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Maroon Bells Backpacking: Capitol Peak to Snowmass Creek
Hiking Stats: Photos Route in Google Earth
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Maroon Bells Backpacking: Avalanche Lake to Capitol Base Camp
Hiking Stats: Photos Route in Google Earth
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Maroon Bells Backpacking: N Fork Lost Creek to Avalanche Lake
Hiking Stats for the day: Photos Route in Google Earth
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Placita Trailhead overnight
Dad and I, eager to start our backpack trip into the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness, find ourselves driving along the Crystal River looking for a place to spend the night at dark. We find mostly signs that say, “No camping within 1/4-mile of the Crystal River.” One tiny, overgrown road flies by, and I turn around…
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Mount Richthofen
How shall we celebrate our Independence? We consider climbing, but decide at the last minute to attempt an ascent of Mount Richthofen. Thunderstorms are forecast, so we try to get out the door by 6:30am. The timing turns out to be perfect. Even with stops for gas and change, we reach the mosquito-plauged trailhead at…
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Flying holds at Crystal Wall
Colin bravely joins us as Ann practices driving the BAT up twisty Poudre Canyon. The river is pretty high, enough to make someone on a raft going by scream audibly every few minutes. Which is also high enough to keep us away from the Palace. Crystal Wall is the place to be today anyway, a…
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We own a BAT
Last night I called Sean and Colin to cancel climbing plans, thinking I should look at trucks today. We’ve lived in a fifth wheel for two years now without a truck that can pull it. Oddly we are thinking of downsizing the mobile dwelling, but we’ll still need a big truck. Both of us have…
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Windows Terminates Explorer Just To Be Safe
I haven’t posted an error message in a long time, but this one is too good to pass up. I did nothing unusual to make this happen, it just popped up while I was setting up a new laptop with Windows XP at work: I nearly sprayed the new laptop with a mouthful of hot…
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Camped at Ironsides
It’s threatening to break 100°F this weekend, yet I’m feeling more interested in sport climbing than high peaks. Doug and Liz want to test their backpacking gear, so I suggest we haul packs up to the Ironsides formation of the Ironclads. There we can camp and climb at a cool 8,800 feet of elevation in…
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Movie: Tsotsi (2005)
This is a pretty convincing portrayal of the contrast between the ghettos and upper class neighborhoods of Johannesburg. The story has plenty of setup for both comedy and melodrama, but wisely chooses to keep it subtle and believable on both fronts. The theme of personal growth threatening our learned methods of survival is one that…