The morning started with a drive up to one of the few places I’ve actually been bouldering, just north of the first Horsetooth Reservoir dam.  There are lots of problems here, but most are too difficult for me right now.  I’m mostly trying to build up arm strength and get my fingers a bit roughed up and used to the rock.

We ran into a local who climbs there often.  He ended up giving me some tips and let me use his crash pad for a bit while I tried to complete a move he said I should work on.  He also told me a bit about the history of bouldering in the area, including about John Gill, apparently one of the pioneers of the sport in the 60′s.  He marked problems all along Centennial Drive (the road along the east side of the reservoir) with white paint so others would be curious and attempt the climbs too.  He was a professor at CSU and ex-gymnast.

My arms get tired pretty quickly so most days I’m only climbing for 25-35 minutes, an hour total after breaks and such.   After stopping I wandered around the area with Rachael and found a little lizard friend:

Lizard Friend!

After the little lizard ran away, I headed down towards where we were told John Gill had marked one of his problems.  I found it after a bit of a walk:

White paint marking a problem by John Gill

The problem (1)

The problem (2)

Also, I found a post on the Inside Fort Collins blog on Bouldering around Horsetooth that has some interesting information.  Also, they link to Inner Strength Rock Gym which I’ve been meaning to check out–their prices don’t look too bad.

Finally, here’s an article that talks about John Gill and climbing in Fort Collins from 2001.

Also, check out the gallery here for all of the pictures from that day.