Archive for the ‘Colorado 14ers’ Category

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A Colorado Weekend: Ice and 14ers

Tuesday, February 16th, 2010
Ouray Loves Ice Climbers!

Ouray Loves Ice Climbers!

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 river gorge created a long ice fall one year … and the rest was history!

From the Park’s website: (more…)

Tags: Ice Climbing, Ouray, Quandry Peak
Posted in Blog, Colorado 14ers | 1 Comment »

Pine Beetles Love Rush Limbaugh

Tuesday, February 9th, 2010
Pine Beetle Destruction

Pine Beetle Destruction

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 enjoying run-away growth. Each winter, the beetle lays eggs under the bark and the larva have a natural antifreeze which protects them during the cold winter. (more…)

Tags: pine beetles
Posted in Blog, Colorado 14ers, Mountaineering Moments | 2 Comments »

Ptarmigans – Nature’s Perfect Camouflage

Saturday, January 23rd, 2010
Ptarmigans in the Summer

Ptarmigans in the Summer

I love to climb or more specifically to be out in nature. This past week, I took a long climb to almost 13,000′ on Longs Peak in Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park. It was a rare winter day with mild temps in the high teens and virtually no wind – unheard of for Longs in January.

The scenery of the snow covered Continental Divide was stunning as was the lightly peppered Diamond on Longs’ East Face. I was completely alone for the majority of the day. I had started just before sunrise and enjoyed watching the sun light up the Colorado eastern plains.

But it was a few minutes of a six hour day that sticks in my memory. (more…)

Tags: Longs Peak, Ptarmigan, Rocky Mountain National Park
Posted in Colorado 14ers, Mountaineering Moments | 1 Comment »

Using the New SPOT GPS Messenger

Saturday, December 5th, 2009

SPOTI received an early present from my Christmas wish list; the latest GPS Personal locator beacon from SPOT otherwise known as the SPOT Satellite GPS Messenger. I took it out for a test drive on an easy hike to Bison Peak in the Lost Creek Wilderness of central Colorado. The SPOT performed well.

I wanted SPOT primarily to keep my wife informed of where I was when I was out of cell phone range, which happens often with my iPhone/ATT in the Colorado back country. Also, I thought it would be nice to see my tracks when I got back home. Finally, it might be fun to share some of my climbs while they are happening in addition to posting trip reports after they are over. Has climbing become a spectator sport?

Continue reading my experience at Gear Reviews

Tags: SPOT
Posted in Colorado 14ers | 1 Comment »

Longs Peak Diamond Climb – video

Wednesday, November 11th, 2009
Longs Peak's Diamond with Chasm Lake

Longs Peak's Diamond with Chasm Lake

If you have explored my site, you know that Longs Peak is one of my favorite climbs. In under two hours, I can be on the trail at 9400′ and reach the summit at 14,256′ in a few hours on a good day.

It has all types of routes from simple walkups to world-class technical trad climbing.  And it offers the best and worst in mountaineering weather all year-round thus making for excellent training for Denali, Aconcagua or serious Himalayan climbs.

Of all my pages on 14ers, I have more about Longs than any other since have climbed on it well over 60 times and summited it 16.

So when I saw this video of professional climber Steph Davis climbing the Diamond, it captured what I love most about Longs and climbing in general. I hope you enjoy her video as much as I did.

Climb On!

Alan

Tags: 14er, Longs Peak
Posted in Colorado 14ers | 2 Comments »

Follow Your Dreams

Sunday, September 27th, 2009

Setting hard goals and working towards them often defines part of  human existence. Two of my friends did just that this week. Jim Davidson summited Cho Oyu and John Little his first 14er. I am so proud of both of my friends.

In Jim’s blog he wrote:

Jim Davidson rock climbing in Rocky Mountain National Park

Jim Davidson rock climbing in Rocky Mountain National Park

“I began to wonder what climbing to such great heights would be like, how one got to go on such an adventure, and, dare I say it, if even I might be able to go someday. A dream was born.”

(more…)

Tags: 14er, Cho Oyu
Posted in Climbing News, Colorado 14ers, General | 2 Comments »

A Special 14er Climb

Thursday, September 24th, 2009

I will be climbing an old friend this week – Mt. Belford and the neighbor, Mt. Oxford. They are in the Sawatch range in Central Colorado and I climbed them both in 2005. These are not particularly difficult climbs but this will be special for an entirely different reason. (more…)

Tags: 14er
Posted in Colorado 14ers | No Comments »

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