“Oh, no, we’ve got a spot up at the end,” Robbie said to the park volunteer waving us into a parking spot. The man snorted. “Yeah. You wish,” he said incredulously. “No, we really have a spot. At least, your buddy up there put a cone in the spot for us,” Robbie replied, and he … More Thunder Lake, or; Backpacking Isn’t Always a Sufferfest
Team Ramrod reunited this August 16th-22nd to hike yet another exotic Rocky Mountain Range: the Wind Rivers. It’s all fun and games until you find yourself down climbing Class III terrain made up of loose talus with a 38 lb. pack on your back. I’ve learned that ultralight backpacking is for those with careers that … More Team Ramrod Year 2: The Wind River CDT/High Route Mashup
A Quick Review. As I turned my steering wheel to pull the U-turn required to get into a parking spot, my front wheels suddenly lurched forward and there was a loud crunch as the front of my Honda Fit bottomed out on the lip of the ditch on the side of the road. I had failed to … More Jurassic Park
Due to unfortunate technical difficulties involving a smart phone that can’t seem to get it together in the screen not being messed up department, I am severely lacking on photographs this week. That being said, the food was out of this world, and I highly recommend trying it out. I found some stellar homemade tortillas … More CSA Friday Week 10: Summer Harvest Tacos
Last week, my fellow dirt bagging buddy, Neal, texted me to tell me he was coming through the area. I had not seen him in at least nine months, and with one fell swoop, he reminded me of all the amazing and wonderful (and hard and scary and crappy) things I felt during my time … More Climbing and Community
Technically it is still Friday, and the green beans have started showing up in force. Green beans are another vegetable that are too often overcooked and shunted to the side of the meat and potatoes plate, a forgotten, sad, grey blob. I suggest bringing green beans to a higher state by simply using them in … More CSA Friday Week 9: Green Beans
I’m apparently feeling particularly fond of cast iron skillets these days, especially in relation to preparing fresh squash. I was delighted to find some young red potatoes at the farmer’s market, and thought that there must be some way to bring the vegetable this week (summer squash) together with potato. Too often has summer squash … More CSA Friday Week 8: Summer Squash
July 14th-16th, 2017 Snowmass Wilderness, Colorado We started out the weekend battling traffic on I-70, which I am almost used to at this point. Toby and I switched off driving at Leadville, where I was able to purchase another pair of socks from Melanzana because I had foolishly forgotten to bring a second pair. By … More Adventures in Tracking
At the bottom of the bag this week, a beautiful little zucchini. “Oh, god,” I thought, “It’s zucchini season.” I’m used to zucchini season being a time when there is just too much god damn zucchini and too many ways to cook it badly. I’ve never been one to enjoy zucchini so much as to … More CSA Friday Week 7: Ratatouille
I woke up this morning, wondering why I felt like it was still nighttime. The light had an eerie, grey quality to it that made me feel like I was back in New Hampshire. I popped out of bed, tore open the curtains and found…yes! It was cloudy outside! At last! The day I had been waiting for was finally here! A cloudy day in Colorado! It was a miracle. … More The Benefits of a Cloudy Day
