Towers

Castleton Tower rises above the Priest, the Nuns and the Rectory.
Widerman looks at the La Sal range from the top of the tower.

-It was a whirlwind week after a spring storm dumped feet of snow in the Colorado high country. With time requested off from work I had two of the best ski days of the year up at Vail and then John Widerman and I decided to gun for the desert during a break in the weather.
Castleton Tower is a real North American classic. A perfect stovepipe that breaks the horizon from miles away and it has a handful of routes that are possible for a mortals. However I'd heard unfortunate stories sandbagged ratings and people spending the night in the labyrinth of cliffs below the tower.
Getting to Castleton was like getting to another world on the chosen day of ascent. An hour and a half hike straight up the sand and scree took us approximately 1,700 ft. higher than the camp (John had an altimeter). With the previous days weather and an early start it was unbearably cold. By the time we got to the climb our water was a mix of icy slush and it took a great deal of effort to sort gear and prepare. I needed to brush up on my alpine starts.
In my opinion no off width to squeeze box chimney should go at a modest 5.9 rating, but I'm probably just in wuss mode after not having trad climbed in months. All the same after whipping twice on the crux and looking up at a seemingly unprotectable gap and looking down at two other parties waiting below, I started to have some doubts as to whether or not I could pull through.
Long story short we got up and back down with out major incident, but the next night in camp we met a group with one person planning to base jump off the top while his girlfriend planned on paragliding off the saddle; I guess life could always be more extreme. John was a solid partner, especially with my bitching during the long rappels down the other side. Now I just need to find the time to do the other 10 or so towers I have my eye on.
P.S. On the way back I got some good news, one of my photos made its way into the Rock and Ice gear guide. It's not a paying position, but it's a start. The picture is of Dean on Slice and Dice in Indian Creek.