So, Martina is here from Spain and we are going to explore the American West…just as winter appears to be setting in. It’s October, so it’s really a bit early for winter if you ask me, but the Rocky Mountains really don’t care. Boulder was cold and cloudy when she first arrived, which was so … More Going on ANOTHER Road Trip
Back in New Hampshire, I was psyched to do some climbing at what could be considered my home crag- Rumney Rocks. I grew up 20 minutes from Rumney and have many best friends who actually grew up IN the village of Rumney (can you believe it?!?). It is where I climbed outdoors for the first … More Rumney Rocks and Injuries
The insanity of learning all this key safety stuff on the fly is really hitting me in retrospect. … More A Reflection on Surviving My First Multi-Pitch
It was Creeksgiving as they call it in the climbing world, or the time when many-a-climber makes the journey to Indian Creek, that grand valley between highway 191 and Canyonlands to climb their faces off during Thanksgiving. For this reason, all the affordable campsites were occupied, there was no room for us at the inn. … More Return to Moab Part 2: Is This a Canyon?
It’s been over a year since I was in the desert. I’ve been asking myself to get back there ever since I left. Auspicious things seems to happen in the desert. Last time I was there, I experienced the extreme paradoxes that life has to offer: the feeling at once of being exactly where and … More Return to Moab Part 1: One Good Day, and One Bad Day
It seems like this happens a least once a year, but especially during those seasons of exceptional change, such as now. We are now deeply into the changes of fall/autumn, and the shake up is beginning to be felt in other ways. While it is still bright and summery down on the Front Range, the … More Life is Wild Sometimes
In high school, I did a lot of Nordic skiing, especially with my dad. He had never really been one to love alpine skiing, and I had moved away from it as my friends were involved in nordic. It was a typical winter evening (read: it was 4:30 in the afternoon and the sun was … More Moving With the Seasons
Sunny Colorado has turned into cold and rainy Colorado this week because I apparently brought the Vancouver weather back with me. Not that I mind too terribly, though. A rainy day or two is pretty nice, especially when you’ve chosen to apply to graduate school and are spending an inordinate amount of your time trying … More Green Mountain, or; I Thought I Left B.C.
I crossed the Colombia river into Oregon at Biggs Junction, having come out of the desert and over the hills of the Yakima. I thought that I was prepared for the majesty of the Colombia River gorge, having seen into before outside of Portland, but the formation has a totally different look to it east … More Mt. Hood and Lolo Pass
Climbing and, indeed, all alpine-oriented sports are inherently dangerous. I clearly don’t need to state that fact. As any piece of climbing gear or climbing guidebook will tell you, CLIMBING IS DANGEROUS. Just this past September, we lost Kyle Dempster and Scott Adamson in Pakistan. In almost any climbing magazine, there will be a special section dedicated … More Risk, Uncertainty and the Relentless Pursuit of Self-Actualization
