We humans love our lists. The best movies. The greatest novels. The longest rivers. The fastest land animals. The tallest mountains.
Continue readingNothing but a number
hiking
Maybe I should stick to riding bikes
After completing my climb of Mount of the Holy Cross last fall, I noted that I’d climbed all 15 of the Sawatch 14ers, putting my total number of 14ers climbed at 26. A milestone, of sorts.
Continue readingThe Holy Stairmaster®
After Pikes Peak, probably the most widely known mountain in Colorado is Mount of the Holy Cross. Unlike Pikes, which sits on the Front Range flush against the prairie, staring drivers from the east in the face for miles, Holy Cross is hidden deep in the Rockies. It only reveals itself to those willing to hike. And as I discovered, hike a lot.
Continue readingTwo on the Divide
You may have noticed It’s been a while since I’ve spewed forth any kind of hiking post on this here cavalcade of outdoor adventure.
Continue readingUno Mas
We’ve been having what can rightfully be described as a spectacular fall season in Colorado. Weeks of crisp, clear evenings and cloudless bluebird days with high temperatures in the 70s. While the leaves are gone from the aspens, the cottonwoods and birches in the valleys are all brilliant shades of yellow and orange.
Continue readingIt’s a Quandary
Is it possible for people to love the outdoors too much? Studies have shown that getting out in nature is one of the best things you can do for both mind and body. But is it good for nature? How many people can nature sustain before it stops being nature?
Continue readingReturn to Missouri Gulch
Collegiate Peak Redemption
After my recent ignoble defeat on the Wetterhorn, I was thinking that I would be ending my 2022 climbing season on a down note.
Continue readingSometimes the bear eats you
In my ongoing pursuit to climb Colorado’s 14ers, so far I have managed to finish 18 out of 58 of them. That puts me squarely in the beginner-intermediate category, I think. This year I’ve been trying to improve my skills and fitness by focusing on longer and more difficult climbs. And so far, I’ve had success.
Continue readingIt’s on the list, it must be climbed
Peak bagging is a strange pastime. Getting up at gawdawful hours of the morning, driving all over the state to spend all day walking up and down steep slopes until your toenails turn black all because a mountain appears on some arbitrary list. Is a 13,000-foot mountain less worthy of climbing than a 14,000-foot mountain? No. But the 14,000-foot mountain is on a list. Actually, the 13,000-foot mountain is on a list too, a different list. But one list at a time.
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