Ramblings of The Southern Steeze: Ten Sleep!!!

Wow. Let's just start off that this place is amazing! There is so much stone, bullet stone, everywhere. The style here is completely different from that of the southeast. Two finger pockets are littered on almost every routes and the limestone has a bit of texture, something I was not expecting. Rarely will you find a wall overhanging more than 10 degrees and the altitude has been killer the first week. Regardless, I have been having tons of fun throwing myself on every classic (and not so classic) route Ten Sleep has to offer. For those who are not familiar, Ten sleep canyon is located in the eastern side of the state and is a far stretch from urban high rises and four lane interstates. The canyon is a massive gorge situated about 2000 feet above the small town and runs about ten to fifteen miles. Partners have been lacking in part to the recent snow and cold weather that wyoming has been having lately. After a grueling 26 hour drive across the flat midwest, I arrived in Ten Sleep around 10:30 p.m. The last 50 miles of my drive took me through ranch country via a wide dirt road that wandered in and out of the alpine hills that hide small Wyoming towns. This was definitely a highlight of the drive, a great job of the gps taking me through this by sundown. I woke up early the next morning drove into the canyon and was immediately taken aback by the stunning beauty that was so continuous! I pulled off at the first sight of a climbers car and took off on the trail up to the wall. I met a few locals from devil's tower and climbed with them for a good part of the day, enjoying every bit of the cold weather climbing I could get till I was completely numb from the frigid limestone. Way different from the week before when I was climbing in the early morning to battle the humid southern heat. Nice. The weekend brought cold weather and some exploring, trying to gain an understanding for the area. On sunday night, I met up with Cedar Wright and local boulder strong-kid, Stefan Lavender at camp. They were there for the week, ensued with mini-dog posse. Weather was great this week and we climbed at several of the area's best crags including slavery wall and superratic. Photos to come! After a week of fun climbing, fire chatting, and gus tormenting they headed back to Boulder, just in time for the rain to hit! It rained a good bit yesterday into the night and has left it cloudy and 40's for the next few days. These next few rest days will be well accepted to my sore tendons, and a split tip that won't heal. Rest days in Ten Sleep can be quite interesting, especially if you know where to go. The 2nd street coffee shop has become the internet hotspot of the town, along with the great coffee and friendly service that allows us climbers to sit and chauff for hours on end. There is also an older chert road that runs the other side of the canyon for nine miles of killer uphill mountain biking but also gives the reward of a 20 minute downhill that keeps you on the edge! The camping is also free, by a raging, super cold river, and is within a 5 minute drive of all areas. Score! More updates to come as the summer begins to unfold and the sending begins! Here are a few pics from the drive over, courtesy of the cell phone: