Life gets real when you turn 30. Some people decide to grow up sooner than others, but I chose my 30’s as the time to start facing facts. After 8 years of pissing my money away to landlords around the state of Colorado, I finally buckled down and bought a condo. It was refreshing to finally have a place of my own, but thanks to a feet dragging seller, a lender underwriter who undershot the closing costs by 1200$ and a depleted bank account – I was forced to cancel a 2-week trip to the John Muir Trail in the Sierras of California. Keep reading…
Rocky Mountain National Park is a place I like to tell myself I know a lot about, but really I probably only know a lot about very little. Other than Wild Basin, most of the Park is still uncharted territory for me. It probably always will be given the expanse. Colorado affords us so many bad @ss opportunities that I’ve found it hard to focus on one area, and in doing so, I seem to always keep the door open to all the potential that this state has to offer. Keep reading…
Every now and then you have one of those days where just about everything goes perfect. It maybe happens only a few times a year, but when it does, it makes for a great day. One of those days where all your plans, schedules, weather, conditions, routes, partners and peaks come together in harmony. Or, to steal an old saying from Benners, the day is just totally “stress free” and you hit the car feeling “refreshed” instead of beat. Labor Day in the Gores was one of these days for Ben and I – easily one of the best days we have had in the hills this summer. Keep reading…
I am not exactly sure when or why it happened, but at some point in the past few years, buying trail running shoes became a huge, huge thing. Step into any running specialty shop or mountaineering store these days and I can pretty much guarantee that you will eventually come to a wall that is completely packed with trail running shoes for sale. As you look around, you will notice that there are literally dozens of different options, colors, makes, and models to choose from offered by virtually every brand imaginable. If you are anything like me, it is pretty overwhelming and confusing. Compounding the issue is the fact that most of the people trying on these shoes look like they would get tired jogging up your local sledding hill – it is usually not a very reassuring peer group to get reviews from. And that’s not even to mention the typical gear rep, who looks like he might get lost in your local greenbelt without the aid of map and compass. Read more…
