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

I've been slacking on keeping you, the loyal reader, up to date here. Sooooooooooo here goes. From mid-April through May:

After April powder I moved on to April rain at lower elevation. I took the Basic Rock class through the Boulder CMC. We had 2 night classes during the week and then 3 consecutive Saturday field trips. It turns out that all 3 of our Saturdays were either rainy or snowy, so we didn't actually get much climbing in, but I still learned a decent amount. I still can't lead and don't have much knowledge about building anchors, but at least now I can second multipitch, prussik up something I can't climb, rappel around a knot, tie you off if you break your leg as my leader, and get myself out of a system to go get help.

The following Saturday actually wasn't too rainy, so I went climbing with Ryan, Tony, and Joe as part of Ryan's bachelor party/day. We went up to Mt. Boner in the Ironclads area for some top-roping. I led my first sport route, a 5.6,

and for some reason got spooked when it was time to come down. A bit embarrassing. I recovered by climbing a 5.10b. Considering I hadn't (and still haven't) climbed 5.9 outside before, I was a bit surprised to have made it to the top. It was a short route, and I might not have done it exactly right, but either way, it was a fun climb. Apparently my sessions at The Spot have been paying off. A few guys from work and I were recently wondering how hard we could climb outside, so I guess we'll have to see if I can actually climb 5.10 again soon. The rest of the photos from the Ironclads outing are available at http://www.flickr.com/photos/brett_burch/sets/72157617844291613.

The weekend after climbing outside was Ryan's and Allison's wedding, so I hosted 3 friends from college in my 1 bedroom castle in Boulder. It was the first time Ryan, me, and those 3 had been together since graduating from Miami, so that was fun. I have no idea who out of the 5 of us is going to get married next, but hopefully it won't be another 6 years before we find ourselves at the same place/time again. The weather for the wedding was very pleasant, the setting was perfect, and overall the day went great. I gave my second Best Man speech (which went well) and had a really good time catching up with everybody. I'm sure Ryan will have more photos and details on his blog soon, so I'll let him tell the whole story there...

The next weekend I decided that after spending the last 6 weekends out of Boulder, I would stay in town. I did nothing (well, caught up a lot of stuff around the house...), and it too was wonderful. Sometimes you just gotta rest.

catching up on April and this weekend

It's been a few weeks so I'll write up a bit here to catch you, my faithful readers, up. The past 3 weeks have been like a blast from the past of sorts, and a lot of fun to boot. Here are the details...

The weekend of the 19th-20th Janan visited from Columbus. It had been about 5 years since we had seen each other in college, and she flew out to see Ryan (and I). Friday night we went to a Colorado Mammoth Lacrosse game. Holy cow. It was what I imagine a convention of people with Ritalin prescriptions that haven't taken their meds in weeks would look like. I was a little scared to be perfectly honest. The free beer and hot dog helped though. Anyways, Saturday we went up to our old standby, RMNP, to show off the Front Range to Janan. It was good to see it again and to get out for a hike on the snow. We didn't walk very far but had perfect weather for the outing. We saw several interesting blue birds, elk, bighorn sheep, deer, and of course snowy peaks. See the photos here.

The 23rd I celebrated my 1 year anniversary of Boulder and Colorado residency. It's amazing how much things can change in a year... I could write a whole post just on that but I'll just say, "what a difference a year makes" and leave it at that. (That's not to say my life before here was all bad and everything is perfect now, but you get the idea.)

Last Saturday Ryan, Allison and I considered another attempt at Quandary, but passed after reviewing the weather forecast. Snow and low temps in Breckenridge meant even more snow and lower temps 4000 feet higher, so we decided to get some quality time in with our snowshoes back at RMNP. The snow was great and we got in about 9 miles; from Bear Lake trailhead to Emerald Lake and also from Glacier Gorge trailhead to Mills Lake. After making the 1.5 mile trip to Emerald Lake, we headed down to get out of the wind for a snack and discovered a nice hill to trigger mini avalanches on. The snow was interesting to dissect and the layering begged to be experimented with. We climbed and slid several times and then headed back down towards the car. The area between Dream and Nymph lake offered a sustained butt-slide through the trees that was quite fun. After a refuel at the Glacier Gorge trailhead, we ditched the snowshoes and hiked to Mills Lake. The view was fantastic as usual, with the lake still very solidly (mostly) covered with ice. After the 9 miles we decided it was time for Cilantro Mary's in Lyons. [Finally! After driving past several times, Ryan and I finally took the bait, and it was worth it. The food was a tad pricey, but the atmosphere/building and food was worth it. Recommended!] Check out the day's photos here.

This week, on the 29th, was my 27th birthday. Hello late 20s; be good to me. Coincidentally it was also the week Matt flew up from Ft. Worth to do some work in Denver. We got to catch up Wednesday and Thursday night. It had been over a year since we had seen each other, so it was good to swap stories with another ex-Austinite in Denver for a short time.

Finally, this weekend was a super combo ski-climb double-dip! Friday night I decorated the Jeep with my new Yakima rack so that Saturday Ryan, Tony, Shelly and I could go to Loveland to check out the 17 inches of powder that fell during the week. It was Ryan's first day ever on skis, and he did very well. Except for a short venture (read: coaching mistake) into blue/intermediate territory that affected confidence, I have to give him an A for the day. I returned to the ridge for a go at the run I botched so badly earlier in the year (Wild Child?) and did much better. It was windblown and icy, but still enjoyable. It wasn't perfect, but much better than last time. The pitch didn't scare me at all and I was able to enjoy the ride. I have to admit that I wussed out on the 5 ft cornice/drop in, and came in at an angle, but it was still very nice... a confidence booster despite not being the best skiing of my life. The powder once off the ridge was very nice, even if just for a few hundred feet of vertical. My last run, which is to say my last run of the year, was a bump run coming down skiers left of Chair 1 (Cat's Meow). There were still nice freshies in the short tree section before the bumps, and the bumps were a powder/hardpack mix. The snow was really soft at the bottom, so I covered most of the gamut in one fell swoop. I still have a lot of room for growth on bumps, but it felt really good to work my legs for a few runs... it was just nice to be out for the 15th day on my skis this season. We chose to apres at the Dam Brewery.

Today produced a lovely day of rock climbing in Boulder Canyon. M'Linda, another '03 Redhawk, and her boyfriend, Jon, came up from Telluride to help yesterdays crew discover outdoor climbing in Colorado. It had been 5 years almost to the day since I had seen M'Lin (I blame the Peace Corps), so it was great to catch up and see her again. We went to Happy Hour Crag for some 5.6 - 5.8 climbing. We made our way left to right on "I, Robot" followed by "Are We Not Men?" then "Twofers" and "Twofers Gully". I think Twofers was the most challenging and rewarding, with the roof in the middle of the route about 30 feet off the ground. The view from the top was quite nice too. I still have a bit of a "heights thing" but did better today thwarting that than in previous outings. The photos from the day can be seen here.