Kor-Ingalls 5.9

How do you measure achievements in climbing? Numbers are deceiving. Too little attention is paid to the quality of the effort involved. Coming essentially off the couch, I decided to meet Nature at Castelton Tower for an ascent of the Kor Ingalls, a historic route, even older than either of us.

Nature showed up in the middle of a rainy Sunday night. I slept in the front of my truck because I didn't bring a tent. It was cold, and still raining at first light. The campground was surprisingly crowded due in part to the shutdown, and in part to the "Columbus day" holiday.

One guy said they were bailing because they did'nt want to climb on the sandstone when it was wet. (!) Well, today was our only day, so we decided to at least hike up to the base and see what the weather did.
It was fricking cold and windy. The Castelton wasn't going to yeild its classic summit too easily. It was putting off a surly vibe. The cracks looked wide, too.
We hung out at the base waiting for the sun to come out for over an hour. Then, another party showed up and we were spurred into action.
Over coffee that morning Nature admitted to having been climbing regularly over the past couple weeks, a clear violation of the off-the-couch ethic, thereby earning himself the crux lead.
The first three pitches each delivered a real pump. The first pitch tunnel through/squeeze was like a wrestling match. I nearly got stuck! The crux for both of us was figuring out how to orient your body so as to make upward progress possible.
Now, the route description I read called for pro to 3.5 inches. From photos I studied beforehand, I thought more big gear was warranted. We brought 2 #4 camalots, a #4.5, and a 6" big bro. We used all of it! If you only bring the recommended gear, you'll definitely have to run it out a bit more. There are bolts at some of the wide cruxes, however.
If you were ever in doubt about the sick and twisted nature of climbers' minds, a quick perusal of some of the prose written in the summit register, as well as some of the "offerings" left, should leave no doubt!
We both freed every inch of the route. It definitely pushed me both mentally and physically. And, thats how I prefer to measure achievement in climbing, by the quality of the effort involved in overcoming the difficulties and uncertainties of the day.
Kor Ingalls is a true classic! I'm still sore . . .