We drove out of Spearfish Canyon and into a rain storm. Through the night we drove dodging deer and elk along the highway. Near the border of South Dakota and Wyoming we stopped for the night/morning at a truck stop. The storm raged on as we slept. In the morning there was sunshine. Onwards towards Lander, a new city and a new festival; we still had a few hours to tick off.
The next morning we ran into Will and Hailey whom we met a few months earlier in Arkansas. Plans were quickly made to go climbing the next day at the Sinks, in the shade. Kyle and I were excited to have someone familiar with the area to climb with!
Climbing Sidenote:
It is a bad joke that when climbing in a new area (even with a guidebook) one spends days orienting oneself. Imagine yourself purchasing a guidebook for a new area; excitedly turning the pages, examining walls and climbs. Finally you select a climb that really interests you. You read the approach, description, gear requirements, etc. Then you drive out to the parking area. Sometimes you find the parking area on the first go, others you end up miles in the wrong direction (really).
At last, you locate what you think is the correct lot, park, grab your gear and trusty guidebook. Most of the time you can find the trail, other times it is not so obvious. Guidebooks usually suggest hiking the trail for 15-20 minutes then take the spur trail after this big tree heading a certain direction. As you hike the designated trail you constantly check the time and observe every detail. Constantly looking for confirmation that you are going in the right direction. Often I find myself questioning my hiking speed… “How fast do people normally hike?” “Do people really hike up this hill in less than 10 minutes?”
I cannot count how many times we’ve said: “Where are we?!” Peruse guidebook for an overview photo that matches what you see. Minutes go by… “Hmmm, maybe that black streak going through that roof is this feature” Of course the more you explore an area the more you get to know it and question less.
Back to the main event:
We were thrilled to have Will and Hailey quarterback our climbing for the afternoon. It’s almost as comfortable as having a chauffeur. Almost because you still have carry your own gear and self up to the wall. The four of us had a fun afternoon climbing, I even lead a few routes! A summer rainstorm greeted us halfway through the day, not a soaker though so we hid under an overhang until it passed. A few more routes after the rain and we were ready to head back for dinner.
We loaded up on groceries and headed to our new ‘home’, a parking spot in a park in town. The park is right next to the Popo Agie River. We were living in our van down by the river.
Climbers were slowly trickling into town from all over to attend the International Climber’s Festival. The festival is held in Lander every year, this was the 29th year, and our first. We had a few days of calm before hundreds of climbers flooded the town and park for 3 days of fun, learning and climbing. I made Kyle compete in Table Bouldering and we both participated in Carabiner Horseshoes, both events were hosted by Will and Hailey. The two have been volunteering for the festival for years and were outstanding event hosts!
For more pictures of our time climbing in Lander check out: Wyoming Climbing