Entry #1 - September 17th, 2023

Today was my first day at Morrison. The twenty minute drive from DU went by quickly, it was filled with riffs off The Dark Side of The Moon and the excited chatter that comes with the meeting of new friends. Caleb, who I’d climbed with once before in Clear Creek Canyon, was pasted in the passenger seat and Sebastian, his friend, sat in the back. The two had met climbing in Rocklands, South Africa over the summer, and had learned that they were both attending DU in the fall. The car was filled with the stoke that climbers know so well, and the prospect of a never-seen-before bouldering area had our heads bobbing amiably to the vocals of the Pixies’ “Hey”.

The Morrison bouldering area is situated on a hillside split in half by the 8 highway winding in from Denver. The front range looms immediately behind the Red Rocks amphitheater, easily visible from the exposed ridge where most of the proud rocks are strewn about, highlighted with gymnastic climbing chalk from countless attempts from climbers trying to prove their worth by defying gravity in the most difficult ways they can. From the parking lot at the foot of the hill, our posse geared up and began to walk towards the boulders. Grasshoppers emerged out of thin air, jumping back and forth across the trail energetically, and disappeared back into the grass without a trace. The roar of the highway grew slightly fainter as we gained elevation. Thin layers of dirt covering the stone steps that never fully got the chance to settle in were kicked up again underneath our approach shoes as we went. From the top of the ridge, the band of rocks adorning the crest could be seen stretching north towards Boulder, passing the vibrant red sandstone of Red Rocks before dissipating at the foot of the front range.

The stone was cold beneath our hands as we wandered through the stone maze looking for a problem to set our focus on. Although we couldn't find it on Mountain Project and were unsure of the grade or rating, we set our crash pad underneath an enticing looking line with ample chalk on obvious holds. Donning my tight fitting La Sportiva Miura climbing shoes and lowering myself onto the ground for the low start, I was excited to get my first taste of Colorado bouldering. After a strenuous move to an undercling and a series of cracks and ledges, I found myself once again looking out past the withered grass and douglas firs towards the flat expanse hosting the biggest, most populous city in Colorado. The closeness of the mountains to the city was something that originally drew me to DU, and to be on top of the rocks seeing it all was an excellent reminder of why I ended up in this stunning place. After our warmup, we went to climb Double Arete, a compression V5 on an aesthetic piece of rock that was practically begging to be climbed. I was a little startled to be at the top of the rock after a quick struggle down low, and stoked that I could tick off the problem on my very first try. I had not flashed V5 outdoors until that climb, and felt it was a milestone in my continual strive for progress in climbing. 

After meeting and recruiting John, a CO local who was a little hard of hearing but undoubtedly strong on the walls, our gang decided to rally at Breashear’s Crack II. Breashear’s Crack is a Colorado classic, one I had seen photos of long before I headed east to Denver. Although the problem was given the relatively easy grade of V3, arranging pads at the base of the 20 foot tall vertical block split right down the middle by a striking finger-sized crack was nothing short of intimidating. The group settled down a little, gazing upward toward the rock, weighing the bloc’s height, difficulty, and classic status, trying to get every possible advantage by reading the route before doing battle with the time tested classic. I was first to step over to the base and get established on the starting holds. A number of technical moves later I found myself pulling onto the top of the towering boulder; again in just one attempt. That didn’t stop me from running up the face of a new favorite climb of mine another three times afterward, only stopping when the rest of the group had done it as well and we were ready to move on. Pleased with the place I had chosen to commit to visit five more times in the following months, I followed my friends further across the ridge to new discoveries with a smile on my face.