Note, some of these cliffs are often closed (Mar 3 - July 31) for raptor nesting. MORE INFO >>>
Closed areas, from March 3-July 31:
Twin Owls Bat Flake Batman Pinnacle Batman Rock Lightning Rock Checkerboard Rock Thunder Buttress The Parish
Watch Out!! It's Jaws!
Description
Jaws is the large, long boulder on the approach path to Little Twin Owls. It is easily identified by finding the crystalline "mouth" on the west end--a remarkably well-named (or formed?) rock. The "Jaws" standard starts sitting down, hand traverses the mouth up right, and finishes in the corner, which may also be ascended by itself for an easier problem. A B1 on friable holds lies just right.
Protection
A spotter is nice--you're all bunched up above some sharp little rocks.
I believe I may have done the first ascent of this boulder problem back @ 1972 or 73. I mention it not for the credit of a boulder problem FA, but because it was a huge ego stroke for me and a climbing moment I will never forget.
It was a summer day & I was in Colorado doing some climbing after having spent a month climbing in Yosemite for the first time. I was from the backwater climbing state of North Carolina and was on a climbing pilgrimage. I was 17 and hitching my way back from my stint in the Valley, home to North Carolina. Colorado was a destination stop on the way back. I believe I was with a buddy named Rich Gottlieb, who now owns Rock & Snow in the Gunks.
We walked up and recognized two dudes working this problem. One was a burly looking guy with a handlebar mustache & the other was a lanky dude with coke bottle glasses. They were none other than the legendary Jim Bridwell and Earl Wiggens. A couple of my Hero's of the time. Both were guiding for Covington & Fantasy Ridge for the summer. They were both working this problem but neither could complete the traverse & finish the moves to the top. Earl was coaching Jim and was getting the farthest but he couldn't quite pull the final end moves. We finally got up the nerve to approach them and ask what this problem was. Earl spoke up and said it was a problem they had been working but he didn't know of anyone else that had managed to finish the traverse & end moves.
We started talking and to my surprise "JIM BRIDWELL!!" had actually heard of ME because I had done the 3rd ascent of one of his recent El Cap routes with Jim Beyer the month before in Yosemite. This may seem adolescent to some but, I was adolescent and to me that was a VERY big deal!! That this guy, JIM BRIDWELL, could have possibly heard of one of my climbing achievements. Encouraged by this, I also started trying this problem with them as we chatted. I was in awe that I was in the presence & even talking with these masters, much less actually bouldering with them!!
Since I was in the presence of these illuminaries I really wanted to get this problem and after a couple of tries, and really digging deep, I completed the traverse & actually managed to pull the final moves over the top. I will never forget that moment because both of their jaws just dropped! Earl looked at Jim and said in a dismissing tone. "Well I guess the good thing is we don't have to try this thing anymore. It's been done now."
It was quite the moment for me as I stood on top of that "boulder" glowing in my success. I felt AWESOME having completed a problem that these World Class climbers, that I had heard so much about had been working.
I thought and hoped, Man, I impressed them!! Probably the crowning achievement in my climbing career!! That is if you can call climbing a career. ;o) LOL
Little Twin Owls
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