Hello All.
 
By now, most of those who attended MADiDEA 2007 are at home and fondly reminiscing (even Sean!) about those days we spent together.  Nikki, Jeff and I are working through an "official" summary of events, but I just wanted to tell you all how much fun I had and how much of a good time you all missed who didn't or couldn't show.   Big thanks particularly to Jeff and Teri who busted their butts and truly made it all happen.  Well done!!
 
Mauro Sormani and I departed Madison, Wisconsin on August 4.  We were about to embark on the quintessential American summer past time:  The Western Road Trip.  First stop was Badlands National Park at dawn with a drive through where we saw so many mule deer.  Then we were climbing behind Mt. Rushmore at the Rushmore Needles in South Dakota's Black Hills.  We completed a few pitches of varying difficulties including super-hard (when I just belayed and heckled the poor lad) on the sharp quartz crystals which poke out of the rough granite.  Nearly all routes in the Rushmore Needles are bolted which made the committing granite less intimidating to Mauro who is used to mostly bolted limestone.  After it got too hot to climb, we left for Devil's Tower which was thankfully located more or less on the way towards Bozeman. 
 
We arrived with plenty of time to set up our tent and reconnoiter the approach to the route we would do EARLY the next day -- one of the easiest called the Durrance (first ascent in 1938).  Mauro was blown away by the beauty of the place and how impressive Devil's Tower was from every angle including the front door of our tent where we could view our route clearly.  We were still preparing our gear late into the evening.  With night, the temperatures thankfully dropped, the wind picked up and a strong thunderstorm blew in.  Mauro kept complaining after each thunder clap that it was too bad we wouldn't be climbing in the morning due to the weather and I kept reassuring him it would blow past and the rock would be dry.  Both of us were very excited about climbing and were up before our 4:00 am alarm call.  We packed everything into the car except our wet tent and drove towards the visitor's center a few miles away where we would do our one legal duty: register for the climb.
 
We left at 5am for the trail and then up the boulders to the approach we had scouted the day before.  Already one party was ahead of us.  When we arrived at the base of the first pitch, the man who has climbed Devil's Tower THOUSANDS of times was leading his client.  Another couple were making their way up to the first pitch, but it looked like Mauro and I were party #2!  I took the first pitch, because I knew the second would be worse and I wanted Mauro to fully experience the Tower from the sharp end.  Soon we had more or less gracefully (well, at least Mauro) completed five pitches and decided to do the Bailey's Direct finish straight to the top, completing six pitches of very easy but enjoyable climbing.  Mauro led this last pitch which we decided was the cleanest, most continuous  and fun pitch at a full 50m rope length.  We topped out, untied and started threading our rope for the first of five (? or was it four?) full raps/abs and scrambled up a few meters and traipsed across the top of Devil's Tower.  Cacti, desert-type plants were underfoot -- flat as a pancake, the size of a soccer field.  We signed the log, ate a snack and drank some water and returned to the first rap station.  We efficiently threaded (using the well-designed fixed rap stations, as are the belays) and pulled ropes and soon found ourselves deluged with tourists on the trail back to the car asking us "how'd ya git yer cable up there" or whether we "made it to the top" of "that musta been a rush!, eh?"   It took us almost an hour to get down the trail because we were mobbed by the curious who needed to know how we did it.  They took our pictures and were not the least bit disappointed, even after I told them we climbed the easiest route to the top.   Mauro thought the questions and the attitudes of the curious were absolutely hilarious.  I went for the jugular when I accused all the Sturgis Harley motorbike riders FIRST about how DANGEROUS motorcycling was.  We all laughed and they scratched their heads and thought I made a reasonable point...
 
Off with tent packed and hitting I-90 towards Sheridan before noon!  Well done diabetic climbers!  Incredibly, we made it to Jeff's by 6:30 pm and we found a note on the door: "Mauro and David make yourselves at home."   I noticed Doug's car out front and another CO car which had to be Lisa's.  Where did they go to eat?  We were STARVING!!!!!!  A cool beverage wouldn't hurt either.  A call back from Teri revealed that the early gang was at 18 Miles to the Border.  Hmmmm good.  Late night packing in the driveway and a plan to leave by 6 am to go to glorious Mt. Cowen.
 
There were six of us.  Jeff and I had talked about climbing Cowen almost a year ago.  We had convinced Doug it was a good idea.  And who knew we would be fortunate enough to have the Nikki, Lisa and Mauro with us too!  Nikki and Jeff at the helm brought two vehicles to the East Mill Creek Trailhead, about an hour or so from Bozeman  
 
 
to be continued.....