Spring 2010 recap

Spring began with Darren, Brian and I somewhere in central CO heading east on I-70 from Silverton by the skin of my teeth... err, Jeep. Tomorrow is the first day of summer. Let's recap some of the in-between.

• In April and May I got a few more ski days in... notably my first day on my tele's at Ski Cooper, went to Winter Park on my tele's for their closing day, and one last in-bounds day on Loveland's closing day, which turned out to be a decent powder day.
• In April I put my skins on my new tele setup and got completely worked (we made it to the trailhead.... no further), but regardless, I learned a bit about skinning in my would-be attempt to ski the Angel of Shavano.
  
• In May I spent two Saturdays playing in the Brainard Lakes area; one snowshoeing and one skiing. I have already talked about that here.
  
• On Memorial Day weekend, dad came out from Ohio to see more of Colorado and get some reprieve from work. We had a very nice weekend together with great weather. I took him on a few of Boulder County's finest back roads, and we both enjoyed. It was a pleasant reminder of how much Boulder County has to offer. After dad flew home, Trey and I put in a great ride at a very moderate pace to Jamestown and back. This was my longest outing on my road bike so far, and really has me looking forward to more long hills on the bike.
• On the first weekend in June, Ryan, Allison and I made it to the top of our first 14er of the year; Mt. Princeton. We camped just above the radio towers on one of the windiest nights I've ever spent in a tent, but luckily had very mild weather for the hike. There was a little snow to cross, but not enough to travel with winter gear. It was a slightly confusing descent, but overall a very nice day. With my first southern Sawatch peak in the books, I was happy to have the season underway. Photos from the outing are available here. I have to admit that I was a bit under-prepared in terms of clothing... I forgot my gloves, which were sorely missed for several stretches during the hike. It's always good to aim low for the first outing of the year to prevent simple mistakes from creating epics.
  
• Last weekend I flew back to Ohio to see my parents, some friends from high school and college, and to see Phish again at Blossom. I hadn't seen them in 10 years, since before their multi-year hiatus and semi-meltdowns. I had read positive reviews and heard a few of their shows from 2009, and all I can say is WOW. That was my 7th Phish show, and the best one I've seen in person. Show review: http://phishthoughts.com/2010/06/13/blossoming/.
  
• Yesterday Trey, Brian and I hiked Mt. Shavano and Tabeguache Peak. I think this was probably my most efficient 14er hike yet, and was very rewarding. We camped exactly where County Road 254 intersects the Colorado Trail in one of the most ideal campsights I've ever stayed in, at 9,850'. [Note to self: the Colorado Trail in this part seems like a perfect mountain bike path!] We were awake at 6am and on the trail at exactly 7am. The initial hike to treeline felt fairly strenuous, but was not impossible. I believe we hiked at roughly 1200' of elevation gain per hour, passing everyone we saw except the lady and dog that were training for the Pikes Peak marathon. I'll be the first to say that it is NOT a race, but I felt good being able to sustain the pace that we did, considering Trey and Brian are generally in much better cardio shape than I am. I felt really good the whole day and did not struggle with altitude until ~13,500, and even then it was largely due to my needing lunch that I slowed. Only until we had already summited both Shav+Tab already, and were re-summiting Shav did mental fatigue begin to set in for me. The weather was absolutely ideal until a stiff breeze formed clouds above us on our descent back to the Angel col from Shavano's summit. Happy to be off the ridge, it was a knee-killing descent back to the Colorado trail, but a very beautiful one at that. 10 miles and 5500' of elevation gain doesn't go down easy, but my body feels good today, so hopefully that's a sign I am in good enough shape to handle just about any challenge that comes my way this summer. Photos from the day are here.
  --
  This time I remembered gloves, but I brought two left gloves! [I have two pairs of the same Black Diamond glove, which I currently cannot remember the name of, but they're lightweight and bomber. I use them year-round for ski gloves, even though they're really just a simple Gore-Tex shell with a fleece liner. People always assume my hands are cold, but the gloves are just amazing.] To fix the problem, I pulled out the liner and turned it inside-out for my right hand. Not ideal, but a perfect fit when needed. Hopefully my next outing I'll have my glove situation all worked out.
  

It has already been a very nice year in the mountains. Who knows what the summer and fall will bring...

making the most of the summer

Alright, now that it's mid-October I can write about mid-July here...

Me voy a Tejas (Wedding #2)

The weekend after Ryan and I got rained out as described in the previous post, I flew to Austin to be in my second wedding of the summer. It was great to be back in Austin, and believe it or not the 104 degree heat didn't get to me that much. In a break from the wedding festivities, I got to see a few friends from a previous job and have wonderful Tex-Mex... not to mention beer with lime in it that wasn't Corona. What a fabulous idea that is.

But back to the wedding... I got to see my sister and new brother-in-law's home during a post-rehearsal open house. It was great seeing family and meeting new faces on the other side of the wedding. For some reason it felt like I hadn't spent that much time with the fam in this kind of setting in a long time, even though a lot of us had spent Christmas together and we had a wedding the previous May. Ahh well... it was good. Real good. We had the rehearsal dinner at Texas Land & Cattle, of course. It was a traditional Cowboy/Western wear themed party, but I showed up in a guayabera shirt, more of a gaucho than a cowboy. (I had tried to pick up some chaps on craigslist but nothing really fell into place.)

I called out a few relatives that I heard had spent a meal at Quizno's or Subway or something unallowable like that. My sister (the bride) thought I was wasted, but my announcement to the whole party to consult me for culinary advice was sincere and sober. Let thee be warned; the food in Austin is way too damned good to bore your taste buds! Don't give in to the national chain!

Wedding day was very hot - 104 - and the wedding was outside in the afternoon. The stage:

I would have preferred it were October, but there was a nice Central Texas breeze blowing in from the Longhorn ranch on the other side of the fence cooling us off. It was what it was, and we had fun. Amazingly enough, despite me being the only remaining single sibling, there was no onslaught of "so when are you getting married?" jeers. Gracias.

It all went way too fast, and I found myself needing to spend the next few weekends doing little of note.

On the Sharp End in Boulder Canyon

On a Sunday afternoon in mid-August Brian and I went up to Boulder Falls to climb Buried Alive, a 3 pitch sport climb on Tonnere Tower. I decided to put up or shut up, and had a fine learning experience in the process. This was only my second lead, and the first multi-pitch lead attempt. I felt confident in putting my skills to the test, and was psyched to have a partner to follow me up. There was a couple starting our intended climb just as we got there, so we decided to start on something else to warm up with. (Feel free to grin and laugh now if you know where this is going.) We chose the route that looked pretty straightforward about 20 feet to the right of the main event. Once I was 30 feet up I realized that the next 30 feet were beyond 5.9, and had a date with an "almost epic..." After backing off the crux of a 5.11 pitch that I couldn't finish (not to mention lead), making use of a nearby tree, downclimbing to try the 10a next door, not realizing I left a draw in the 3rd-to-last bolt on the 11 (that bolt is 2nd from top here, with my tree in the background), and generally doing my best to ignore the sensation of the shriveling of my testicles, I found myself standing on a ledge to anchor in to the top of the 11 but with too much friction in the system to actually pull the rope into the anchors. Brian had loads of slack in the line, but I literally was pulling with all my strength and no budging. The rope is fine and wasn't stuck on anything but it was not happy being clipped into 2 routes at the same time. Too much friction. Lesson learned. I was glad nobody else was watching, or at least I couldn't hear them laughing from the parking lot. Anyways, then Brian gave it a shot and did very well up to the point that he had decided was far enough. Afterward we hit up the main event since our neighbors were coming down p1 of Buried Treasure. I then discovered the enormous and wonderfully pleasant difference between 5.9ish and 5.11ish. I got to the top of p1 and Brian cleaned up after me. We then realized our brains and arms were jello so it was time to rap 95' back to safety.

I would really like to try to finish Buried Treasure, and would also like to try The Twilight Kid again but only as long as somebody can lead it or toprope it for me... ahh well. All in all I was thrilled to have the knowledge and ability to get myself out of a bad situation, then lead at least one pitch, belay my 2nd-er and get us back to the deck via rapping safely. My new rope and draws did their job, so I was happy. At least now I know for sure where my limits lie and can work within them and hope to push beyond them safely in the future.

Muzzurrah Hilltoppin' in the Sawatch

A few weekends later Phish rode into town and tore Red Rocks to pieces, but I didn't have tickets for any of the 4 nights. The best alternative was to get the heck outta dodge and pretend I wasn't missing one of the best weekends they ever put on and hike a 14er. [Seriously, if you haven't heard these shows, get them! In hindsight, I should have ponied up $250 to a scalper to see 7/30. It is a terrific show, a fun cerebral listen, and gives hope that Phish is back to a far superior era than some of the more recent ones. It probably sounds dumb, but it was sooo uplifting to hear them reaching their full potential again. Welcome back boys, I'll see you soon!]

On the last day of July Ryan, Allison, Trey and I headed up Missouri Gulch towards our old friend Winfield and camped on a cold night. On August 1st we summitted Missouri Mountain. I was worried about trip reports mentioning the climb from the trailhead to treeline being a memorable nightmare of switchbacks. To my surprise and satisfaction (and definitely due to the fact that I had begun running/training for an upcoming 10k) I had little problem with this section. I actually could not believe how well I did; the difference was more than enough for my hiking partners to notice. I am usually terrible at ascending steep hills, but was very comfortable all the way up. Once at treeline we noticed there was fresh snow on Belford, a neighboring 14er. [Snow in July! This has been quite a cool and wet summer, to say the least.]

Once in the basin above treeline, the valley opens up and the hike is trivial until you reach the beginning of Missouri proper. Beyond that, there is a fairly serious incline gaining the final ridge, but once you're on the ridge you're home free. The weather was perfect for us, and we probably could have stayed on top for hours if we cared to. I was overwhelmingly satisfied that my lungs were getting in shape, and to see Huron, the first 14er I summited two years prior, from another angle. The central Sawatch aren't the most challenging mountains in the state, but they offer great views and a great excuse to get outside! Here is the obligatory evidence:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/brett_burch/sets/72157621918368062/

Wedding #3

The next weekend I borrowed a coworker's condo in Frisco and found myself back in the mountains. This was the third wedding of the summer for me, Tony and Shelly's, atop Keystone. This was yet another wonderful weekend in the hills, spent relaxing and enjoying the company of college friends. Before the wedding Ryan and I took his kayaks out on Dillon and had a nice time on the water. After that it was off to Keystone to ride the gondola to 11,000', sunglasses mandatory, with Quandary as the backdrop to the bride and groom's big day.

This comment is in no way an attempt to take away from any of the other weddings I have attended, but seeing Tony and Shelly together was very moving. They truly were the most excited couple I had ever seen walk down the aisle. Tony cried and Shelly glowed... that was pretty much the only way I could describe it. Maybe I shouldn't say any more. It was just really moving. I hope one day to have that same experience.

You gotta run like an Antelope, outta control!

I spent the better part of August and September gradually increasing my running distance to over 6 miles at a 10 minute mile pace to run a 10k section of the Boulder Marathon. Again, historically my cardio has been terrible, so agreeing to run a leg of a marathon was not something I necessarily jumped at when the opportunity presented itself. I did look at it as a way to improve my health (mental and physical) and to prove to myself that I actually could run that distance, regardless of the pace. Averaging a 10-minute mile is hardly worth getting CNN on speaker phone for, but it was what my body would consent to, so I was happy to take what it would give. I finished my 6 miles in about an hour, as expected, and wasn't too sore afterwards, so I can't really complain, but to be perfectly honest I was disappointed with my time. I had trained at a faster pace and hoped for the race to be my best pace yet. This was likely due to the fact that I started running unprepared and with a full bladder, forcing me to stop to use a porta-pot before starting my 5th mile. That was a mistake, to say the least. I guess I'll have to run the Bolder Boulder next Memorial Day and improve :) All in all, it was a goal accomplished and a pat on the back for my lungs to have allowed me to run at all, so I was thankful for the opportunity and look forward to the next one. Handing off the ankle RFID to my teammate to finish the race I thought back to when I first moved to Boulder and how I probably couldn't have run 2 miles without being completely winded. I suppose it's true that sometimes you need to look behind you to see where you've been and appreciate how far you've come...

Now that the race is over, I'll probably try to improve my time over shorter distances (maybe starting with 3 miles, for example), but either way I've been keeping up the running. It's funny what wanting to be in good shape for ski season will make you do... and speaking of, it's currently snowing right now, so ski season isn't too far away! Snow, baby, snow. I am seriously driven to not let my lungs keep me from ascending a 14er couloir and skiing down it, so hopefully I'll continue to improve until I really need it in the spring.

making the most of the rainy season, part III

Wow, it has been a long time since I have updated here... If I remember correctly, there is still much to tell about the rainy season, so here goes.

In late May I took an Intermediate Snow course through CMC Boulder, which was a continuation of last year's Beginner Snow course. In Intermediate we learned how to use snow pro, roped travel, setup anchors, and self arrest with crampons. It built on Basic Snow and the Basic Rock School from earlier in the spring, and was a nice culmination to likely end my classes for a while. I now feel well equipped to safely travel up couloirs (for ski descents, of course). I really like the idea of snow travel as a means of ascent (avoiding the crowds and extending the climbing season), especially when combined with a ski descent (hence the Avy 1 class also). The next class I take will probably be Avy 2 and then eventually leading trad rock. After that, I think I am schooled out.

In early June I bouldered a bit on Mt. Sanitas right outside of Boulder. It was the first time I had really spent much time on Sanitas, and I have to say it surprised me. Maybe I wasn't in the beginner area, but I definitely thought the climbing would be easier. I've heard about tons of V0/V1 problems but didn't find too many when I was there. It was really busy but the rock was much kinder on my hands than Flagstaff is though, so it's a nice little outing in its own right.

A few weeks after Sanitas, I took a spur of the moment long weekend to the Telluride Bluegrass Festival. I went with the same friend I took up to Sanitas. We left Boulder on Wednesday after work and had what basically equates to 5 days of ridiculous debauchery in one of the most incredible settings on the planet. Let's just say that if there ever was a weekend where I put on a good Hunter S. Thompson impersonation, this, dear friends, was one of a select few, hence the leaving out of several details here. Before leaving Boulder we stopped at Liquor Mart for provisions, leaving town with a handful of bottles of beer, a 1.75L bottle of wine, a bottle of vodka, and two 12 packs of canned beer. Wednesday night we drove as far as we could before I started to get spooked of driving with all the deer on the side of the road. We got to Monarch Pass, where it was still very cold and snow was in our campsight. (Nothing like a little alcohol to take the chill out of the air...) We took our time getting going and got into Telluride around noon on Thursday. I hadn't been back to Telluride since I was a boy (middle school?) so this was a very nice reunion. The San Juans were simply stunning, with tons (tons!) of snow still on them. Most of the first day was spent drinking and unloading the Jeep while we set up our camp, finally seeing a few shows, and then head back to camp only to fall asleep and ultimately miss David Byrne's headline of the night. We made friends anyways, and ultimately did not go back to bed until the sun was coming up over the mountains. We slept under the dawn/stars and woke up to begin drinking again. We had a few beers for breakfast (which became the norm of the weekend) before we headed into town for the shows. We danced all day and I got a pretty good sunburn on my feet. That night Béla Fleck & Toumani Diabaté were definitely the highlight show of the weekend for me.

Every act we saw was fantastic though... it got to the point where I would stop checking the schedule, because it simply did not matter who was playing. Every band I knew put on a great show, and every band I didn't know encouraged me to check them out when I got home.

Saturday we woke to a completely different cold and rainy setting, so we headed into town for shelter... not to mention we had run out of beer. We reloaded at a nearby gas station and then headed to the bars. Most of the bars in town were packed, but we managed to find a corner where we watched an incredible dance-off by two of the drunkest people I've seen in recent memory. Ex:

We made our way back to the stage for Yonder Mountain, who were terrific as always, and during which I ran into another Boulderite... small world. The rest of the lineup that night was incredible, with Gaelic Storm capping roughly 10 hours of dancing. My legs were tired, and I was bummed going to bed because Sunday meant a long drive home back to responsibility. The 3am quesadillas helped ease the pain though :) Sunday we caught the first two shows, packed up our tent and headed back to Boulder. I was bummed we had to leave before Emmylou Harris played, but I knew we had to. We went home via I-70 instead of 285, and that made a truly wonderful Tour de Colorado. Photos of the weekend can be found at http://www.flickr.com/photos/brett_burch/sets/72157620431813195.

The weekend after Telluride Ryan, Allison, Brian and I hiked up La Plata via the Southwest Ridge. Ryan and I got our revenge after last year's Jeep-sinking 4th of July incident. It was our first new 14er of the year, and a lot of fun, although (this is the rainy season, after all) we did get rained on and had some nearby lightning. We actually ended up removing our packs to run quickly to the summit and claim our prize before a quick descent. I was happy to have made it down fairly dry, but will try to not cut it so close with the weather in the future. Photos of the outing are at http://www.flickr.com/photos/brett_burch/sets/72157620702598064/.

Lastly, Ryan and I tried to climb on 4th of July weekend in Boulder Canyon and got rained out. As soon as we reached the crag after some trailhead-finding troubles the clouds let rip with rain and lightning nearby. It looked something like:

I was happy just to head into town for some time at The Spot. The 4th of July truly seems cursed for us.

Thus concludes the rainy season. Bring on the snow season!!

bouldering outside in January

Even though I've lived in Boulder almost 2 years, I'm still having a hard time understanding how winter works here. Although I had hoped to be skiing this morning, I ended up in town watching Coal Miner's Daughter* while waiting for my new dining table/chairs to be delivered. (This plays into accomplishing "goodbye to hand-me-down furniture" as mentioned in a previous post about goals for the year.) As luck would have it, it was 70 degrees here! With the table assembled and in place by noon, so I had a nice little Saturday freed up. I took the liberty of working on another of my 2009 goals and headed up to Flagstaff for some outdoor bouldering. By the time I got up there, the afternoon clouds had rolled in, so it was a bit chilly, but the climbing was still enjoyable. I headed up towards the Upper Great Ridge, near the First Overhang Ridge, where I spent an afternoon in November. There was still snow on the ground, but the rock felt good in the cold. I walked right up and onsighted Southwest Layback (V1... my first) on King Conquer boulder (#11 in this photo). After messing around a bit more, I walked downhill to the Upper Y wall. I onsighted Y-Right (V0, #14 in this photo). At the very top of Y-Right, I started to get a bit of fear because a guy working on the Y Traverse below me fell, cutting his hand and elbow, causing the ol' blood to get a-flowin'. His friend's scream scared the crap out of me, and from there on I couldn't shake the fear, so I decided to call it a day quickly... maybe the setting sun and wind also played into this. Either way, it was a reminder that climbing outside is not like climbing inside in the least. (The flakes at the top of Y-Right are a little thin, so the stories about flakes breaking off by the folks below me didn't help my cause...) I'm still very much a beginner when it comes to bouldering outside, so we'll see how my improvement goes this year. On a positive note, at least I've already logged a day and we're nowhere near spring!

*I hadn't seen that movie in a long time. Sissy Spacek and Tommy Lee Jones do a wonderful job in it. I haven't lived in Kentucky for about 13 years, but you couldn't mistake the scenery for anywhere else... seealso Elizabethtown. Loretta Lynn's story, in my opinion, is one of the more interesting threads of the Americana web.

skiing and bouldering (both in November)

It has been a few weeks, so here's some catching up...

Potpourri:

• If I had a good enough excuse to wear Patagonia Capilene every day, I would.
• This week I had my first physical exam in a decade. I got a Tetanus shot, had blood drawn, and scheduled an appointment with a cardiologist. I've never had a cardio stress test, but I'm kind of excited to see how my heart performs and be able to put together some goals for improving it.
• I thought for a very long time that using the word "microclimate" when talking about clothing was bogus, but over the past couple of months I feel like I've been able to dial that in really well and truly recognize and appreciate getting it right. It really does make a big difference.
  
• Welcome to the Big Ten Dick Rod!!! Well done, Tress :)
• Austin, ready or not here I come. I expect Rudy's and Chuy's to be fully stocked on all my favorites...
  

Ok, enough of that. Last Saturday I went skiing for the first time this season with my Colorado Pass. I went to Breckenridge with Ryan, Allison and Andrew. Although the 24-hour report had 4" of new snow, due to the lack of storms in CO thus far, the snow was primarily man-made. Ahh well... it was nice to get out and test out my ski legs again. Overall I feel like it was a decent day, leaving plenty of room for improvement this season. Breck is a large resort with a great view in all directions, and I'm sure the terrain will be enjoyable once opened. Ryan and Allison took lessons all day so that left Andrew and I to explore the 2 open lifts. We enjoyed the snow, but eventually decided the early season snow was not worth the lift lines, so we headed for the lawn chairs and bar. I look forward to many days this season with those 3 companions and whoever else ends up joining me/us.

Quick side story: "you might be skiing in the early season if..." Some poor girl gets dragged up to Breck by her boyfriend and is apprehensive to even put her skis on in the lift line. She makes it off the lift ok, but then points her skis downhill on the beginner slope without thinking about gaining speed. Soon enough, she's going way too fast and headed directly for some guy sitting down. Despite observers yelling "FORE" the inevitable occurs and she plows into the guy's back. I hope both that he has fully recovered and that she doesn't put skis on for a while.

Quick commentary: I don't want to sound like a snob here, but I have to point out an observation of the difference in crowds between Breck with the resorts I went to last year (Steamboat, Winter Park, Copper and Loveland). Hopefully I don't sound like a jerk when I say this, but I prefer the crowds in the latter group because of my desire to take skiing seriously. Maybe it's because I'm not a great skier and not content with my skiing yet, but I feel like I should be focused on how my day is going rather than making fun of the guy who just ate it below me. Granted, I've laughed at or felt bad for people before, but not the entire day. I just enjoy a conversation like the following more than pointing and laughing which seemed to be the main objective of the people around me on the lifts (excluding Andrew):

Hi, how's your doing going?
So far so good. Isn't the snow nice this morning?
Yeah, I was just over at __insert name of nice run here__ and it's just starting to soften up nicely over there.
Cool, I'll check it out. Boy, I hope we get more days like today this season.
No kidding. I was up here last week and it is only getting better.
Yep, I hope my skiing keeps getting better as the snow does.
Definitely. Enjoy the powder.

Maybe it's just because it's too early to take this season seriously yet... I hope my first impression turns out to be wrong. Anyways...

Last weekend I also went Christmas shopping for myself, picking up a skiing daypack, an avy shovel and a bouldering crash pad. (When life hands you 20% off at Neptunes, I suggest making lemonade.) Today was such a beautiful day (where the heck is winter?) I decided I had no choice but to put the new crash pad to good use. I used my (apparently controversial but so far meeting my needs) Bouldering Colorado book to find a good boulder nearby with a relatively safe landing zone and beginner problems. Although I consider myself a fairly competent climber indoors despite plenty of room for improvement, bouldering outside (as was reinforced this summer in a morning on Flagstaff) is very different (primarily twofold; a: you have to leave enough stamina to be able to accurately jump to a crashpad or downclimb anything you go up if you get stuck because there are no padded floors below you i.e. the consequences force you to be more conservative especially when alone, and b: the rock chews up your hands much better), so beginner problems were definitely what I needed. I found a good rock on Flagstaff with a range of problems from V0 - V2 called Tombstone Spire which also had good information on the Flagstaff Mtn bouldering blog. There are several other rocks for the same parking area, all described at the previous link.

I ended up focusing my efforts on the beginner problem called West Side (apparently V0 / VB depending on who you ask) number 22 in the above photo. The first several moves were nice but it then the ground ("call it the deck, brah") gets slightly further away and the problem gets just enough blind and overhung to be interesting. (There is a huge "Thank you Jesus" chip and bucket at the top which you can't see, but keep reaching and you'll find it.) I ended up getting stuck a time or two and having to do some recon work from the top before completing the problem start to finish. It's a somewhat long problem and worked my forearms adequately. It was enough to give me a good workout, but I was able to ascend several times. I wouldn't call it highball by any means, but the tree branches add to the overall aesthetic :) The view from the topout, by the way, is as good as most in the Flatirons area. My photos of Tombstone Spire can be found at http://flickr.com/photos/brett_burch/sets/72157609770257754. I have to say there is something really nice about being on rock instead of plastic and not having colored tape to tell you where to go (even though the white chalk stains give you a pretty good idea). Here's hoping I get more days in when the weather gets warmer (if it ever gets cold enough to stop for the year, that is). Next time I'll go with a spotter (and maybe another crash pad) and test out my endurance on Pinnacle Colada, which looked really good but too high for going alone.

Boulder Adventure Film fest

Thursday and Saturday I saw several films from the Adventure Film festival. Tickets were $10 each day, and it was money well spent.

Thursday I saw 3 films about climbing; one about Mike Bearzi's last climb called Via Bearzi, one about summitting K7 called Ice, Anarchy, and the Pursuit of Madness and finally a film called Shaking the Bear which was about the first ascent climb (of the same name) in Zion National Park. Bruce Miller (a Boulder resident and Mike Bearzi's climbing partner) spoke after the first film. Chris Alstrin came up from Colorado Springs to comment on his film, the third. The first two made me want to book a flight to Kathmandu ("baby steps, dude, baby steps...") and the third made me re-realize that multi-pitch crack climbers are flat out insane (I would literally be leaving a yellow wet trail all the way up).

Saturday I went to the Patagonia store and saw Weather We Change about climate change and its affect on the winter sports industry. After the film, Alison Gannett (see also her Ambassador profile) presented her slides about how we all can reduce our carbon footprint, and I was convinced that for Christmas this year I'm just going to ask for folks to offset my yearly carbon output.

Seeing these films, if nothing else, gave me a greater appreciation for Boulder. The fact that this and other similar film fests show in few other places except Boulder is a selling point, but more so is that there is something exciting about knowing the dude in front of you at the grocery store who hasn't shaved or showered in 2 weeks may just be recovering from a recent epic climb of a huge peak in the Himalayas. If I continue to live in the Front Range for a while, I don't want to live more than a few miles from Boulder. It's a very unique town in that regard and I'm thankful every day to be here.

Bryan and Erica visit 8/6 - 8/10

This is a tad overdue, but here's a fast recap of Bryan and Erica's visit to Boulder... it went really quickly but was a ton of fun.

Wednesday night Team Ohio, fellow Hudson '99 grads, landed... bringing clouds, thunder, lightning, and rain just like any you would find any given day in Ohio. [The previous 20-ish days had been clear as a bell, and the next 20-ish days afterward were clear as a bell...] We headed to Denver and had a night of food, beer, pool and shuffleboard at Wynkoop.

Thursday we headed up to the Indian Peaks to see Mt. Toll and company... it was beautiful but we were forced to turn around due to the weather. After lunch in Nederland, we headed into Boulder for a tour of Pearl Street, CU, etc... where we got rained on. We decided indoors was best, so we went climbing at The Spot. I tried slacklining for the first time, and didn't quite embarass myself as bad as I thought I would... was also rewarded with the advice that the journey of a thousand miles begins with one step by Timmy O'Neill. (ps, it's pretty damn cool that your local climbing gym is where Timmy O'Neill, Lynn Hill and others choose to hang out)

Friday we set out for the Arkansas River by way of I-70, Mt. Evans, Leadville and Buena Vista. Unfortunately we didn't see any sheep or goats on Mt. Evans, but we did see a herd of roughly 40 elk at about 12,000'. I hadn't seen elk around Mt. Evans until then. We camped at Arrowhead Point campground. I'm not sure which was more awesome; being woken up by Erica whispering that a bear was outside the tent (which turned out to be the tent's rainfly) or being lucky enough to reserve a site next to West Virginia's finest specimen... who jammed to all-time favorites such as Rascal Flatts, Journey and 3 Doors Down into the dawn (sarcasm free of charge).

Saturday we rafted Brown's Canyon with Noah's Ark. Bryan fell out on the first rapid, which happened to be the one that they take your picture on, and I was his retrevial buddy so I had my first official man-overboard disaster recovery training... and (drumroll) was told I passed with flying colors. After we dried off we headed to Breck for food. On the way home we hit a wall and so we took it pretty easy Saturday night.

Sunday was laid back and then off to the airport. I really appreciated the visit and am looking forward to the next one. Here are some photos of the adventure...

• http://flickr.com/photos/brett_burch/sets/72157606683896833
• http://community.webshots.com/album/565419156iFhrdN

1 mtn lion and a wedding (... thankfully no funerals)

It has, yet again, been a while since I've updated this. This post will hopefully catch us up through May.

The weekend before Ben and Danielle's wedding I went mountain bike riding in Golden Gate Canyon State Park outside of Golden. Joe, his neighbor Dave and I rode the Mountain Lion trail, renowned as one of the best in the area. I felt very good the entire ride and was pleased with my climbing as well as downhilling... my lungs have come a long way since Walker Ranch last fall! At one point I saw what I still believe to be a mountain lion paw print in the mud/snow. It was either a mountain lion or the biggest dog I've ever seen... I'm still not 100% sure, but have a renewed appreciation for my secretive feline neighbors after seeing a print as big as I did. I'm looking forward to getting back on the trail and keeping my lungs and legs in shape this summer!

A few days later I hit the dusty trail eastward for Nashville. I took 3 days off of work (and wished I could have taken 3 more) for what turned out to be a fantastic family reunion/wedding/meet & greet with new friends/etc. To start, I was blown away by how green Tennessee and Kentucky were! I forgot how lush that part of the US is, and found I missed it. The flora and fauna seem somewhat plain in Boulder compared to that of the Appalachian foothills. Secondly, I've always loved traveling and that rejuvenated feeling which hitting the road provides. Solo road trips seem to work wonders in this way, stripping away all the debris that has collected since the last solo road trip, until I feel exactly like myself again. [Is that some sort of a warning sign that I enjoy being alone too much?] The drive from Nashville to Owensboro was no exception. [... except for the lack of bluegrass on the radio. How does one drive past the boyhood home of Bill Monroe and not find a bluegrass song on the radio??? Disappointing... but I got over it.]
I found Owensboro to be a quaint town; an ideal setting for a May wedding. It was almost as if you could see the memories of growing up there, or conjure new ones, when driving through town. Owensboro seemed old but not out of date, simple yet profound in its message to overly-complicated urban America. I also found the time spent with grandparents, siblings, parents, etc to be much needed and well received. These things I was prepared for. What I was not prepared for was the instant camaraderie found between me and the rest of Ben's friends. It was as if they had known me for years. To a certain extent, I suppose they had known a portion of me for years, and that was enough. We had a fun yet clean bachelor party, a smooth rehearsal and a perfect wedding. I can only hope that the support I surround myself with on my wedding weekend is as solid as what Ben had.
It would be impossible for me to summarize the wedding weekend here, but let's just say that I came away from it with a profound appreciation for what I had before misunderstood as my brother's misguided and lax tour through college, and a better appreciation for the way in which Ben and Danielle compliment each other. I was also unprepared for realizing in those few days that my little brother had grown up without me noticing, and discovering that he is in many respects more wise and mature than I am. While on the plane back to Denver I decided to not be the same person as I was before that trip. [Baby steps!]

To close, I'll report on the weekend after the wedding. On Sunday the 25th Tim, Darren and I attempted to boulder on Flagstaff just west of Boulder. Wow... I've climbed outside before (even in Boulder) but never bouldered. This was humbling. V0 problems felt like V∞. Having climbed around Boulder for years in a previous life, Darren gave us the official Flagstaff tour. After a few minutes my fingertips felt like they'd been scraped by a cheese grater. This, friends, was nothing like the Spot. It was humbling, yet definitely motivating. I hope to be able to traverse some of those problems with ease in the future (just don't tell my fingers). Afterwards I felt I hadn't pushed my body enough so I decided to go riding at Walker Ranch. When I got there I decided on the Meyers Homestead trail instead due to rain, since it's much easier to turn around on the Meyers trail. I had a nice ride, and did not see anyone else the entire time. Solitude proved the theme of Memorial Day weekend. All in all, my second May in Boulder was very good to me. Here's hoping June is more of the same!

Bear Peak and Bighorn in Guanella Pass [catching up]

On May 19 Ryan and I decided to hike to the highest point in Boulder to help us get acclimated to elevations we were hoping to exceed by climbing some 14ers. The highest point in Boulder is Bear Peak, at 8,461 ft above where the ocean stops and the terra firma starts. It's the tallest point on the left side of the *very* attractive photo below, taken several miles east of Boulder:

We started in the early afternoon from the NCAR parking lot. I wish we would have read this (see Astertiki for full description) before our journey began:

Fern Canyon is a very steep climb and as such is much shorter. The climb is goes up 2100 vertical feet in 1.4 miles. It goes almost straight up Fern Canyon and then straight up the a ridge to get to the peak.

Another account of this hike can be found at http://www.thedenverchannel.com/discovercolorado/13404382/detail.html. Having not read either of the above and simply looking at a map with a slight concern that it was already mid-afternoon, we decided to take the shortest route to the top. I'll cut right to the chase and tell you the middle section of this hike is probably the steepest hiking I've ever done... as in steep steps carved out of the rock to gain at least a foot of elevation with each step.

The trail starts with a very mild ascent and then dips down through a quaint valley to cross Bear Creek. The trail then heads up moderately towards Fern Canyon. When we got to the Fern Canyon trail split most of the other people around us decided the afternoon rain was not going to hold off and advised us to turn around. We made the correct assumption that the lightning was far enough away (and moving further away), so we pressed on. That was when the fun began. If you do decide to follow this trail and you're winded before you get to Fern Canyon, you should either turn around or make sure you have more water than you probably assumed you needed. I kept thinking I could see the top of Bear Peak only to find out that we had another switchback and hillside to get around. You're almost home when you can see Boulder to the east and Flatirons 1 and 2 below. Beyond that point, the trees slowly thin out until you're scrambling to reach the tallest rock. Here are our summit photos:


In both of these pics, we're looking north towards Longs Peak (the highest point in the background, northernmost 14er in the Rockies, to be climbed next summer, etc) and the Continental Divide in Rocky Mountain National Park. Bear Peak offers a great view of Denver (and probably Pikes Peak on a clear day) to the southest, the Indian Peak area to the west, and the Continental Divide and Front Range to the north-northwest... not to mention Boulder and the Flatirons below to the east.It took about 3 hours (I think... it's been a while now) from start to finish, so this takes up most of a free afternoon but I highly recommend it to those with strong knees!

[
update: This hike is one of 4 hikes mentioned in the current (Sept 07) issue of Backpacker magazine for being particularly "green" due to the fact that you can take a bus to the trailhead. I just got this in the mail today (it's like a Christmas present every time I get the new Backpacker) and the whole issue is about the effects of climate change. Here is the description of this hike from the magazine:

You'll skirt the base of the Flatirons, the massive slabs that serve as the backdrop to the city of Boulder, to reach one of the best views in the Front Range on this 6 mile out-and-back. Although the trail is extremely steep in places, well-placed steps, switchbacks, and a stunning 360-degree view from the summit of Bear Peak make it all worthwhile. From the NCAR parking lot, follow the trail as it drops down the north edge of a mesa. Continue west across a minor saddle, then descend and turn left onto the Mesa Trail to parallel the base of the Flatirons toward Bear Canyon. Wind through ponderosa pine, then join an old road just past the mouth of Bear Canyon. You'll cross a field, then switchback up to join the Fern Canyon Trail on the right. Your quads may rebel as you climb several steep sections up a ridge, but by the time you take in the view from the top, it'll all be forgotten.

]

The next day we headed up to Guanella Pass, where the trail for Mt. Bierstadt starts from. The road is dirt almost immediately (once you find it... it's at the southwest corner of town a few blocks from the main square) when you get above Georgetown. It was only open towards the pass for 8 miles, but we did make it far enough to see several Bighorn that still had their winter coats (compare the white to a "normal" summer coat of brown). They had come down to the road to lick the snow salt from the road. Here are a few photos:


All in all, one of the first weekends in town and plenty of adventure.

Birthday hike in the Flatirons [catching up]

This post takes us back two months to my 26th birthday, which was 5 days after I moved to Boulder. I wanted to post these pictures to catch up on previous weekends where I actually remembered the camera (Before the Huron Peak hike I forgot the camera two weekends in a row).

I started by parking near Baseline Rd and 7th to wonder into Chautauqua Park (I did not know until researching that Chautauqua apparently means educational adult summer camp) and see how close to the Flatirons I could get before I needed climbing equipment. I hiked for about 30 minutes to get to the top of the First Flatiron, which was clearly marked. I took the following pictures (click for actual size) looking down on Boulder:

Notice how bare the trees are near the CU campus... it's rained a lot since then, and everything is very green.

I was surprised to find there are steps enabling you to walk up further than where the climbing routes begin. I stayed for quite a while on an exposed outcroup to enjoy the sun, which eventually was hidden by clouds.

The split to the Second Flatiron is not far down from the base of the First Flatiron, so on my way back I decided to also go up to the Second Flatiron. That is a bit more strenuous, but still not terribly difficult. The view into the canyon separating the Third and Fourth Flatiron was very pretty. Here is the Second Flatiron:

And looking left to the Third Flatiron:


Despite not being able to spend my birthday with family or friends, it was still enjoyable. This was a welcome introduction to my new home.