cyberhobo

Category: Outings

  • Playground Topropes

    There are so many different climbing areas around White Rock, we think we may just spend the winter exploring them. Today we discover The Playground, an almost beach-like sandy bench under a cliff with a lot of crack climbing, much of it top-ropeable. There is one other party basking in the warmth today, and we…

  • White Ranch Open Space Hike

    This park near Golden is the former home of James Bond. The Pioneer, not the secret agent. Sean joins us for a hike that begins with a tour of what must be some of the most grotesque trophy homes in the foothills. It also provides good views of the plains and some prominent flatiron-like hilltops…

  • Denver Botanic Gardens

    It’s off-season for this attraction, but Mom, Dad, and I are glad we go anyway. Being surrounded by healthy living things is a failsafe high for me. I’m disappointed that the cactus house is closed, but there are many varieties of cactus growing outdoors too. The tropical greenhouse is amazing year-round, I’m sure, and we…

  • Warm pre-concert climbing

    We know we’re trying to squeeze a lot into the second day of the Rachmaninoff Festival, but we’re rewarded with a bluebird day that’s almost hot, and we even fortuitously cross paths with Kate, Mark and Sean. We get four routes in before we have to scurry off to clean up for tonight’s concert. I’ll…

  • Trinidad Lake State Park

    I learn later that there is evidence of a mass extinction in this park! We find plenty of other things to look at on our morning hike of the self-guided nature trail and other trails. Next time I’ll have to keep my eye out for a dark layer in the sandstone that marks the Cretaceous-Tertiary…

  • Jicarilla Peak

    A friend Jesse has asked for a good training hike in anticipation of army ranger boot camp. My first idea is see if we can get up North Truchas Peak. We head into this neighborhood from the Las Trampas trailhead, starting the steep climbing from the San Leonardo lakes. Climbing terrain this steep is new…

  • Off Day at Potrillo

    We don’t feel like climbing, but go because we planned to. We don’t climb particularly well, I finish by bailing off Upper Kor’s Crack 5.9, which I had hoped would just be a challenging lead. I start tense and stay tense on it until I run out of steam at the crux. Despite all this,…

  • Intro to Potrillo Cliffs

    Ann and Brook were here last weekend, but this is my first trip to this White Rock crag. There are a lot of nice moderate crack climbs here! We sample a few: Belly Up 5.7 My only lead of the day, the airy crux on small pro makes me shake! Belly Flop 5.9- Might have…

  • Valley of Fires Nature Trail

    Before we leave my dad and I make hike the nature trail loop through the lava flow. It has some of the best interpretive signs I’ve ever seen – I learn and relearn several species that flourish in the New Mexico desert.

  • Three Rivers Trail

    Our previous two hikes began on the eastern side of the Sierra Blanca mountains. Today we find the Three Rivers area on the west side. It’s much lower and drier than the other trailheads. There is a small camp and picnic area here near a site with thousands of Petroglyphs. Further in a trailhead provides…