Another robust 4-pack of mountains are under my belt! Driving out to Steamboat Springs, I had to deal with awful heat and even more awful insects. The temperature rarely got below 100, which meant the temps in my car were somewhere around 120. Ugh! In fact, the driving is the most draining part of these hikes. The above picture is on the summit of Mount Zirkel, a 17 mile epic that goes through the fabled Mount Zirkel wilderness. It's a beauty of an area! The huge, impressive mountain behind me is called "Big Agnes", leading one to believe that her namesake was every bit as imposing in human form.
Hahn's Peak above is a shorter trek but still very enjoyable. This was the hike my parents sponsored--the picture I'm holding is of their Bassethound, Sophie (don't worry Mom and Dad, I have better shots of the shot than this one!) I'm standing in an abandoned fire watch tower which offered amazing views of the Steamboat Area. Since I started the hike in late afternoon, I literally ran to the summit, which is why I'm "glowing" in the photo.
Fools Peak may be my favorite summit so far! This hike was sponsored by Paul Retrum, who requested I carry Col. Leslie "Hap" Haphapablap to the top (nerds amongst you may note he's actually Max Rebo of Star Wars Cantina fame. Even nerdier nerds will know what "Haphapablap" is from). I tried to do my best Lion King imitation here, though Haphapablap doesn't really have armpits by which he can be triumphantly hoisted. This hike was a quality scramble in some remote territory, good stuff-- and I avoided the dastardly and dreaded east-blowing storms (a rare but deadly phenomenon out in Colorado, where everything blows in from the west).
One nasty note: when I camped at the trailhead for Fools Peak, I "foolishly" put my tent in the one spot of shade at my site--which also happened to be right next to a nest of "bee-wasps". I lived my cousin Marc's worst nightmare, getting stung 3 times by these weird insects, which resemble a yellow jacket but with grey and black stripes instead of yellow and black.
The last of my hikes was a ridge-linked thriller, Peak One and Tenmile Peak. Here's a silly shot of me on Peak One, the first of the summits. Again it was hot, but mercifully no bugs!
And finally, a contrived but cool picture on Tenmile Mountain (showing the ridge to Peak One behind me). I admit it: I wanted you to focus on my Whalers hat. Tenmile is a rarely visited peak and I got a first hand look at Colorado's oceanic past: a patch of rocks hid dozens of eons old seashells from a long gone era! I took a few pics and left them there for the next brave hiker to tackle this intimidating ridgewalk!
Saturday, July 15, 2006
I was able to finally wrangle the summit of Mount Powell in a seven hour epic on Monday, reaching the top on my fourth attempt! Accompanying me, all the way from St. Michael's, Maryland, was U-Turn the crab (a donation from the Powell family in the same city)! He had been with me on the rained out, stormed out Saturday attempts and now he reaches his rightful place in the firmament atop this lofty peak. Fare thee well young crabby, may you rule over all you gaze upon, until an ambitious marmot chews your eyes outThe next day was the coveted summit of the Mount of the Holy Cross, so named because of its huge, intersecting snowbands on the east face that resemble a cross. It was cold and stormy, but I had just enough time to snap a sunny photo before the bad storms moved in! The two hikes in two days equaled over 9,600 feet of altitude gain! Egah! As for today, I'm off for a four (five?) pack: Peak One and Tenmile Mountain Traverse, Hahn's Peak, Mount Zirkel, and Fool's Peak. Be back Tuesday!
Monday, July 10, 2006
For those of you who don't read maps too well, the above image is nothing of note. Colorado folks (and other map savvy chaps) will note that the elevation profile covers 17.3 miles, for a hike that was supposed to be 10 miles. Stormed off, bullied by the weather, I tried three times to ascend Mount Powell, only to get blown off and forced to retreat every time. The loooong bizarre retreat to the far right of the red-tracks was made during an escape from a particularly powerful thunderstorm. Covering an extra 7.5 miles through untrailed, untraveled swamp, I was able to navigate back to the peak for a second attempt but alas, it was not to be.
So...tomorrow, I try for a 4th time to get up the bugger, then make my way over to the Mount of the Holy Cross. Wish me luck!
Thursday, July 06, 2006
Hiking is the glamorous part of writing a book; hours in front of the computer are much less engaging. For any of you who have cats, the pictured situation is probably all too common! Xanadu here has taken my keyboard by force, rendering me helpless to work. She's actually pretty keen about all this however; when I'm goofing off online she has no problem getting in the way and being an adorable nuisance. When I'm in the zone of writing, editing, and really working, she respectfully sits on the floor or on the bed. A project of this scale warps the way time passes. Hours go by in a flash. Sleep is essential on several levels and staying focused while the world continues to drone on is a task that requires commitment and discipline. There is a bit of freedom in being one's own boss but it also means one has to really be honest with work ethic--too little or too much can be bad for the overall product. Still, at the end of the day, I can work in my underwear at home and when I'm out in the field, the dress code is waterproof-casual. Not too shabby when you consider the alternatives.
After my brief foray to sea level, I'm back in the mountains! Mount Thomas was my fourth of July selection, chosen not only for being a good hike but also because the moderate elevation and mild terrain were a good way to ease back into high country. Thomas is on the Red Table plateau, a unique Colorado feature that rises from the land in a sea of orange and red stones. Colorado folks might recognize the familiar rock bands and color, as they are the same stuff the fabled Maroon Bells are made of. I tried to mimick some sweet air drums on the summit as a tribute to my uncle Tom, but alas the pictures came out far too silly (and trekking poles make poor drumsticks). While Thomas was a long but gentle hike, Mount Deming was a mystery, wrapped in an enigma, coated with a thin varnish of riddle, and buffed with the finest wax of intrigue.
You see, little is known about Mount Deming--as far as the guidebook trade goes. I had no solid info on routes there, so I'd be picking one out myself. Fun! The day turned out to be an epic 15 mile, 8 hour, adventure with the routefinding a bit more tricky than I would have expected. After following a longish pack trail, I climbed a ridge via a 3rd-4th class rock pillar, which turned out to be totally unnecessary, as just to the right of the pillar were several grassy slopes more suited for ascent. Nonetheless, the ridgewalk was an exciting traverse, highlighted by a deep notch that had to be climbed with some technial savvy. After that, it's a straight shot to big ol' Deming, a fine mountain who doesn't see a lot of visitors. The log book had one previous entry from the last month, that of Jennifer Roach--wife and co author (along with her husband Gerry) of dozens of Colorado guidebooks! DOH! Just when I think I've found a unique jewel of a mountain--oh well, maybe she won't be writing about it. The moment reminded me of Indiana Jones, where the bad guy who rends people's still-beating hearts from their chests says, "Once again you see there is nothing you can possess that I cannot take away." Hopefully that's not the case!
After seeing moose, deer, elk, marmots, pikas, and enough bear scat to know I had been seen by a few Black Bear, I finished up the hike and got home in good time. Next up: Holy Cross, Powell, and Fool's Peak.
Monday, July 03, 2006
St. Lucia was a nice diversion from the mountains--or I should say, a nice diversion from high altitude mountains. The highlight of the trip was a run on "Tinker's Trail", a short but steep jungle ride endorsed by the man, the myth, the legend, David "Tinker" Juarez. For those of you who don't recognize the name, Tinker is a mountain biking legend, having excelled at the sport for over 20 years (not to mention earning himself a spot in the mountain biking hall of fame).
At 45, Tinker still rocks (0% body fat and whale-lungs are good for that) and he's a very cool cat off the bike as well. In the photo above, he's the red-adorned fellow in the center. The eponymous trail we rode with Tinker, is a steep, 700 foot climb (in under a mile!) that ended up being a hike-a-bike for all of us except, of course, Tinker. The descent was wet, muddy mayhem but gosh, was it fun!
The rest of the trip was great--the other journalists and our PR dude were all good company, sharp, witty, and fun to be around. Beside eating like kings and queens, we also snorkeled, zip-lined through the jungles, and toured the south western side of the island. Despite some epic flights (back to back 5 hour doozies), I've returned to Colorado ready to hit the hills again. Today was a necessary rest day as I need to reacclimate to the thin air before traipsing up to 14,000 feet again. As an "off" day endeavor, I did the 3 hour tour of biking up to Ward as a maintenance road-ride. At 9,600 feet I felt fine, so the trio of hikes on tap for this week (Chair Mountain, Red Cloud/Mount Thomas, and Treasury Peak) should not be too bad.
Thanks again for everyone who continues to donate to the Mountain Project by the way! I'm updating the donation page soon! Until next time... :)
