Go back to Red Rocks.
Friday The 13th

DOWT.
A Week Later…

DOWT, P3.
Hike in to Black Velvet Wall at the ass crack of dawn. Are we lost? We must be lost. Not a soul within sight or earshot?! What is this universe we ended up in?? I reluctantly agree to take odds (reluctant only for show – all preplanned for me to get the shorter, generally easier and always ending on superior belay ledges pitches) and start up the 5.6 opener of Turkeys. Shirley quickly dispatches pitch 2 and we’re rolling. Things move well – pitch 3 crack is indeed harder than the traverse above and pitch 4 finale is the crux (but that’s Shirley’s problem & she takes care of it nicely). Pitch 5 traverse is fun and Shirley enjoys the patina flake pulling on pitch 6. Pitch 7 is cool but I can’t remember exactly what it was and pitch 8 is a quick scramble. I get my favorite pitch of the route (#9 – looks hard but climbs like warm butter….ummmm good!) and Shirley takes us to the top of 10. There’s a stream running down the face there but the pitch itself is mostly dry. Though the sun never shines on us (BV wall is shady esp. in winter time and there’s overcast over whole of Red Rocks) there is also no wind and so conditions are excellent. A party comes along and engages in a heavy carpet bombing campaign against the base of Epinephrine (guessing they were establishing a new route up-canyon…can’t imagine an existing line being that loose!). A couple parties top out on Whiskey Peak , but there is not a soul on Black Velvet Wall all day long! We rap POD next-door fearing that our new tangle-prone twins will cluster-f but things go smoothly and we’re down 10 pitches in about an hour. Did I mention that there was not a soul on BV Wall…on a dry and pleasant Saturday!
A Day Later…

DOWT, P4.
Photos

Leading pitch 1 of Dream Of Wild Turkeys (Feb. 2009).

Nearing the first belay (Feb. 2009).

Shirley starting up Dream Of Wild Turkeys (Feb. 2009).

Shirley at the first belay (Feb. 2009).

Shirley casting off on pitch 2 (Feb. 2009).

Shirley starting up pitch 2 belayed by yours truly (Feb. 2009).

Pitch 2 progress (Feb. 2009).

Nearing the second belay (Feb. 2009).

Shirley nearing the second belay (Feb. 2009).

Yours truly starting the second pitch of Dream Of Wild Turkeys (Feb. 2009).

Nearing the top of pitch 2 (Feb. 2009).

Starting up pitch 3 of Dream Of Wild Turkeys (Feb. 2009).

Traversing to the third belay (Feb. 2009).

Shirley on pitch 3 (Feb. 2009).

At the start of the traverse on pitch 3 (Feb. 2009).

Shirley traversing to the belay station (Feb. 2009).

Shirley starting the lead of pitch 4 (Feb. 2009).

More pitch 4 (Feb. 2009).

Nearing the fourth belay (Feb. 2009).

Following the fourth pitch (Feb. 2009).

More pitch 4 fun (Feb. 2009).

Nearing the fourth belay (Feb. 2009).

Leading the fifth pitch (Feb. 2009).

Looking back at Shirley from the lead of pitch 5 (Feb. 2009).

Shirley on the (delicate) pitch 5 (Feb. 2009).

Shirley arriving at the fifth belay (Feb. 2009).

Shirley starting up pitch 6 (Feb. 2009).

More pitch 6 goodness (Feb. 2009).

Following Shirley up the sixth pitch (Feb. 2009).

Starting the lead of the seventh pitch of Dream Of Wild Turkeys (Feb. 2009).

Higher on the seventh pitch (Feb. 2009).

Shirley on pitch 7 (Feb. 2009).

Shirley starting up pitch 8 (Feb. 2009).

Higher on pitch 8 (Feb. 2009).

Leading the ninth pitch (Feb. 2009).

Bit more of the same (Feb. 2009).

Shirley on pitch 9 (Feb. 2009).

Shirley arriving at the ninth belay (Feb. 2009).

Shirley starting up the tenth and final pitch of Dream Of Wild Turkeys (Feb. 2009).

More pitch 10 (Feb. 2009).

Getting there on pitch 10 (Feb. 2009).

Shirley on the final rap down (Feb. 2009).

Scoping out part of the approach to Inti Watana that afternoon (Feb. 2009).
Go back to Red Rocks.