Avocado Gully
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• Statistics:
  • Date Hiked:  December 23, 2011
  • Miles Hiked:  1.0 (Estimate)
  • Elevation Gain:  600' (Estimate)
  • Hiking Partner(s):  Jeff Shafer
  • Routes:  WI3+/M3
• Description:
  • Jeff and I left Highlands Ranch (CO) at 3:30 and starting hiking up the trail to Avocado Gully at 7:30.  The first pitch was pretty much nonexistent, so we hiked around it to the right and geared up at the base of the second pitch.  The bottom two-thirds of the pitch was fun WI3 climbing.  The top of the pitch was thin with only a narrow sliver of ice near the top to climb.  I slowly and carefully made my way up the difficult climbing and pulled over the top of the pitch.  I then scrambled another 30 feet to two bolts on the right.
  • I brought Jeff up and he then led the fat third pitch.  The temperatures were cold and the ice was brittle, so he had to climb gently.  There was another set of bolts at the top of the third pitch which we rapped off back down to the top of the second pitch.  We did two more rappels and were quickly back to the FJ Cruiser on Highway 133.
  • Avocado Gully is generally rated WI3, but given the thin conditions of the second pitch I felt it was harder than that which is noted above.
• Maps:
  • No map available.
• Photographs:
  • (1) Pitch 2 (The first one we climbed.)
  • (2) Pitch 2
  • (3) Pitch 2
  • Jeff topping out on pitch2.
  • Pitch 3 (The second one we climbed.)
  • Jeff Shafer
  • James Just
  • Jeff starting up pitch 3.
  • Jeff climbing on pitch 3.
  • Jeff placing an ice screw.
  • Close up of Jeff placing an ice screw.
  • Jeff finishing up pitch 3.
  • A photo of the crux on the rappel out.

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