02/20/09
Couldn't get ice climbing off of my mind after getting out last week with James. I was off work on Friday, Wayne was available, and my Mom was willing to watch Miles for a few hours. Perfect! Since neither Wayne or I lead on ice, we tied two 60M ropes together and rapped in over over the top flow for some nice long laps. A warm day with sticky ice and the place to ourselves. Sweet!

02/15/09
Having a newborn baby hasn't allowed much time for ice climbing this year, though James and I got down to Hully Gully for a few hours of nearby fun on ice. The top flow was in real nice, the bottom flow was thin and had a gapper. We were the first there, and it didn't take long for three other groups to funnel in. Being a small place, it was great that everyone was so nice and willing to swap ropes so everyone could get laps in. Obviously my first time out for the season, as over-gripping and too much swinging led to a big ole case of the Screaming Barfie's in my hands. Ouch!

03/08/2008
James Just and I were finally able to coordinate schedules and get out for some ice climbing on the elusive Hully Gully near Colorado Springs. The place is a well-kept secret and definitely for good reason! With directions in hand, we searched it out and were very pleased with what we found after a couple wrong turns and scree-skiing down technical dirt. The first pitch is about 50-60ft in real good shape with very sticky placements. James led it like a pro and belayed me up while we waited for a couple guys ahead of us to lead the second pitch. The second pitch was about 100-110ft and quite vertical, but sticky and good shelves for feet. James felt confident that he could lead it and flashed through it without hesitation. Now another fun surprise for us... a very short section of ice on the right and rock on the left, this section got us up and out of the climb with giant smiles on our faces. We had so much fun that we hiked back down to the midway point, set up a top-rope, and did several laps on the bottom pitch. Climbing in just light gloves and a long sleeve shirt was great! We played on the rock on the left, ice in the middle, and cave on the right before calling it a day. What a great gem close to home and in great shape!!