am forcing a smile in this picture, because at that moment it was snowing, thunder was booming, the wind was howling, and there were BAGPIPES playing down in the valley. Bagpipes, of all things! Alpine ash scattering? I got to the Pizza Pan Belay, which looks nothing like a pizza pan, but is about the size of one. It is on an exposed arete, with a fixed piton and perfect orange and yellow metolius placements.

 

P7: Jon led off from the pizza pan belay, trending leftward into a corner. When I followed the pitch, I thought it was a bit sandbagged and stiff for its grade. There were some 25 foot run-outs with scary moves. Plus, the exposure is enough to give even experienced climbers a little thrill or vertigo! When I reached Jon, I asked him to lead the last pitch to save us a few minutes, because the weather was really coming in at that point and I was a little psychologically fried after a week of wedding stuff and all the exposure and wind. Here I am coming up to the summit. The lake looks like a heart! Or, in Jon's imagination, a raging duck!

 

Me on the summit. Spectacular!

 

Now for the descent. We found the standard rap anchors, bolts on the other end of the summit. We made a short single rope rappel to an anchor made of slings. Then, another rightward rappel to another anchor, a combination of manky pitons and slings, backed up with a solid nut and cordalette. Thanks to whoever did that!

 

We rappelled rightward again, then climbed up a 5.3 chimney that was to our left. A bonus 9th pitch of climbing! Soon, we were at the col between Sharkstooth and Saber, the two spires adjacent to Le Petit Grepon. We descended down "The Gash," basically a rocky boulder field, weaving through cliffbands - we could down climb everything in running shoes, though some of the moves may have been low 5th, nothing was exposed or bad.

 

We ran down a few snow fields, marveling at how much rock surrounded us. Soon we were on the touron trail, exhausted but happy. That climb was deservedly a 50 classic, and was the perfect way to cap off an awesome week!

 

 

 

 

Gear Notes:

Lawn chair, cooler, and beer for cragging at the Bastille. Beefed up alpine rack for long pitches on Le Petit Grepon. Silly park fees for both climbs. Everything bagels.

 

Approach Notes:

Easy trails and roads, hefty fees.

[Pete_H]

He lives in TX but is soon moving to CO.

 

Isn't half of Colorado from Texas? The other half are just really mountain Texans anyway.

 

Nice trip!

[DPS]

Aren't you two just the cutest alpine couple!

[upzmtn]

Sweet ticks in an awesome place. Well done. I miss RMNP!!!