Direct North Face - 5.10a

This was an awesome climb I'll never forget. We started a late in the day, and took our time. It was my first hard trad-lead and I loved every minute of it. The first pitch although 5.8 was frustrating at the least. All the lichen I was slipping on made apparent this isn’t a common route. Laboriously I made it through the lichen only to set up a belay in some sketchy rock, rotten rock is no fun. The next pitch, the crux, leads straight up and pulls the over hang above. After placing way more pro than needed, three nuts and a clipped into a piton, I went for the move and fell. My first trad fall, it was fun, into nothing but air. I resituated and with less pump I pulled the move and set belay above the over hang on a nice ledge, just as the sun was setting. My second eventually makes it up in the dark, with aid of moonlight, but was unable to clean the pieces protecting the overhang. So, I’m lowered back down. I clean the pieces and then free the over hang. The last pitch was beautiful run out in a moonlight bath with the city lights of boulder and the Denver metro area glistening behind me. It was a beautiful sight to belay to. Instead of just rapping off by my self I have my partner lower me into the black abyss, two reasons: 50m is better than 25 when you can’t see your next rap station; being on belay is better when your in the dark and may have to scramble over to that rap station that’s somewhere 50 ft below me. Exciting as it was to be lowered into the dark it was nice to be on the ground. It took us considerably longer to do everything once it got dark, twice as long to hike back to campus. We ended up getting back the same time as most the campus drunks, the student population. It was a great night and an adventure I’ll never forget. I hope to go back sometime soon and do the whole thing free.