Some crags in this area are closed 1 February to 31 July: MORE INFO >>>
The following crags are closed 1 February to 31 July: First Pinnacle (Gregory Canyon) Second Pinnacle (Gregory Canyon) Third Pinnacle (Gregory Canyon) Third Flatiron Queen Anne's Head WC Fields Pinnacle The Ghetto East Ironing Board West Ironing Board The Fin Green Thumb Jaws
Warren Teissier on the upper part of the 1911 Gull...
Description
This "adventure route" is not recommended (unless you are looking for adventure). At least you will not have to wait in line. The best time of year to do this route is late fall or winter, when the poison ivy and ferns have been killed by frost. However, the middle section of the gully holds snow well and an ice axe may be needed if it has snowed a lot recently. In fact, under the right conditions this section of the route is an exciting ski descent just minutes from downtown Boulder.
This the the first major gully left of the main East Face of the 3rd, it separates the main East Face from the pinnacle known as Queen Anne's Head. Approach as for East Face Left, and walk a few hundred feet south. The base of the gully is wide and slabby and it's not obvious where to start. The easiest start is a crack system near the south side, only 40' from Queen Anne's Head. Do a short pitch (or free solo) up this crack system, then unrope and climb through a hole under a chockstone to emerge in the main gully.
Climb up the main gully, which is bushwhacking interspersed with ~5.2 boulder problems. Soon you will enter the main gully, thrash up the ferns and ivy a few hundred feet to a slab making the start of the final chimney. Go home now unless you were planning on doing some rock climbing.
The upper chimney can be climbed in 2 long piches with a 60m rope. The rock is reasonably clean and the climbing interesting, and this climb had almost built up to one star until we ran into a 15' streak of pigeon shit we had to climb past. The climb ends at the notch of the SE Chimney, and you can either continue with that route or downclimb it. There is also an eye-bolt just north of the notch that you can rappel (west) from.
Supposedly, the date 1911 is engraved in the rock near the top of the chimney, but we did not see it.
Addendum: From J. Haas, "The name stems from a party finding "1911" engraved on a stone, similar to the slated stones in Indian Creek, at the top of the chimney. The engraved stone has been "missing" for several decades."
This route is best combined with a climb to the summit of Queen Anne's Head. From the bottom of the rappel, scramble up 50 feet of ferns to the start of the rock in the 1911 Gully.
In Rossiter's old guide "Boulder Climbs North" you will find "... the date 1911 is engraved in the rock near the top of the chimney." However, in the more recent edition "Rock Climbing the Flatirons", this comment was removed. I perused Gerry Roach's guide and also the Pat Ament/Cleve McCarthy guide, but could find no other reference to the supposed engraving. Perhaps it has worn off, I have never found it either.
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