Black Lake West Gully
Rocky Mountian National Park
December 2, 2008
Conditions were great for this climb of the classic West Gully, which sits below McHenry's Peak
in Rocky Mountain National Park.
Three pitches (60 meter rope) took us to within a few feet of the top. The first pitch
is relatively easy WI3. The second pitch is a bit more tricky WI4. Above the 2nd pitch is a long relatively low-angle
slab that is at a somewhat awkward angle. It's not really steep enough to keep you over your front points, but a bit
too steep for French technique.
We rapped from a V-thread near the top of the 3rd pitch, then walked off to the left (facing
down) to a rappel from slings around big trees. A full length 60meter rappel got us to within 15 feet of the bottom,
with some scrambling required to get to the flat area. A 70 meter rap would have taken us to flat ground.
