Consolation Prize – Liberty Cap

So at the last minute the trip to the Creek was called off, for various reasons, some  lame and some legit. Still wanting to climb, and looking for the splitter variety, we decided to load up the car and headed down to the Colorado National Monument. Our goal was to check out the Liberty Cap, which supposedly was one of the best cragging areas in the Monument, offering a decent selection of splitters from 5.10 to 5.12.

Getting out of the car after the quick drive from Glenwood, Joe remarked that the rocks looked far away. We assured him that while he was a long ways from Rifle, the 30 minute uphill trudge would be ok. A nice hike took us to the buttress, and got the blood flowing despite the brisk temperatures. The first climbs we saw were in the shade, but we were warm from the approach and decided to check them out anyway. After sampling a couple lines, we were downright cold and decided to move around the corner into the sun.

Back in the solar warmth, we checked out a few more lines before the sun dipped below the horizon and the temperature started to drop. Overall, it was a fun zone, with Wingate splitters that offer a good crack fix, even if sometimes the rock was suspect in places. Also, the easier routes we got on tended toward the blue camalot variety, so if you have big hands, you’ll love the 10’s here.

If you’re looking for some adventure cragging this winter, it’s worth checking out. You can get full beta for the zone on MountainProject.com or the Desert Rock III guidebook.