Rock Climbing

I join a bunch of friends and fellow first-time climbers at Devil’s Lake.

Left to right: Claire, Molly, Wyllys, Eric, Kate, Leah and Andrew. Not pictured: me!

Now that's a fine hank of rope you've got there.

Kate surveys our site.

Andrew and Molly observe our guide Eric as he sets anchor on "Berkley."

Looking down "Boy Scout" as Molly makes her way up.

The wall behind Molly looks pretty challenging.

We stick to the easy stuff for now.

For a first-time climber, Molly handled her rocks pretty well.

Molly fights her way over a stubborn overhang.

Smile, you made it to the top!

Gorgeous views up here.

Leah hopes Wyllys knows how to properly tie a climbing knot.

Leah gets going on "Berkley."

Hmm... where to now?

Exploring up the corner works for a while.

We watch and learn what works and what doesn't.

Eventually Leah runs out of options up the corner route.

Wyllys on belay as Kate looks on.

I give "Berkley" a shot and avoid that troublesome corner.

The first half was a snap, but then a few overhangs towards the top make things difficult.

Yee-haw, made it!

Rapelling back down is lots of fun!

Great spot for a rest in between climbs.

Kate muscles her way up the base of "Britain."

Andrew gets to work on "Britain."

Crowe with some hotshot moves!

My turn on "Britain."

Phew. Time for a quick break.

I learned to love cracks.

Molly considers some difficult options.

Kate encounters the same tricky spot that had thwarted Molly.

It's a real puzzle.

Faced with a difficult traversal, Kate shows off a couple interesting climbing maneuvers.

But eventually gets the job done.

My turn!!

Topsies!

Wheee!!!

One of our neighbors tackles a more difficult climb.

Ahhhh.

Wyllys strikes a boss pose for the camera.

Claire is determined to reach the top.

And indeed she does.

That's a deadly good view.

We spotted a pretty sweet hot rod on our drive home.