"Because it's there."

In Colorado with Jill's family for Thanksgiving.





Today, Jill and I battled a fierce, very cold wind to climb 3 14'ers--Mt. Bross (14,177 ft) to Mt. Lincoln (14,286 ft; 8th highest in Colorado, 11th in the contiguous US) to Mt. Cameron (14, 238 ft).

You can see all three in the second pic--I'm on the summit of Bross, with the summits of Cameron (left) and Lincoln (right) behind.








I believe it was George Leigh Mallory--the accomplished British mountaineer--who, in the 20s, when he was asked why he climbed Mt. Everest, responded "because it's there." In no way, shape, or form am I climbing the Everests of the world, but, ask me why I climb those I do, and my response may not be too different. How else may we so intimately experience God's Creation and celebrate the abilities that our bodies were given to take us places we never thought we could go?

SFC National Conference

Dillon, Colorado. Nov. 21-23, 2008.

Mill B South

Trip report post:

We're young and masochistic so we hiked up the dirt/death-ice/snow trail in Mill B South and skinned from Lake Blanche to the ridge at the top of the bowl just west of the ridge out to Sun Dial. Hoar frost down around the creek; rain crust, glaze crust everywhere; rime crust above about 10k ft. Never softened up there on the north and east facing stuff we were on--go figure. Ate it about every 6th turn--I don't mind admitting it.

Even if it was an all-day sufferfest, it was beautiful up there. Everything was glisten-y in the sun, lots of ice bulges, firnspiegel along the trail, and there was nary a soul above the lake. Shoot, i'll take less-than-stellar conditions if it means solitude

Grandview Peak: Bike/Hike/Ski

Today, Matt and I went on a little adventure… fully self-propelled ski tour ... a “triathalon” of sorts.

Segment #1: 12 miles of biking from Sugarhouse (met Matt at top of Avenues) to the top of City Creek w/ skis, ski boots and hiking boots on our backs. It hurt so so good.Segment #2: 4 miles of hiking and extreme bushwacking (with ski protrusions out the top--cleverly situated for that extra bit o' bushwacking challenge, of course), plus 1000 ft of booting. Lucky for me, Matt's well skilled in the art of bushwacking, having done this for years on past springtime Cascades trips.
Segment #3: From the saddle, ~1000 vert ft of sweet sweet skiin'. Actually, not bad: 'bout an inch of warm, post-corn-esque-softness on a slippery, consolidated base. Skied good 'n' fast. In all, fine turns, sans the killer quad-burn after a mighty uphill heave-ho.
The hike/bike down completed the route: 32 miles round trip, 4900 vert ft, 8.25 hrs. Yeehaw.
Orange=bike, purple=hike, red=sweet turns.