Tweet The Continental Divide. The three words evokes an image of an endless chain of mountains. With peaks rising into the sky and the valleys far below. To the east lies the Atlantic watershed and to the West the waters flow to the Pacific. The Continental Divide and the surrounding land is firmly etched into [...]

Tweet Over the past two seasons, I've dabbled in climbing.  Started off with sport climbing and progressed to what is known as alpine climbing. Combining the endurance and long days of hiking with the more technical aspects of rock climbing, it is an activity that is physically challenging but rewarding. And the culmination of two [...]

Tweet "Shoulder season backpacking".  A phrase that has become more common in recent years. Applicable not just to backpacking, but to any outdoor activity that falls outside of the peak season. But what is shoulder season backpacking? (Or for that matter, what is shoulder season hiking? Or what is shoulder season camping?)  And what gear [...]

Tweet "A man needs a little madness…."  -Nikos Kazantzakis Saturday Aug 6th was spent doing mundane chores needed for my vastly expanding 'grown-up' life:  Oil changes, tires, errands, this and that.  All things I neglected doing the decidedly non-responsible things that make life so much richer (name, spending a week in the Colorado backcountry). But [...]

Tweet Another Boulder Weekly article.  This time about five classic hikes in the Boulder Open Space. As I said in the article "For many, the best part of living in Boulder is the Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP) system, which features peaks over 8,000 feet, abounds with wildflowers in the spring, and has trails [...]