Devil’s Kitchen

Posted on 24. Oct, 2011 by B3 in News

This weekend I made a quick trip to Lander. The focus of the trip was sport climbing, and we spent several days at Sinks Canyon. I am trying to climb on a rope as much as possible before it gets too cold, but that doesn’t mean my interest in bouldering has waned. Sunday we went back to the Devil’s Kitchen. This time I hiked several miles downstream over rugged terrain to check out the vast talus field that stretches east from where we originally bouldered. The amount of potential in this new area is promising, and I found a number of excellent unclimbed boulders. There could be well over 1,000 problems in the Devil’s Kitchen when all is said and done and nearly all of the rock is outstanding. It seems as well that the 4WD road to get in has improved noticeably with the increased traffic to the area. We made the hike out in 50 minutes, from the boulders, cutting off almost 40 minutes from the first time. All of these factors are making the area that much more appealing than it already is!

The entire geology of the area is somewhat radical, and today I hiked in a nearby canyon that had both house-sized gneiss and limestone boulders side by side. Several of the limestone boulders were easily large enough to bolt, and there were several quality limestone boulder problems as well, although climbing on these boulders won’t be my focus for a while. The granite is so outstanding, particularly along the river, that its hard to justify climbing on anything else.

A sample of the rock.

Today was my third visit and thankfully the water in the river had gone done and I had the opportunity to try one of the amazing projects I had found and cleaned on my first visit. We call this one the Black 45 Project, and it looks to be at least V11. I’m not sure if I’ll make it back this year, but this is one of the best and most accessible projects in the area. One climber argued that this could be on par with the incredible roof, just upstream. Here are some pictures:

Black 45 Project

The Devil’s Kitchen will hold years of great bouldering. Snow is coming to the area soon and I look forward to returning in the spring to this wild* and amazing new area.

*so wild in fact that there are rumors of sasquatch!

10 Responses to “Devil’s Kitchen”

Nietzsche

24. Oct, 2011

Wow.
Davin

24. Oct, 2011

Looks like some classic stuff. The walk would be cut in half if you came in from the bottom (to the lower section). Have you asked the rancher down valley if he would let you in from the bottom? Worth a try for sure. That hike is why the place hasn’t been visited since Steve Bechtel suggested it 8 years ago.

You know, without exaggeration, that quality of rock is accessible without the long drive and long hike. There are miles of it close to roads. http://timarose.blogspot.com/2011/10/wyoming.html

see you soon
B3

25. Oct, 2011

The hike isn’t really a deterrent, after doing it a few times. We basically did a half day down there and it was worth it. 35 minutes in and 50 minutes out is manageable, even with the steepness. I’ll come up and check out the other stuff at some point. Psyched to see new stuff!
danny b

25. Oct, 2011

blown away. I spent a ittle time in the Flacons lair and had my hand already full, this roof looks amazing. I will have to see it up close. great photos
Davin

25. Oct, 2011

That hike doesn’t sound bad at all now.

Very good to have some Wyoming rock getting a potential hard line or two, or many. There has been a small and devout crew in Wyoming for a decade or longer now. Slowly picking cherries and finding many life times of excellent rock.

With many of the cherries (including 4/5 star V0 to V12) going back into lichen and time, it has been less than motivating at times. It is a good thing to have a sense of community in bouldering, to have repeats of your own problems by others, and to repeat others. Maybe because of geography we’ve had a wispy connection to the bouldering community. It is the middle of nowhere here, but time for some community indeed. After all, there are some of the best lines in the country, just sitting with no chalk on them, waiting for a suitor.
big poppa chosscrush

25. Oct, 2011

with quality rock right close to home in castlewood canyon, you should be ashamed spending so much petrol to go to this wyoming place.

you have sinned against mother earth.
Nietzsche

25. Oct, 2011

classicwood indeed.
Michael

26. Oct, 2011

not possible
Wes Walker

29. Oct, 2011

Sick! Thanks for sharing Jamie.
Carlos

30. Oct, 2011

All these trips are quite inspiring. I think you would appreciate a trip to Roy, NM. Just a thought. Cheers