Vedauwoo, Among the Earth-Born

Set in the emptiness of southern Wyoming is a beautiful land of rounded rocks and cliffs. Vedauwoo is from the Arapaho word, “bito’o’wu,” meaning “earth-born.”  The higher rocky hills seem to have given birth to many boulders, small to huge, set throughout the area.  A beautiful spring day was perfect to explore this area from Riki’s past.

Kelly’s thoughts…

An extra morning while visiting Riki’s family in Cheyenne was the perfect day to explore a site Riki knew nearby.  Most of the places we visit are places I know or that I find while sleuthing, so I was excited to explore one of Riki’s Picks.  The snow is just off most of the low hills west of Cheyenne with just a few patches in the drifted areas.  The higher Snowy Range to the southwest, though, was living up to its namesake with a layer of new spring snow.

Our hike took us along a ridge through the ponderosas and aspens with amazing collections of boulders among them.  Hare bells and other early spring flowers were just starting.  The valley included a boggy stream with beaver dams and dense willows.  Excellent habitat.  Rango loves, loves, loves the beaver dams with lots of water striders he can chase and mud he can integrate into his soft nether regions.

At one point through the willows we spooked a young moose.  It stopped and let us try to see it.  By moving along the trail we got into a position where Tori and Riki could finally see it easily.  It had weird silvery-white sides and back. The rest of the trail looped us around the back side of Turtle Rock, the high rocky point of the area.  The views were splendid.  We found a beautiful little stream and many small ponds that looked very fishable.

The rocks of Vedauwoo are Sherman Granite, about 1.4 billion years old.  There are large amounts of feldspar giving the stone a distinctly pink color. Our route eventually brought us to the main campground area and the region that is famous for the box canyon and other climbing sections. I’m not a climber, but I can easily see the appeal of a thousand traditional routes, giant slabs, and “offwidths” (cracks too large for a fist, but too small for your body… sounds hard-core).  I guess there are some famous climbs like Edward’s Crack (5.7) and Friday the 13^th (5.11a).  The toughest one is The Forever War (5.13a R).

The weather in the spring in southern Wyoming can be pretty tricky with lots of wind and freak storms, but our day was beautiful with cool temps, beautiful fluffy clouds and a slight breeze.  And what a lovely time to spend with Tori and her mom, the day after mom’s day.  Such an excellent experience!

Riki’s thoughts. . .

The first time I explored this area, I had the pleasure of hiking with my young friend Brandy. We didn’t have the advantage of a digital trail map, so we got partway around the loop, and then decided we had better turn around. When we hiked it today, Kelly and Tori blew past the part that had stumped me a few years ago, telling me that it was pretty intuitive. I found out that Brandy and I had turned around way past the halfway point. Hiking today, in the excellent company of Tori and Kelly, made me aware that I am in a MUCH better headspace than I had been in before. When I had hiked with Brandy, we were both in a painful season, and the hike was a beautiful refuge from the chaos that our lives were presenting. I am very grateful for the progress that the last year has brought to me.

The site is amazing! So many scramble-able big boulders, and the wildflowers were just beginning to emerge. The weather was perfect, as well, partly-cloudy, light breeze, and a lovely air temperature. Kelly got me some new hiking boots for my birthday, a full size larger than the ones I have been wearing. I discovered that when wearing boots that fit correctly, your toes will not touch the toe of the boot. Hmmm. The pairs that I had before were possibly a bit small, since all of my toes touched, and the second toe could not straighten fully. These boots are wonderful to hike in. My toes are not falling asleep anymore!!  It makes hiking so much more enjoyable!

Tori came up to see my mother and I for Mother’s Day, and stayed the night, going with us on our adventure this morning. That was a special treat, as she is a fabulous story-teller, and had many new stories to tell. She is such a delightful adventure partner, self-sustaining and strong. I love thinking about the delightful little baby girl with the gorgeous red hair that has grown into this beautiful, intelligent, strong woman.  Proud mama is excited to say that Tori will test for her private pilot’s license at the end of this month.