My favorite time of day is when the sun slowly disappears below the western horizon. Long shadows appear behind the trees, the bushes, houses – anything and everything. Holding the lessons of the day, these shadows reveal the personalities of their owners. Some tall and straight, others short and bent. They reflect what we see. I like these shadows, no matter the shape. The serenity, the depth, the complexity of their story. One year ago today, my mother, Ida, died after an 8 year battle with Alzheimer’s. She was a strong person with immense influence. Her shadow was indeed long. continue reading
One of the benefits of climbing is it requries gear. As they say, the difference between men and boys is the price of their toys. This goes for the ladies but it doesn’t rhyme as well. Anyway, I really don’t buy a lot of gear anymore since I have my favorites but when I do I research my options and try to get what I think best fits my needs. Sometimes it works, other times, it is a learning experince. I just posted three new reviews for items I am using quite a bit this summer in my Colorado mountains. continue reading
There are 54 ‘official’ Colorado 14ers mountains rising above 14,000 feet and at least 300′ from an adjacent saddle. An estimated 500,000 people climb on 53 of the 14ers each year without fees or permits, today. Now, the U.S. Forest Service (NFS) is investigating charging for other 14ers starting with four highly popular 14ers in Southern Colorado. The primary issue land managers are struggling with is that many of the 14ers are being climbed so much that the trails are getting overused, scattered with trash, toilet paper and poop and all the other problems that comes with a lot of use.
Next to the highest peak in North America, Denali, the highest in the lower 48 may be the best known and sometimes coveted by aspiring and expert climbers alike. I have been working on my Colorado 14ers for several years in between remote climbs, but I got the idea to start working on the California 14ers earlier this year and set out to climb the highest, Mount Whitney, first. The plan worked.
As you know, I only cover Everest each year to raise awareness and research money to cure Alzheimer’s. Today, I am asking you to vote to help. I am not asking for money, just your vote. It is easy and if you appreciate what I am doing on my site you will help. Alzheimer’s took my mother last August and two of my aunts. In addition, over 5 million people in the US and 25 million around the world have Alzheimer’s disease. It can hit anybody at any age. It is not genetic or an old person’s disease that comes continue reading
It is spring time in Colorado as evidence by deep snowfall that melts away the next day. So it is time to finalize my plans for summer climbs. My priority is to compete the Colorado 14ers. But also, I want to grab a few California 14ers and perhaps something big in the Fall. I have climbed 48 of the 54 Colorado 14ers. But of course the list is actually 58 so I need to climb 58! Confused? Well here is the explanation from my 14ers page
One of the great things about climbing after Christmas is chance to try out all those new toys you got over the holidays as gifts or on sale. And I am guilty as charged! I recently went ice climbing in Ouray and then made the summit of Colorado 14er, Quandary Peak in temps well below zero and winds gusting over 30 mph. Perfect time to try out new gear. In Ouray, I used my new Black Diamond Cobra ice tools for the first time. I had bought them on sale at the BD site and was anxious to see if continue reading
Over President’s day weekend in mid February 2010, I joined some friends for some ice climbing in world famous Ouray Ice Park. It was a great time with perfect weather and nice ice. Ouray is famous for man-made ice and the annual Ice Festival held every January. Ouray is a small mountain town in Southwest Colorado. A longtime favorite summer destination, it is nestled in the high Rocky Mountains. Ouray, once a mining town, might have disappeared or slowly dwindled away if an accident had not occurred. A leak in the fresh water pipe running along the top of a continue reading
If you have ever driven along Colorado’s Interstate 70 from Denver to Vail, you might have noticed all the dead pine trees along the highway. Some think it is due to pollution spewed by cars but is actually nature at work. Mountain pine beetles have killed an estimated 3.6 million acres of trees in Colorado alone. Their favorite food is the lodgepole pine tree but they also enjoy the ponderosa, Scotch and limber pine. The beetles kill the trees by creating fungus under the bark, which slows growth and eventually kills it. The root issue is that the beetles are continue reading
Those who want to make an immediate contribution, there is a quick and easy way to do so. By texting “HAITI” to “90999″ a donation of $10 will be made to the Red Cross and charged to your cell phone bill.
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