Photos
SOME RANDOM PHOTOS FROM CRAGGING AT MAPLE CANYON
Dates: May 7-?, 2025 (Wed-?)
Partners: Daniel Sauerbrun, Alex Ruff, Hex (woof)
Climbed at: The Matrix, Pipeline, Box Canyon, Wiper Wall, Minimum Crag
Routes (ordered by grade):
• Twelve Tasty Donuts 5.10c, The Matrix
• Downloader 5.11b, Box Canyon
• Hitchhiker 5.11c/d, Wiper Wall
• Amenema 5.11d, The Matrix
• Pipeline 5.11d, Pipeline
• Zoaster Toaster 5.11d, Minimum Crag
• 49 5.12a, Minimum Crag
• Watermelon Sugar 5.12a, Box Canyon
I made the 9-10 hour drive from Estes Park to Maple Canyon on Tuesday, May 6. I had responded to mountainproject partner post. Daniel was looking for a partner for Rifle, but mentioned that he was even more interested in Maple Canyon if he could convince someone to drive out there. I was interested in either location. Also, Alex Ruff (who I had met once in 2019 while cragging in Clear Creek) responded to Daniel's post around the same time. He was game for Maple Canyon. So the plan was to join Daniel and Alex for a week in Maple Canyon. They had already been climbing out there for a few days by the time I arrived, so I met up with them and squeezed my car into the campsite.
May 7 (Climbing Day 1) - The plan was to leave camp at around 9:30, so I woke up and went on a beautiful run, and then came back and enjoyed coffee and sun at camp. We started out at The Matrix, warming up on Twelve Tasty Donuts (10c) and then working on Amenema (11d). I gave both two laps, redpointing the first and one-hanging the second. In-between, Alex worked on his project Amplification (13a). We then moseyed over to Pipeline (11d) - Alex got it on his first go (he had climbed it a couple of weeks previous), and Daniel and I played around on it, figuring out all of the moves but feeling a bit too tired at this point for a full redpoint go (my arms felt the day--you could get strong here). It was a great first day in Maple Canyon and I now have two 5.11d mini projects to come back and redpoint. We enjoyed a nice evening at camp. Even though I only had a wedge of sky available, my Starlink mini was able to provide pretty decent internet.
May 8 (Climbing Day 2) - On this day we headed to Box Canyon, a popular climbing area up a narrow canyon. We figured that due to its popularity it would be a good idea to go here on a weekday. We warmed up on Downloader (5.11b), and then worked on Watermelon Sugar (5.12a), each taking a few laps but unfortunately none of us redpointing it. We then moved to nearby Wiper Wall, where Daniel and I climbed a 25-bolt, 40m enduro climb called Hitchhiker (5.11c/d) and Alex worked on a nearby 12b. I redpointed Hitchhiker after putting up the draws, which was a good end to the day.
May 9 (Climbing Day 3) - Daniel took a rest day and drove to Ephraim (30 minutes away) to refill water, get a banana at the Walmart Supercenter, and hang out at a coffee shop, while Alex and I headed to Minimum Crag for the morning. We got an early start (left camp at 7:30am) with plans to just climb in the morning and take the afternoon off. Several of the routes at Minimum Crag have permadraws. We started off with Zoaster Toaster (11d), one of Maple's best of its grade and an enduro route with no single stopper move. Alex led Zoaster Toaster, and I decided to toprope it to learn the route. After a tronsight, I took it on as my morning project, leading it bolt to bolt and then redpointing it on my next go. Between, Alex worked on Space Lord (12c), getting it down to two hangs, and I toproped the nextdoor 49 (12a), another of Maple's Classic routes. After toproping with one rest, I am considering this for a project, but the bolt spacing seems a bit generous for my tastes. After four pitches each, we decided to get our rest day started, and hiked back to camp. I spent a couple of hours applying for jobs and reading a book while Alex and Hex went for a dip in the stream; eventually, I got antsy and went on a hike up nearby Box Canyon (this hike gets pretty cool the further you go back, and I found three fixed ropes to ascend, two of which were down waterfalls, which fortunately were trickling when I did it). Daniel arrived back around dinner time.
May 10 (Climbing Day 4) - The plan was to go back to Minimum Crag. We had noticed the previous day that the crag went into the shade at around 10:30am, so we left camp around 10am.....
May 11 (Climbing Day 5) -
May 12 (Climbing Day 6) -
