TR: Crooked Couloir. 05-25-06. Cletus, iskibc.
Redemption Comes in Many Colors
Chapter 1 - The Road Twice Traveled
Redemption comes in many colors.
Red, like the dust in the snow.
Blue, like the incomparable CO sky.
Green, like the forest of the Indian Peaks Wilderness.
Yellow, like my pee, after climbing to 13,000 feet above sea level.
Orange, like the sun as it rose at 5:30am. Good lord that’s early.
And Black, the color I awoke to when the alarm went off even two hours earlier.
I stumbled around in that blackness, utterly failing to preserve the finally peaceful sleep of my girlfriend, who had tossed and turned most of the night since initially passing out next to me a mere six hours prior. What was I doing? Or rather, why was I doing it, again? Some people define insanity as doing the same thing twice yet expecting different results. But here I was. Two days later. Doing it again, and expecting something better. Like, redemption, just for instance. Fortunately, redemption comes in many colors.
After five consecutive days of unseasonably hot weather and a rather well-timed (even I’ll admit; thanks Big Guy, if you exist) morning hail/rain/wind/shitstorm on Tuesday of this week, my last attempt to get up into the Indian Peaks Wilderness ended with nothing more than a bit of “character growth” to show. Yet somehow, today, I ended up repeating the same exercise, hoping that the Red Sea would part this time.
So, back to the stumbling. I stumbled to get my gear together. I stumbled to make some coffee for the road. Eventually, I stumbled out the door to the car. Fortunately, cars don’t stumble. So long as their drivers stay awake. Unfortunately, the only guy driving at this point was Decaffeinated Cletus, not looking terribly good (even I have to admit).
http://www.tetongravity.com/usergall...506-IPW-02.jpg.
Contrast Decaf Cletus with Caffeinated Cletus, who appears to be ready to take on the world.
http://www.tetongravity.com/usergall...506-IPW-07.jpg
Or at least, not fall asleep on his way up to Boulder to meet up with the ever famous ican’tfindmysunglasses (ladies, take note. This one was for you.):
http://www.tetongravity.com/usergall...506-IPW-10.jpg
As we transferred skis, bags, poles, and bikes into one vehicle, I noticed that iforgotmyglasses had somehow had confused his bike with a midgets'. However, I decided not to mention this at the time, for fear of enraging him further following the sunglasses debacle. The sky was lightening from Dark to Blue and even threatening to hint at Pale, and it was time to move. Go Caffeinated Cletus, Go!
A short but sickening drive up the canyon later, and we were at the Brainard Lake winter closure. One other party of two was gearing up as we pulled in. Determined not to let some random asshats ;) (read: very nice TGR lurkers who later recognized iskibc from his Pyramid antics) drop rocks or worse – brown coils – down on us from upon high, we scrambled to get ourselves together, and hit the road on our (little) bikes.
http://www.tetongravity.com/usergall...506-IPW-14.jpg
http://www.tetongravity.com/usergall...506-IPW-15.jpg
The sky behind was growing ever more Wan, but the sky ahead was full of promise. Promise, of the White variety.
http://www.tetongravity.com/usergall...506-IPW-17.jpg
Two miles, twenty-five minutes, and one or two highly navigable drifts later, and we were at the trailhead.
What time did you guys ski crooked today?
I was at 11,900 at the base of Toll at 10:45 today and watched two skiers come down Crooked. Was that you guys or did you hit that line earlier?
My day started at 6:45 at the closure gate. Immediatley broke the chain on my bike so I decided to hike the road. After some thought later in the day this wasn't the right choice. I wished I had strapped my gear to the bike and pushed it to Mitchell Lake TH. The bike could have held the load and the pace going up would be no different than walking. On the return a bike with no chain is still better than no bike at all.
What time do you need to start to hit Toll if it skis good at around 9? I am thinking at 3 am start is required to ski at 9.
How long does it take the average climber to get from 11,900 to the top of Toll? I was thinking another 2 hours. I watched someelse climbing up the steep middle section and progress looked very slow.
You guys should teach Billygoating 401.
I watched you blast through that area and it looked like you were itching to get down. Ski boots under water, I watched that and thought no way I am putting my feet there!
So do you lock your bikes up because:
1. The crazy crack head Mitchell Lake TH bike thief is still on the loose.
2. Tired skiers without a bike might borrow yours for the ride back.
Rant, I watched the gate be locked and unlocked to let in forest workers/employees. Now if they can lock and unlock this gate on a daily basis why not just leave it open? Really now. It is obvious that the gate is locked so money can be made. Since they don't schedule the fee collectors until a certain early June they leave it locked. It got me riled up after slogging back down the road with my gear.
