Now, you may be asking yourself "Why would I want to be reading this?"
That's a fair question, if somewhat existential in its answering. I mean, why exactly do we do anything? But, to veer away from the realm of Camus and Nietzsche, I can offer you an interesting perspective on a couple of topics.
1. The state of climbing on Colorado's front range
2. Tips, tricks, and overall #protips on making alpine climbing more enjoyable
3. A deeper analysis of The Denver Broncos and the X's and O's that make them tick.
4. The occasional movie, music or TV review
So, in a fashion similar to Bill Simmon's The Ringer, there really isn't a single persistent theme except for an attempt to provide a unique take on a variety of topics that I find interesting.
So, without further adieu, let's talk about some stuff.
An ode to Eldorado Canyon State Park
On October 15th, slackliner Taylor VanAllen will attempt to recreate the high-wire theatrics of Ivy Baldwin as part of a fundraiser for Eldorado Canyon trail building.
This is cool for a number of reasons, but especially so for its historical significance. Ivy Baldwin was the early 20th Century's quintessential daredevil. Serving as a balloonist during the Spanish-American war, Baldwin would ride his hot air balloon high above the battlefield to gather intelligence on enemy positions that he would then telegraph down to his unit's intelligence officers.
Most notably, he served in this capacity during the hours prior to the battle of San Juan Hill, locating enemy sharpshooter positions from on high. This was especially significant, since the Spanish troops were equipped with rifle cartridges that utilized smokeless gunpowder, as opposed to the more antiquated black powder used by the American troops. The term "smokeless" in this context is a bit of a misnomer, as the rifles did produce small puffs of powder smoke, but those would be quickly wafted away by the breeze, making the enemy positions quite difficult to spot. But, gazing from on high, Baldwin had the vantage point to see the puffs of smoke before they dissipated, and relayed the information down to the American forces' artillery commander, who ordered his Gatling Guns to direct their fire at the sharpshooters' suspected locations. This suppression fire proved instrumental in the outcome of the battle. One month after the battle at San Juan Hill, while observing Spanish positions above the Aguadores River, Baldwin's balloon was shot down by enemy fire, making him the first American aviator to be shot down during combat operations.
After the war, Baldwin brought his love of aerial thrills back home to Colorado, where he began tight-rope walking as a member of a local performing troop. His pièce de résistance was a high-wire act that he would go on to perform more than eighty times, stretching 600 feet from the Bastille to the Wind Tower in Eldorado Canyon. This is the performance that Mr. VanAllen will be attempting this coming Saturday.
My own history with Eldorado Canyon State Park predominately features the two formations that Ivy's tight rope stretched between. The day after moving to Colorado back in 2012, I went to Eldorado Canyon for the very first time. I climbed two routes that day, The Bastille Crack (5.7) on The Bastille and Calypso (5.6) on The Wind Tower. Much like many first-time Eldo climbers, I was struck by how hard the routes felt for the grade, and the apparent scarcity of solid gear placements for the length of the routes. Of course, over time my ability level has risen to the challenge (in the past month I sent my first 5.10c in Eldorado Canyon as well as a number of 5.10b's) but one thing that hasn't changed to this day, is that the anchor that I found to bring up my follower at the top of the Bastille is the one that I still use. A heavy steel cable wrapped around the top of the formation. At the time, I had absolutely no idea what that cable was for. I found out a few weeks later.
It was left there from Ivy Baldwin's final tight rope walk in 1948.
I still use that cable as an anchor to this day. It's pretty bomber.
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