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The Ironclads – Ironsides
There is another brief rain shower early in the morning, but then it seems to clear up, so we hike back up to Mount Boner where Ann takes her turn leading Shaking the Pope’s Hand 5.7. There’s a freezing wind blowing, so we decide to hike further in to Ironsides. It’s cold there too, so…
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The Ironclads – Punk Rock and Mount Boner
We drive up the South St. Vrain creek despite heavy cloud cover, hoping for the best. I retain my optimism, but we set up our tents before starting the hike, just in case. About five minutes into the hike a steady drizzle convinces us to have a beer in the tent before climbing. This works…
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Crystal Wall after work
Liz, Doug, and I all get out of work early and return to Crystal Wall hoping to get at least a couple of routes in before dark. We’re greeted by scant sprinkles and a small rattlesnake, but otherwise have perfect conditions for climbing. Doug manages his first outdoor lead on a fun 5.7ish route around…
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Movie: Traffic (2000)
It’s amazing how the War on Drugs has disappeared from the spotlight since this film, yet it still grows every year. This is a well-deserved bashing of that war that is also a very good movie. Many perspectives are represented, the drama is believable, and the fall guy isn’t the straw man so many indictment…
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Movie: The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (2005)
I was snared from the very start by the Mexican border landscape where the entire movie takes place. Having twice been dropped off on the border with a backpack and left to hike north, these images of the Sonoran Desert really stir up the feelings from those days. The story that takes place there has…
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Hike to The Bishop
Dad has half the day free, and agrees to show us the hike up to The Bishop near the Cathedral Spires. This area was closed for raptor nesting the last time we looked, but today the parking area is busy when we arrive. The recent rains have made for a mushroom extravaganza. I photograph eight…
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Bear Mountain Hike
We meet Dad at Pence Park with his friend Tom for an afternoon hike. The sky is full of clouds, but we start optimistically up Bear Mountain, and reach our favorite overlook there without rain. The rain and lightning are kind enough to wait until we’re a good ways down the mountain, where we soon…
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Movie: What the !@#$ Do We Know? (2004)
A hodge-podge of vignettes, computer animations, and clips of interviews with scientists and mystics questions the certainty with which we seem to regard everyday consciousness. It’s good that it argues that we know less thank we think (and I agree), because otherwise a coherent argument would probably be required. It’s also good that it has…
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Movie: The White Diamond (2004)
Wow, a documentary that presents real people the way the present themselves, complete with long pauses in dialog. The adventure of an explorer who has built an airship to explore the rainforest canopy in Guyana includes the intertwining stories of his own past, his hired help, and the filmmaker himself. I was touched by these…
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Arthur’s Rock
We introduce Doug and Liz to the beautiful trail to Arthur’s Rock. Last week Ann and Liz had to turn around due to unusual bear activity, and we see some large stacks of scat today, but no bear. We do the hike early, before it gets too hot.