Climbing in Eldorado Canyon offers one the unique opportunity to retread the same hallowed cracks and fissures in the cliffs that pioneering giants of the activity did over 50 years ago. Eldo is one of a handful of places where the cutting edge of the sport was inexorably advanced during its infancy in North America; if you educate yourself and you pay attention, scaling these same routes affords a sense of connection to a larger tradition and community that I think is a bit less tangible in many other arenas. I feel fortunate for those opportunities; Grand Giraffe is definitely one of those routes…

Last weekend I drove down to Silverton to spectate at the Hardrock 100. This was my sixth year at the event, but the first time that I wasn’t on some kind of crewing or pacing duty…