The Perigo's

7 weeks

2012-02-07T20:16:00.000-07:00

Some fun facts about our little girl:

*she loves to stand (well, with the help of her daddy)

*is a great eater

*getting the hang of sleeping longer at night

*starting to like her swing better...but is only interested for maybe 10 minutes

*enjoys her bath time

*is still entranced by lights

*loves to snuggle

*still grunts a lot :)

*tries so hard to roll from her tummy to her back (not really, but she kicks her legs like she wants to)

*will push her way across her activity mat (on her tummy)...if you put your arm on her feet as a kickstand, she will push off and "scoot" across her mat

*such a happy girl...always smiling and now using her voice!

Our Girl in Action

2012-02-04T18:07:00.002-07:00

6 weeks

2012-02-04T13:37:00.000-07:00

So let me back up for a minute and give CJ's 4 week stats. At her last well baby check up she was 9 lbs. 2 oz. and 21 inches long. Growing, growing, growing!

6 weeks:

Each day I feel like she is changing, it makes me both happy and sad :) Happy to see her thriving and hitting new milestones but sad b/c that means she's growing up and I love all the little "newborn" things that she does. I'm sure she's at least 9 1/2 lbs. by now, she's really filling out and has grown out of her newborn outfits (all except one). I noticed around 5 weeks that she was really smiling and starting to try to "talk." At 6 weeks she was smiling at us and is really finding her voice. When I talk to her, she will turn to find me and then just give me the biggest grins and gives a little squeal, it truly melts me. When Levi walks in the room and is talking she will watch him and knows that that is her Daddy :)

Have a mentioned before that she is the.best.baby? She rarely ever cries and when she does it's just b/c I set her down, she's hungry, or she doesn't like to be laying/sitting in that certain position anymore. She continues to be SO alert...taking in all that is around her. This girl LOVES the lights...for something that is quite boring to us, she can stare at a light (or out the window) for what seems like hours but really it's just a few minutes. She has great neck strength and while she doesn't last very long during tummy time, she is constantly pulling her head up when we have her on her tummy on our chest. She continues to be a great eater and she is sleeping longer at night. I try to really "fill her up" before bed and her night time feedings so she will sleep longer (eat on one side, change diaper/re-swaddle, eat on other side). We are currently trying to put her down earlier but she usually goes to bed around 9:30ish, then is sleeping for 3-3 1/2 hours (sometimes 4), gets up to eat, goes back to bed (in her crib), and gets back up to eat again...so on a good night I only am getting up to feed her twice. If Daddy is up and feeds her a bottle of pumped milk for the midnight(ish) feeding, then Momma gets to sleep longer! :) During the day she still eats about every 3 hours but I don't feed her on both sides. She'll eat on one side and either fall asleep or play for a little bit...then eat later.

I went back for my 6 week check up with my OBGYN and everything was great. I'm looking forward to exercising again...hello yoga! I start back to work a week from this coming Wednesday. I will only be working Wednesday's and Thursday's and I'm looking forward to going back and getting us out of the house a bit more (Cambryn gets to come with).

Cambryn doesn't have to go back to the dr's for another couple of weeks...but she'll have to get her first shots when we do go back and I am NOT looking forward to that :( Daddy WILL be going with us...probably more for Mommy support than Baby.

Enjoy some more recent pics of our little girl...

Chillin' after helping Daddy with some school work.

She really enjoys her bath time. She's graduated from getting a "wipe down" to her big girl bath tub.

Skyping with Grammy and G'pa.

This little girl makes me melt, I love her so much!

4 Weeks

2012-01-19T15:46:00.000-07:00

Cambryn goes in for her 1 month well baby check up on Saturday...so I'll post with updates then! Until then...here are a couple new pics to hold you over! :)

Checking out her animal friends in her bouncy seat.

Hanging in the swing...which only happens for about 2-3 minutes each day (she'd rather be snuggling with someone!)

Big yawn!

Two Weeks

2012-01-07T18:16:00.000-07:00

Has it really been two weeks??

Minus the lack of precious sleep, Cambryn has just fit into our lives...like she's always been here. We have absolutely loved having our families here, they have went above and beyond helping and snuggling with CJ at all hours of the day...and night:) But we are coming upon that time to say goodbye to the last of the crew and I am very sad, not to lose the extra help (I will miss that too) but just to not have our families here anymore. Last week was hard for me because my dad and sister left early Monday morning and then my mom left on Wednesday...that was killer. Levi's parents are gearing up to leave here soon and I am not good at goodbyes. This (having our families so far away and not getting to physically see or hold CJ) will be super hard. In fact, I've been dreading this since the day I found I was pregnant. But we will make it work (and get lots better about using Skype) and in a few short months we'll be back home for a visit.

On to more happier topics...

That little gal above is doing great! She truly is such a wonderful, easy going baby. She barely ever cries but does NOT like getting her diaper changed or her clothes taken off. Even then it takes a lot to get her mad enough to cry. CJ loves to snuggle and we love to snuggle her! She is 8 lbs and is eating like a champ every 2.5-3 hours...sometimes even stretching it to 4. We are finally getting the hang of breastfeeding and I know it will only continue to get better. She is starting to become more active and staying awake in the morning. She really surprises us with the strength in her neck, she holds that big ole noggin up for a good bit of time. We are still trying to figure out sleeping good at night. We aren't so sure she likes to be swaddled but if she's not then her hands are in her face (her favorite thing, even in utero) and it wakes her up. She is such a little noise maker with her grunts and squawks. We laugh about not noticing it during the day but at night, different story! She is currently sleeping in her pack-n-play in our room.

We just love her so much and am so thankful for God's wonderful mercies upon us during my pregnancy, her birth, and now the beginning of raising this child.

Cambryn's First Walk

2012-01-05T17:51:00.000-07:00

Today is the 5th of January and it was near 70's degree's here in Boulder so we decided to test out CJ's new stroller. It was a perfect day for a gorgeous walk!

Hmmm...

2012-01-05T17:41:00.000-07:00

Who does she look like??

Mommy??

OR..

Daddy??

She's Here!

2012-01-02T09:43:00.000-07:00

Cambryn Jael Perigo arrived on December 20, 2011 at 5:17 p.m. She weighed 7 lbs. 5 oz. and was 20 inches long. She came a week before her due date because Momma was diagnosed with gestational hypertension (high blood pressure).

Before I tell you the details of her arrival, let's back up a week and see how this all began...

I went to my regular scheduled appointment, Tuesday, with my OBGYN and everything looked good but my BP was a little high. They ended up checking me three times throughout my appointment and it never went down. My doc went ahead and ordered some lab work to be done, as a just in case. My protein levels in my urine were normal and turns out my labs came back normal as well so I didn't have preeclampsia, but she was worried that if my BP didn't come down that I may have gestational hypertension and wanted me to come back in a couple of days to have it checked again. I returned back on Friday and my BP was still elevated and she decided to check me and I was 2 cm dialated. She said she would like to go ahead and induce me the following week and asked what we thought about Tuesday. Levi and I looked at each other in astonishment because I was SURE that this little girl wouldn't come out a day before her due date...but were we wrong! We then got to see her one last time via ultrasound and everything looked great. I was also hooked up to fetal monitor for about 20 minutes to double check that she sounded good...and once again, she was great! We walked out about an hour later in disbelief that in a few short days our baby girl would be here...oh my gosh, we had SO much to do!!

The next couple of days were spent resting, getting last minute things ready, resting, and more resting. The day before I treated myself to a mani/pedi and wait for it...more resting :) That night we had dinner with some friends and "tried" to get one last good night's sleep (haha). Tuesday we woke up ~~bright and~~ early and headed to the hospital to check in at 6 am. We got right in and they showed us to to our room where two nurses were ready to get this party started. By 7:15 I was hooked up to what seemed like a million machines, IV was put in (by far THE worst part of the day, no joke), and pitocin was started. The morning went by pretty uneventful.

My doctor came and in checked me (no real progress, still 2 cm dilated) about 8:30 a.m. and said she would be back at noon to break my water. Around 10:30 am my nurse came back in and told me that the anesthesiologist would be heading into a C-section soon and wondered what I wanted to do...a) wait to have my epidural until he was finished (which meant I wouldn't have one when they broke my water and not sure when he would be back and how far along I would be/not sure how bad contractions would be OR option b) go ahead and have him come in and do the epidural before he headed into surgery. I, obviously, opted for the second and pain free option. The anesthesiologist came in about 11:30 am and put in my lovely epidural (thank you Lord for medicine!), my doc came in about a half hour later to break my water and check me...5 cm. The next couple of hours we were able to rest for a bit but then around mid afternoon I started to feel some cramping (contractions) and asked my nurse what I should do. When the anesthesiologist put in my epidural, I had a little box connected to the machine that I could press and give myself more medication if needed. I checked with my nurse and she said to go ahead and use it. She checked me about that time, around 2ish, and I was 7 cm dilated. I went on to try to rest some more but just as soon as the medicine started to kick in again, it seemed as though my contractions were getting stronger. About 4 o'clock, the nurse came again and I told her I was feeling them again even though I was pressing my button for my medicine. She went ahead and checked me and I was fully dilated. We allowed the baby to continue to come down on her own until I started pushing around 4:15. It was just our nurse, Levi, and myself in the room- one at each leg and me pushing until a little after 5 pm when my doctor showed up.

She prepped, told me I was doing great and to keep pushing and less than 10 minutes after she had arrived, Cambryn was born! I pushed for one hour. They immediately laid her on my chest and she was SO alert! She just looked around and took it all in. She was perfect! I couldn't believe how big my heart felt at that moment.

We took our time bonding for the next hour or so and then went over to the mom/baby room where we would finish out our stay. On the way over to the room we picked up our families that were waiting in the waiting room. They were so wonderful to let us have our time together that day. They waited at our house, on pins and needles, all day and didn't come to the hospital until after the news that Cambryn had arrived. Needless to say, they were escatic and very proud.

We were released on Thursday, 12/22, and came home to a houseful of helping hands :) We had a wonderful Christmas celebrating with our new daughter and now we are just working on adjusting to the lack of sleep that comes with the new role of Mommy and Daddy (but we wouldn't have it any other way).

Thanksgiving Friendship

2011-12-05T21:21:00.012-07:00

This year for Thanksgiving our friends David and Whitney flew to Boulder to to celebrate the holiday with us. They arrived a little after midnight on Tuesday night (Wednesday morning) and left late on Sunday night. Here's a brief recap of one of the best Thanksgivings of all time.

Wednesday

We woke up early and saw Ashley off to work. Then David, Whitney, and I packed up and headed to the Overhang Crag of North Table Mountain in Golden. We arrived at about 10:30 and were able to climb for the majority of the day. Surprisingly, there were quite a few people out for a Wednesday, but we were able to do the routes we had planned. The south facing cliff ended up getting very hot and we had to search for shade as we quickly disposed of our pre-packed lunch.

Ballingers were able to do some good sport routes (warmup for the rest of the trip) and I was able to lead a new trad route "Natural Fact" (5.7) that I hadn't done before. It had a little bit of everything, but mainly was a chimney. However, it was out of the sun, so it was a welcome relief for me.

We left the cliff around four and headed to downtown Golden to Bent Gate Mountaineering to check out the Thanksgiving sales and I had to exchange some gear I'd purchased previously (they sent me some BD Hexes instead of Wild Country). After Bent Gate, we went to the American Mountaineering Museum, and stayed for about an hour. It had some wonderful information, artifacts, and pictures. I'm looking forward to returning to try to soak some more of it in.

On our way back to Boulder, we picked up Ash and headed to Beaujo's for some Colorado style pizza.

Thursday (Thanksgiving)

Since, we had climbed pretty much all day the previous day, and Ash had the day off work, Whit decided to stay home and help prepare the Thanksgiving feast, we would later devour. David and I were released to Boulder Canyon, as long as we promised to return at the mandated dinner time.

We set off to do a couple multipitch trad routes, in preparation for our ascent of Boulder's third flatiron on the morrow. We went to Castle Rock and I led the two pitch, "West Face" (5.5), and David cleaned the route. This was his first time cleaning, and he did perfect, as expected. We took our time, but made relatively quick work of the climb. Then we did one steep down climb move off the back of the cliff, followed by a rappel to the ground from a tree with a chain anchor.

Notice a lot of the creek is frozen

We were going to stay and do the three pitch "Cussin' Crack" (5.7), but instead, we decided to head to The Dome and do a single pitch route, because we did NOT want to be late to dinner. So, we did "East Slab" (5.6) and enjoyed a peaceful climb and time alone on the summit as everyone else was probably already caught up in Thanksgiving festivities.

Thanksgiving dinner was exactly as expected. The girls cooked all day and we had everything you could want for a perfect homemade meal. We had excellent food, wonderful conversation, and perfect friends. It really could not have been better.

Friday

Ash had to work again, but the Ballingers and I were off before she got up. We set off to climb the "East Face" (5.4) route up the third flatiron. We weren't sure how long it would take us, with three on a rope, climbing a route none of us had ever attempted, so we left at sunrise. As with the previous days, it was supposed to be completely sunny and with the temp in the low 60s. Even when we checked before we left, that was still the forecast. However, that did not turn out to be the case.

The moderately difficult hike to the East bench to start the route, took us about 45 min., and as we hoped, we were the first there, so being first, we could take our time. We got our gear on, said a quick prayer, and started our first of eight pitches for the day (I led 7 and David led 1)(Time per pitch - 43m; 39m; 31m; 52m; 45m; 58m; 29m; 31m). As I mentioned earlier, the weather was overcast, which is very rare in Boulder. With the unexpected weather taking a turn for the worse, we were not able to sit at the belay stations and enjoy our snacks, lunch, the gorgeous view, nor each other's company, because it was so cold; we had to keep moving as fast as we could. I started more than one pitch with my teeth chattering.

Trying to remember which part of what rope goes where

Of course, as the unexpected kept happening, the final pitch to the summit was the hardest. With about 7 feet to go, I gave Whit some tension on the rope to help her over the final push. Finally, we made it to the blustery summit, after only five straight hours of climbing. To make things a little worse, not only was it was windy, and exposed on the summit, but also the great views of the snow-capped mountains in the distance were blocked (because they were getting pelted with snow).

Whit getting ready for the second rappel

After the summit, we had three short rappels to get to the ground. It took us almost an hour and a half for all three of us to complete the hanging rappels. However, we made it and all had a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction after completing the 1,000 foot route. After a quick snack (none of us ate anything on the climb, because we were so cold), we hiked back down in about an hour, and as it was getting dark the lights twinkled over Boulder. Overall, from the time we left the parking lot to the time we returned was nearly 9 hours. (I think with two people, now with the experience of leading this route, and leaving out a couple pitches, the next time will probably be around 6 hours.)

The final rappel off the back

For comparison purposes, the speed record from the parking lot to the summit of the third flatiron is under 35 min. It took us 45 min. to make it to the START of the climb.

Afterwards, we headed home, cold and exhausted. Needless to say, we ended up going to bed rather early for a Friday night.

Saturday

The Ballingers were up bright and early for a drive around the Boulder area, and some local shopping. Ash and I were in heaven sleeping in late and enjoying a lazy morning. We just hung out, ate some Smiling Moose for lunch, and watched the Iron Bowl.

Sunday

We got up and headed to Movement, my climbing gym, to get a few lead sport routes in. After making quick work of their belay tests, David and Whitney were ready to enjoy the "theme park for grown ups" as Whitney called it. We each did several routes: David led some, Whitney practiced lead belaying me while I took a 10 foot fall, and David caught me on about a 20 foot fall (though not intentional). Finally, we wrapped up the morning at Movement with Whit doing a 45 foot 5.10a, even with a slight inclined section.

Afterwards, we dropped Whit back off at the house to get ready for the rest of the day, while David and I went to BoCan to do one more route. David led the sport route "Monkey Bob" (5.8). (Here is the link for the video below, if it doesn't work: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AvcxhXeuS4&feature=youtube_gdata_player)

This is my first shot at video editing on our early Christmas present from my parents (iPad)

Back at the house, already having enough fun to call it an awesome day, we grabbed a quick lunch of leftovers and headed to Denver to REI and Wilderness Exchange to catch some of the great deals going on. On the way back we stopped at Sweet Tomatoes for dinner and enjoyed as good of conversation as we did on the first day. When we got back to our house it was time for them to pack up (including the new purchases) and get ready to catch the bus back to Denver to the airport. However, we were able to brainstorm about some possible upcoming adventures before they left.

The vacation was action packed to the limit, and we were so thankful to be able to spend the holidays with such great friends.

Castle Rock Adventure: Part 2

2011-11-09T08:53:00.009-07:00

After our adventure at Castle Rock, on the return drive through Boulder Canyon, we decided that we would return the next day to retrieve our gear as well as find the down climb in the light. Seeing as how we had climbed the route just the day before we knew we'd be able to reach the summit quickly, and thus leave plenty of time to search for the down climb.

Upon arriving at the prominent Castle Rock, we were already racked up and ready to climb when another party (mid-40s European) jumped out of the car and asked "are you climbing this route?" To which we obviously replied, "Yes, we're racked up and ready to climb." He humbly replied, "why don't we climb it first and you follow us?" I believe I just stared at him. However, after thinking about it I made him a deal "We'll let you climb it first if you retrieve the gear we left there last night." He agreed and Matt and I were pumped. This means we get to climb a different route, and get our gear back.

We headed a few steps around the corner and I led "Cussin' Crack" (5.7). It's a 3 pitch climb, but we only did the first pitch, as it took longer than expected, and we didn't want a repeat of the previous night. We used some of Matt's florescent orange webbing and setup an anchor to rappel the 80 feet back to the ground.

By this time we walked back to the other route and hiked up the back a bit and after a short wait the one of the other climbers was being lowered down the back side . . . and she had our gear!

So, it turned out to be a successful recovery, with a new route added to the "tick list."

The Royal Arch

2011-11-09T08:53:00.007-07:00

After work I decided to head up to Boulder's Royal Arch to locate a few climbing crags in the vicinity. I wasn't going to climb and it was in the low 40s and dropping, so I was just going for a stroll. I decided to try to find these rocks before climbing them, this is much easier than trying to find them with full gear and limited time. It always pays to be prepared ahead of time.

I made it to the arch in about 45 min. However, I couldn't locate The Hammerhead rock. I looked for over an hour, but every 300'+ rock face started to look the same. It was getting pretty dark by this point, and I decided to start heading back, instead of continuing to look for this rock in the dark, not on a trail, and the weather down in the 30s. I'll attempt to locate it another time.

The trip home was nice as the moon was nearly full, and the lights over boulder were twinkling more and more. Upon further research on Google Earth, when I arrived home, I was able to see what the rock looks like (a giant hammerhead), so I'm confident my next search will be successful.

Castle Rock Adventure

2011-10-21T08:03:00.017-06:00

Adventure - An adventure is defined as an exciting or unusual experience; it may also be a bold, usually risky undertaking, with an uncertain outcome.

Beautiful Castle Rock

After work on Thursday, Matt and I headed to Castle Rock in Boulder Canyon for the West Face (5.5). It is a two pitch trad route. We left Matt's place and were at the base of the route in 30 min. The first pitch is close to 100' and is fun climbing with plenty of protection. There are two fixed bolts at the first belay station. I lead the first pitch, and Matt cleaned the pro and met me at the first belay.

Matt Belaying the first pitch

The second pitch had a little bit of everything (depending on the route you took). It had some jugs, a chimney, and several different size cracks. It made for an interesting pitch. When I got to a large flat spot, I slung some boulders for the anchor and setup my second belay. Shortly after, Matt joined me at the top. We were all smiles as it was a fun route, and the sun was setting over the mountains. It was a success, and congratulations were due to Matt as he completed his first multipitch route.

Belaying the second pitch

We enjoyed the view and then as it was getting dark we tried to find the "path" for the "walkoff" descent. Mountain Project and my BoCan guidebook stated that the "walkoff" was a little tricky to find and there were some class 3 and class 4 sections. As it was getting dark quickly, I scrambled around looking for the descent route, but it was difficult to determine what was easy down-climbing, and what lead you to a 200 foot dropoff. After discussing it, we decided it would be much safer and smarter to just rappel back down the way we came. It would take longer, and cost some money because we'd have to leave gear behind to rap. off. However, we decided to split the cost of the abandoned gear, and play it safe. We put our long sleeves on, enabled the torches attached to our foreheads, and began feeding the rope through so we could rap. back down in complete darkness.

Flaking the rope into the darkness

We left the sling, backed up by cordelette, and one locking biner to rappel off at the top. Matt did the first rap., but quickly realized that the second pitch was more than 100' because he was quickly running out of rope, and was not going to make it all the way back to the fixed anchor bolts where we did the first belay. He called up to me, stating that we'd have to make an intermediate rappel station. So, I rapped down to him, to find him anchored into a crack with several of the cams he still had from cleaning the last pitch. I was impressed at his placement.

From this mid-station, we slung a peak, and put cordellete and a runner behind a large boulder, and hooked them together with two opposite and opposing biners. In the process I stepped on Matt's hand, and stood on his leg (to my defense, his leg was as hard as the rock). Then we started the second rap. down to the fixed anchors. This went smoothly, and Matt made it with no trouble and quickly yelled "it's on you, Levi." That was my indication to rap. down to him.

At this point we are having a blast, because everything that could go wrong had, and we're still loving it. Yes, it took us an extra hour and a half to get down in pitch black. Turning a two hour climb, into a 3.5 hour climb, but we did the smart thing by not attempting to find a sketchy descent route in the dark and just leave some inexpensive gear. Besides, we decided to split the costs of the gear we left, so it would only be about $25-30 each, which I'd easily pay to do that route, because it was a 3 hour adventure for virtually the same price of going out to a movie. We double and triple-checked each other's knots, lockers, and complete setup every time, and we knew that we could count on each other to verify everything, so we were just having fun: rappelling in the dark, the only ones in the canyon, with a million stars overhead, and Boulder creek flowing below.

Matt getting ready to drop into the abyss

We finally hooked into the fixed bolts for our third and final rap. down, and Matt called me out for attaching gear to the fixed bolts to rap. off. Ha, I wanted to attach more gear to the already fixed anchors to leave it behind. There were several instances like this where we were being safer than needed, but they all payed off and made for a laugh.

This is what my climbing partner looked like coming down the final rappel

28 Weeks

2011-10-06T14:18:00.007-06:00

Say it isn't so...am I really already in my 3rd trimester?? Crazy how the time flies. This past Tuesday I officially cleared the 28 week mark (7 months for those of you who don't speak pregnancy lingo).

On a walk with Levi this past weekend (gorgeous weather), in front of the flatirons in Sobo.

I had my first baby shower last Sunday thrown by my friend (and co-worker), Michelle. She did such a fantastic job hosting, it was a beautiful shower! It was neat to bring home the baby stuff and sift through it and start to put some of it away. Monday night I helped Levi put together the dresser/changing table and it turned out amazing! I love it and I can't wait to get the rest of the nursery completed!

Getting all fancied up before my 1st baby shower.

Before heading to the shower.

My awesome cupcake cake :)

I LOVED the decorations!

Me and Michelle :)

The goodies!

We are getting ready (packing as we speak, actually) to head back to Indiana tomorrow. This will be our last trip (airplane) before baby girl arrives...yikes! :) My sister is hosting my 2nd shower and I'm looking forward to seeing friends and family that haven't seen me since my belly started to grow!

I'd like to say that things will start to slow down after we return from IN but we are still pretty busy most of November. I look forward to the changing weather and cooler temps...and before we know it, she will be here!

Here are some updated stats on baby girl from my babycenter.com weekly email:

By this week, your baby weighs two and a quarter pounds (like a Chinese cabbage) and measures 14.8 inches from the top of her head to her heels. She can blink her eyes, which now sport lashes. With her eyesight developing, she may be able to see the light that filters in through your womb. She's also developing billions of neurons in her brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.

Make Up Riding

2011-10-05T15:20:00.003-06:00

I finally got on the bike this week after about four weeks off (due to scheduling). To my surprise, I have lost nearly all of my conditioning. I thought I might be a little winded after my layoff, but rides I would normally do as warm ups or cool downs, I could barely finish.

Here are a couple of the rides I have managed to finish:

Flagstaff first overlook:

http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/52766454

Flagstaff first overlook, 9th St., and NCAR

http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/53029060

I've finished a few other shorter rides with a single Cat. 5 or 3 climb, but hopefully I can get some good rides in before I head back to IN for the Hilly Hundred. I felt like I was prepared, but now, my conditioning is doubtful at best. However, I'm looking forward to riding with Benjamin D. Rans (CJH had to cancel due to work).

"Traditional" Weekday Bliss

2011-10-05T15:17:00.015-06:00

Matt picked me up directly after work for a quick route in the canyon before group. We headed to The Dome for the "East Slab" (5.6) 150 foot single pitch trad route. It was just as the name suggests: a slab. Crack and slab climbing are all about technique, and based on my performance, much is to be desired when it comes to both of those areas.

You can see my head poking over the top from the belay

There is some runout in the middle section, but overall, it was a really fun route. There were several places where you were forced to use only the crack, and other sections where only friction attached you to the granite face.

Matt cleaning gear about 60' off the deck (also notice the bridge on the right)

Clearing the small roof, which you can't tell because the giant slab makes the rock look like an illusion

There are a few other routes at The Dome that are on my "To Do" list, so hopefully I can enjoy them in the beautiful fall weather we have in Boulder.

View of the Folsum field from the summit of The Dome

USA Pro Cycling Challenge: Stage Six Golden-Denver

2011-08-28T17:53:00.010-06:00

This morning Ashley and I left at 7:30 a.m. and headed toward Golden to watch the start of the final stage of the UPCC (Official Start Time = 10:45 a.m.). We found a parking spot two blocks from the starting line and walked around to find out where we wanted to post up to watch the race.

Starting line of Stage 6 of the UPCC

We decided to watch the start in Golden for several reasons:

1) It was a 20 min. drive from our house

2) We didn't know if they would have it in Golden again, but thought it would most likely always finish in Denver; thus we could go to Denver another year

3) At the start, we could watch the riders pass three times

4) We could watch them getting out of their team buses and get to see them up close

5) Denver would be packed with people and hard to find a parking place (they said there was about 150,000 people at the finishing line)

After we scoped places to watch, we found a great place, just across the bridge from the starting line. Ash sat on a beach towel we brought, and I went back and got our two chairs from the car. After getting our spots all setup and ready. We headed over to the team buses to see some of our favorite riders up close. We saw everyone we wanted to, and it was awesome! We had two cameras and so we were able to capture almost everything in all the chaos. If I missed something Ash got it, and if Ash was busy talking to Cadel Evans, I was taking pictures of others. We decided ahead of time not to ask for autographs or pictures with any of the riders, though we were definitely close enough where we easily could have.

If you wonder why this year's Tour de France winner is smiling so big, it's because Ash was blocking his way (getting the picture of George below). She said "Oh no! I'm so sorry, Cadel." He just smiled and tried to avoid hitting her.

Big George

The Schlecks heading to sign in

Tejay V

We saw all the riders at their buses and/or signing in at the start line. Then we rushed back to our seats (which were now filled in all around us with spectators). Soon after, they started and the main GC riders rode right in front of us. I took pictures the first time they passed by, and Ash watched. Then the second time by, Ash took a video and I just watched. They go by SO fast!

All of our friends just starting out (we literally could have touched them)

Finally, we moved about four blocks more downtown Golden to see them pass by a third time. This time the peloton was split after riding up, and coming down Lookout mountain (see my previous post where I rode it) so we were able to get several good pics of them flying by.

Andy Schleck passing right behind Ash

LL in Yellow and Cadel on the far right

Overall we had a fantastic time, and we're so thankful we were able to enjoy such a major sporting event within a few minutes of our house. Hopefully, next year there will be a stage in Boulder! I can't wait!

For those of you who don't have Facebook, here is Ashley's Album:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150357104911154.397579.574881153&l=1b18f5e100&type=1

Super Flag, Amp, NCAR via NIST, & S. Boulder Road

2011-08-28T17:46:00.003-06:00

Here's another route I did on Sat. that was recorded via iMapMyRide. It didn't record one of the climbs on South Boulder Road, but overall it did a good job. I left from my house and rode up Superflag; then halfway down, I made a quick visit up to the Amphitheater. At NIST, I went the back way up NCAR (I saw a really cool snake on the bike path. I would have got a picture on my phone, but I was afraid he would leave as soon as I got my phone out. However, I was able to pet him twice before he scurried off). After I descended NCAR, I finally headed out on South Boulder road to wrap up my day of riding (I saw Ash on her way to Target, she waved at me).

I rode for about 3 hours (Avg. 10 MPH), for 32 miles, and I climbed a Category 1, 3, 5, and 5.

http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/48033216

Flagstaff Amp. & NCAR via NIST

2011-08-24T22:07:00.003-06:00

Mapmyride.com is a site I use frequently to see how far, high, and steep rides are I'm going to do. Well, today I found their app (iMapMyRide). The app does what it says: maps my ride. However, it does much more than that. It saves all your data to the website, such as miles traveled, average speed, total time, calories burned, etc. There is also a nutrition piece that you can log what you eat and it will record your caloric intake and compare it to what you have burned working out that day. There is no way I will do that, because I think I'm better off not knowing. One other thing to note, I charged my battery fully, and with the GPS and 3G on (required for the app) after about 2 hours it dropped my battery by 20%. I'll have to keep this in mind for longer, more remote rides.

Here is the short ride I did today:

http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/47622820

It was 18 miles, with two climbs a category 2 followed by a category 3. I had planned to continue another 12 miles and bag two more category 5 climbs and round out with 30 miles for the day, but I had to make it back in time for our trip to the Farmer's Market for dinner.

And It's A....

2011-08-12T20:13:00.000-06:00

GIRL!!

We had our 20 week u/s on Tuesday and found out that we are expecting a baby girl! We are so excited! I can't wait to start shopping :) I'm hoping soon to start clearing the room we will use for the nursery. At this point right now, I'm not planning on re-painting since the room is already a neutral brown.

Pics of the ever growing belly :)

I can't believe we are half way through this pregnancy...time is flying by! :) I'm feeling good, glad to have some energy back finally! Now...if we could just get some cooler weather, this momma-to-be would be a lot happier!!

Early Morning Climbing before Work

2011-08-10T13:14:00.003-06:00

Matt and I didn't have to work until 9:00 a.m. today, so we decided to get some climbing in before work. Matt picked me up at the house at 6:30 a.m. and we headed to BoCan. It took us about 20 minutes to get to the crag, and since we wanted to maximize climbing time, we did "Idle Hands" (5.6) three times. I lead it, then we each toproped it a couple times. Afterwards we packed up and were back home around 8:30 a.m. It was a great way to start the day.

Our Fast, Furious, and Fantastically Fabulous Weekend

2011-08-04T17:02:00.001-06:00

Some of our friends came to celebrate our anniversary with us again (they were with us on the original day). We are so thankful we have friends like them.

I will not mention names, but here are some memorable quotes from the weekend:

"I know who I think it is, but I'm not going to say."

"Okay, listen. I have six fingers up, I'm going to take one away. Now how many fingers do I have up?"

"I would say the property value is somewhere around $1,000,000."

"You don't know what an aparthide is? You know it's an aparthide. Aparthide. Like an aparthide."

"It was a cigar."

"Teet-trap!"

"Do you have the tickets?" (x9)

"I would just ask for waffles."

"Larry, we need you again."

"I have a clue . . . it is a really cool nickname."

Scared of Heights?

2011-07-29T15:36:00.012-06:00

If you were deathly afraid of heights, do you think you'd be willing to climb 800 feet of nearly vertical rock? "Just don't look down" is what they always say to people who are scared of heights. When you're climbing for three hours, that is impossible.

My mom and dad climbed the second flatiron in Boulder on their last visit. I wouldn't tell them where we were going I only said it would be something they would never forget. Then when we arrived and the base of the rock and looked up for nearly 800 feet, I said "this is it," with a smile on my face. They both said "no way" in unison. Dad has a fear of heights that has paralyzed him in past years, but he has all but conquered it at this point. Mom technically isn't afraid of heights, but I'm pretty sure she just tells herself that.

Hiking to the slab of rock in the middle

Well, since I only had one harness, I could only take one of them at a time. Mom said she had to go first because if she just waited for us at the bottom of the climb, she would be too anxious and then wouldn't want to do it. So, Dad opted to hang out (for what ended up being three hours) and go second. However, it took longer than expected for two people with belays and anchors, so we ended up coming back a couple days later so Dad could climb it.

The climb ended up being six pitches of about 200 feet each (yes I understand that is more than 800 feet, but we didn't climb in a perfectly straight line so we climbed more distance, but the rock is only about 800 feet).

Leading the first pitch

My mom went first. After the first belay station, where she thought she was going to fall off the side of the planet when she was alone waiting on me to lead the next pitch, she got more comfortable as we went along and it was smooth sailing from there. She did a great job of managing the rope for me (mainly because I think she wanted to watch the rope and not look down). However, she did a fantastic job, and got better with every pitch.

Mom following on a pitch

I don't know if my dad had the benefit of going second or if it was worse. He had to wait another two days to do it, so he had to think about how hard it was, but on the other hand he had my mom, who could give him some information about how to succeed (although, I think she just kept saying how hard it was).

I think she was happy with this belay spot

He didn't seem to be scared at all. After I started up the first pitch, he came right after me. Much like my mom, the first belay station was pretty sketchy for him, so he opted to do the ostrich maneuver where he put his head under a rock so as not to see how exposed he was on the side of this rock face.

Dad following (check out my perfect rope management)

The first pitch of easy climbing

However, after the first belay station, he did great. I can't imagine how hard it would be to be climbing 200 feet at a time, then look down and have a panic attack. You are already out of breath, but then to start hyperventilating on top of that would make it almost impossible to continue, but he did it anyway.

Setting up the final belay anchor at the top

Overall, they both did absolutely fantastic and I was very proud of them, as always. I guess for our next adventure, we'll just have to move on to something harder.

Boulderado Success!

2011-07-27T16:09:00.011-06:00

After our failed attempt to climb at the Boulderado in BoCan a couple days earlier, we gave it another shot. We had the usual beautiful weather and didn't see anyone else at the crag.

Why in the world did I bring so much gear for a 5.4?

Professional

We needed to setup a toprope, so I led "Ho Hum" (5.4), and Ashley belayed. Then, my dad climbed it, with little effort, followed by my mom, who also made it look easy. They had so much fun, they both decided to do it again.

Saftey First

Afterwards, Ash toprope belayed me up, so I could clean the anchors and then I rapped down.

Master Photographer (in training)

It was a beautiful day, and I was very impressed with how well my parents did on the 100 foot route.

Well Done

Failed Attempt at the Boulderado

2011-07-27T16:08:00.006-06:00

We headed up Boulder Canyon to the the Boulderado to do some easy climbing, but as soon as we arrived at the crag, it became overcast and even started raining. So, we postponed climbing and ended up stopping by Boulder Falls to grab a few pics.

Here are my parents enjoying the falls

Easy Stroll

2011-07-27T16:04:00.006-06:00

After work last Monday, the four of us headed to northwest Boulder to do a flat, easy, two mile hike. The weather was overcast, and the mossies were out because we were walking around some ponds, but we brought plenty of bug spray. Were still had a great time and were able to get some good pictures.

Just an easy stroll

Even with the overcast weather, it was still pretty

Bell Pepper

2011-07-26T21:26:00.007-06:00

Hello all! I'm reporting to you today at 18 weeks :) Here is an updated picture of my little growing belly (and don't I just look gorgeous...haha).

Stats on LP (Little Perigo):
Head to rump, your baby is approximately 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and weighs almost 7 ounces. He's busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. If you're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If you're having a boy, his genitals are noticeable now, although he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.

Two weeks from today we find out the gender!!

- Posted by Ash

Biking the Highest Road in North America

2011-07-26T08:11:00.005-06:00

After hiking four miles to the summit of 14,000' Mt. Evans and back, I decided to ride the 15 mile road to the summit. So, after we returned to the car from our hike, we drove back down to the base of the park and my parents parked while I changed into my cycling gear (or lack there of) and did a quick stretch to prepare for the ride. I thought it would take about two hours from the Echo Lake trailhead to the top, because the road climbs 3,400 feet over the 15 miles with an average gradient of 4.8%. However, there wasn't any way for me to check in or get a hold of my support vehicle if I ran into unexpected difficulties (which has happened pretty regularly lately). So, we decided that they would wait at the car and then in two hours if they hadn't heard from me, they would drive up and start looking for me.

Notice all my cold weather gear

Well, as always, they left early and found me slowly creeping my way up with about four miles to go. When I left the park entrance it was in the high 70s and sunny, so I thought a tank top would be sufficient (not to mention I didn't bring anything else); however, as I climbed higher, the weather got colder and eventually started sprinkling. Mom and Dad were able to take a few pictures toward the top. The last two miles is all switchbacks, and that section took a tole in addition to the previous hike, and rainy conditions.

You can see the rain on the car

I eventually topped out right at two hours, where the temperature on the summit was a balmy 42 degrees. Needless to say, I wasn't interested in riding back down, so I jumped in the car and we headed home.

I had some spectators cheering me on as I got closer to the summit

Also, for future reference, the park entrance charges $3 for bikes to ride the last 15 miles up Mt. Evans road, and they will charge you for the car as well. So, it might be worth paying the $10 for the vehicle, then just crossing over the pay station and then mount the bike. That way you don't have to pay for the bike and the car.

The Perigo Parents and Mt. Evans

2011-07-25T18:02:00.014-06:00

Since we didn't have any weekend travel/vacation plans, my mom said she'd like to do another 14er. She decided on Mt. Evans because it was only about an hour and a half away. I wasn't interested in doing Mt. Evans, because I had a different route planned that would include Mt. Bierstadt, but I decided there wasn't a reason not to hike it with my parents (yes, my dad was drug along too). Ash wasn't interested either (I think it was the 5:30 a.m. departure), so she decided to stay in Boulder.

We had one route planned, but when we got out of the car, it was cold and windy, so we decided for a shorter, less exposed route. After reviewing the 14er guidebook for an alternate, we decided on a short four mile roundtrip, 2,000 feet elevation gain, trek from Summit lake.

Summit Lake Trailhead

It was an overcast, windy day, and it ended up raining (see next post). But it was still a great hike as we meandered our way up, enjoying the views as we went.

You can see Grays and Torreys Peaks in the back to the right of center (Those were the first 14ers hiked by the Perigo parents)

Arriving at the summit, we were greeted by about 100 strangers. Much like Pikes Peak, you can drive to the summit of Mt. Evans, (the highest paved road in North America). So, needless to say, there were lots of "indoorsy" individuals on the summit. This is not the mountain to hike for seclusion. However, it is great that people can drive to the summit because it provides a means for a wide variety of people to enjoy summit views who wouldn't be able to otherwise.

View from where we started (you can see the small cars in the parking lot)

On the descent, we decided on the "direct route." I can't believe this is an actual "trail." It basically turned the side of Evans into a permanent erosion field. If I'd known the damage we would unknowingly inflict on the mountain by taking that path, we would have opted for a different one. Furthermore, it was painfully steep--my quads, ankles, and neck was burning afterwards. My mom's wrist and elbow were burning too after she slipped on the millions of piled rocks that looked like bag of marbles dumped on a near vertical slope. She said, "ouch" and then shrugged it off with a look like "we knew it was inevitable."

Finally, we made back to the car parked at Summit lake, and drove back down to the Echo Lake trailhead where we started our next adventure.

Always have to get the summit shot

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree...

2011-07-23T10:38:00.008-06:00

First of all...hello, I'm back from my blogging hiatus! :) (I know, I know...those of you that enjoy Levi's posts can just skip right on over this little one)

It's been a while simply because I only wanted to blog about one thing and one thing only. The problem with that was that I couldn't blog about that topic yet but now I can! So without further adieu...

We're having a baby!!

The first four out of seven tests that I took in a 24 hour period. I just needed to make sure! :) The pink test is the original test.

Our little bundle will be joining us around Christmastime...maybe I'll get myself a b'day present ;) December 27 is our due date and I would be just fine if this little lady/fella showed up a bit early (like a couple weeks or so).

So, you will be seeing me more around these parts keeping you up to date on our little one during the rest of this pregnancy. I am currently 4.5 months along (17 weeks, 4 days). I have been extremely blessed that I wasn't sick during the first trimester. I enjoyed having the "exuse" for taking naps each day, even though I woke up still feeling groggy and grouchy (lovely traits, I know). We are now looking forward to finding out what we will be having in a little over two weeks.

Will we be having a little Levi???

Or will it be a little Ashley?? (It very well could look similar all wrapped up in a cute little stocking)...
Stay tuned!

-Posted by Ash

7 Summits, 5 Days, 60 miles, 20,000 elevation gain

2011-07-12T16:31:00.030-06:00

Summary

Day 1 - Mt. Sneffels (6 mi. 2,900 feet elevation gain)

• 2h 15m Ascent (second person on summit)

• 20m on Summit

• 1h 50m Descent

• Total time = 4h 10m

• Drove to Matterhorn Trailhead

• High camped at 12,500’

Day 2 – Uncompahgre & Wetterhorn (18 mi. 5,850 feet elevation gain)

• 2h 27m Ascent via the East Face snow route

• 27m on summit (first person on summit)

• 2h 01m back to camp via the long route

• Stayed 22m at camp

• 2h 18m to Wetterhorn Summit

• 1h 42m Descent

• Total time = 10h 56m

• Drove to Silver Creek Trailhead

Day 3 – Rain/Rest Day

Day 4 – Redcloud, Sunshine, Failed Handies (18 mi. 7,000 feet elevation gain)

• 2h 33m Ascent of Redcloud (second person on summit)

• 41 m across to Sunshine (first person on summit)

• 51 m back to Redcloud

• 30 m on Summit

• 1h 40m Descent

• Back at 11:30 a.m. and left for Handies at 12:00 p.m.

• Returned to trailhead after turning around with less than a mile to go (weather)

• Drove to American Basin Trailhead (attempt Handies from other side)

Day 5 – Handies and San Luis (18 mi. 6,200 feet elevation gain)

• 1h 38m Ascent (first on summit)

• 10m on Summit

• 55m Descent

• Total time = 2h 43m

• Drove to Stewart Creek Trailhead

• 2h 45m Ascent of San Louis (last on summit)

• 16m on Summit

• 2h 38m Descent (in the dark)

• Total time for San Louis = 5h 39m

• Total time for day = 8h 22m

_________________________________________

Trip Report

Day 1

After exuberantly leaving work on Friday, I began my solo trip to the San Juan mountain range in southwestern Colorado for some sight seeing and soul restoration. The drive to Mt. Sneffels was great. The 4x4 road that hugged the towering cliffs and rose high above the water flowing below was one of the better trailheads I've reached. I arrived late Friday night, and upon entering a steep, rocky section of 4x4 road, I promptly marooned my Jeep. I got out with my trusty Maglite and investigated the "hang up." I had managed to lodge an unmovable boulder between two pieces of my Grand Cherokee's undercarriage (I'm not even going to attempt to guess what parts of the vehicle were actually trapped). I couldn't go forward or back. However, it was only a minor setback, because I was able to find enough flat rocks to built a ramp/bridge so when I reversed, my front tires would climb the ramp, lifting me high enough to release me from the boulder's grip. After my new found freedom, I was careful not to overestimate my clearance for the remainder of the trip.

I reached the trailhead late on Friday night, and climbed into the back of my Jeep's makeshift sleeping arrangement and promptly dozed off. Anticipating my first ascent of the trip, I was early to rise and was ready to leave by 6:00 a.m.

View from where I slept

It wasn't long until the easy trail became completely snow covered. I ended up following someone's pre-placed boot prints and made easy work of the snow gully to the summit. There were great views, and a fun, small rock face to maneuver delicately around to reach the summit. I made nearly the same time on the descent as I did going up. It took me around 2 hours for both.

The snow field

View from Sneffels

Reaching the car, I quickly packed up and started the journey to the Matterhorn TH. I arrived at 4:15 p.m., repacked my gear, and headed up the trail to make a high camp for the night. I hiked in about an hour and a half to a ridge between Matterhorn and Uncompahgre at 12,500'. It was a beautiful, cloudless night. There was not a rustle of wind, and it was deathly still and silent. I opted to setup the tent without the rainfly, and it was a wonderful decision. I was able to watch the stars all night long. My digital thermometer said it reached a low of 33 degrees that night, but I was as comfortable as could be in my zero degree down bag.

View of Uncompahgre from where I setup camp (I did the snow field on the right)

My alarm rang at 4:00 a.m., and I got up ate, packed all my gear, and left by 5:30 a.m. I did the snow route up Uncompahgre, which I'm sure is all but vanished by now. It was steep, and difficult for me. I thought it would save some time, and I'm sure it did, but it was a lot of effort so early in the morning. Once you start the snow climb, there is no getting off, because all the scree beside the snow field is like quicksand/mudslide.

The sun just kissing Wetterhorn

I reached the summit of Uncompahgre in about 2.5 hours, and decided to take the longer, easier route back to the ridge where I had slept the night before. It took about two hours to make the rolling return trip, and my feet were pretty wet traversing all the slushy snow fields, even with my waterproof boots and gators.

Marmot checking on me

There appeared to be some great climbing on Uncompahgre, but I didn't see any routes on mountainproject. Looks good to me!

From my previous campsite, I loaded my heavy pack on my back and made my way around Matterhorn to Wetterhorn. I tried to avoid the deep, wet snow, and eventually got off route, and had to retrace some of my traverse to find the trail leading to Wetterhorn's summit. I ended up lacing up my snowshoes (since I was carrying them) and just going straight across the snow fields. Reaching a low point below Matterhorn and before the ascent of Wetterhorn, I stashed my pack in a safe place (away from marmots) and just took some water with me to the summit.

I enjoyed the ascent of Wetterhorn very much. However, as I got closer I saw the beautifully fluffy clouds turning a dark color. I made quick work of the last part of the route, and scurried up the class 3 crux to the summit in less than 45 seconds. I snapped a picture, and turned around to get out of there before the weather could do anything more than threaten.

I made a quick glissade on the way down (however, I came down the wrong face and had to go back up for my pack). I stacked the pack on my back, and headed back to the car. The descent from Wetterhorn took less than two hours. The total time for the ascent and descent of both peaks was just under eleven hours.

My glissade path

I took a quick bath in the river (this was the most dangerous part of my trip, because I nearly got hypothermia and drowned), and headed in to Lake City for some dinner at a local BBQ. With a great meal in my belly, I made the short drive to the next trailhead.

The view from my bathtub

Day 3

After arriving at the TH and finding a camping spot I packed it in for the night. Late in the evening, while I was laying down reading, I heard a faint, but distant grumbling sound. I didn't think anything of it until I heard it again a few minutes later. Then again. I thought it might be coming from my car? Next time I heard it, I pounded on the car. The noise promptly stopped. I figured it was a coincidence, so the next time it happened, I hit the car again with my fist, and the noise stopped again. At this time, I knew it was something on or near my car. I climbed into the front seat and turned on the ignition. I looked out the windows to see if the sudden noise scared anything. It ended up not scaring anything but me, because I caught a glimpse of something scurrying into the bushes. The huge puffy tail was bright white. I thought it was a marmot (but too low elevation), raccoon (this was way bigger than a coon), a badger maybe? I didn't know what it was, but I didn't want to see it again, so I turned the car off, and went back to bed.

Several hours later, I was startled awake by the ominous sound again. I paused, listened carefully, and I heard it again. I turned the keys over, not starting the car, but gaining power to roll the windows down so I could see out, grabbed the flashlight, and then started the ignition. This time I saw the invader. It was a full grown . . . porcupine! It was huge and I didn't want to mess with it! Anyway, this happened about every hour throughout the night. Apparently, and luckily, I found out that porcupines like to chew on cars. I say luckily, because it didn't do any damage. After further research upon returning home, I found that many national parks have shutdown in the past due to problem porcupine's chewing through radiator hoses and brake lines. Little to no damage was done to my car, but I did have to wake up several times to turn on the ignition and scare the beast away. Every time, I thought, surly this will be the last time, but an hour later, he'd be back. Finally, at about 4:00 a.m., I'd had enough and I got out of my warm, cozy sleeping bag and went out into the 30 degree crisp, mountain air and picked up some rocks to discourage the porcupine from returning, but without action he must have received the message because he didn't return.

The fourth of July ended up being a rest day for me, mainly because I didn't get any sleep wondering what that animal did to my ride. I slept in, and it was overcast and rainy, so I decided to just relax, and catch up on some reading. Before bed, I ended up driving .4 miles to the actual trailhead to get away from the R.E.M. stealing rodent.

Day 4

This day started out with more of the same. There were about five other cars in the TH parking lot, but at about 2:00 a.m. I heard a familiar, unwanted sound . . . the porcupine was back! He was chewing on my car again, and there were other cars in the lot. What in the world was so enticing about my car? I started my car, and he went under the car next to me, then eventually wondered around. I watched him for a bit, contemplating how I was going to contribute to his demise, but eventually I was too sleepy and gave up.

I eventually woke up at 4:30 a.m. and headed toward Redcloud and Sunshine by 5:00 a.m. It was a very nice hike with good scenery. I made it to the Redcloud summit in 2 hours 33 minutes. I was the second person on the summit. Immediately, dropped my day pack and hiking poles and headed for Sunshine. It took 41 minutes to travel across the saddle (I was the first on Sunshine), then another 51 minutes back. When I returned to Redcloud, I found my hiking pole handles and my backpack had been munched on by a high altitude animal. Am I some kind of menacing mammal magnet? So, for future reference, make sure you don't leave anything unprotected on the Redcloud summit, unless there are people there watching it.

View back at Handies from the Redcloud/Sunshine trail

View of Redcloud

It took me 1 hour and 40 min. back to the trailhead, where I promptly grabbed a bite to eat and headed across the creek toward Handies. It was right at noon when I left, and the weather was cloudy, but not ominous in any way. I thought I'd make the quick four mile ascent in less than two hours and be below treeline before it could start storming--I was wrong.

I made quick work of Handies, but the clouds started to get darker, and I was not happy with what was going on, so I just went quicker. I ended up making it to the summit ridge in about an hour, but with less than a mile to go, a huge clap of thunder finally let lose and the tremendously deep noise made my heart stop, and I involuntarily ducked and covered my head. Needless to say, I bolted back down to treeline. Once I got there, it rumbled and thundered more, and eventually let lose. However, once I got to treeline, I was no longer in a hurry, but disappointed that I just hiked an extra six miles, on top of the 12 I just did, with no summit, so my pace slowed tremendously.

Once back to the car, I decided since I'd virtually climbed all of Handies' East slope, that I'd drive over to the southwest side and approach it from there the following morning. Also, I have to admit, the troublesome porcupine had a strong influence on my decision to move my camp.

Before I left, I decided to take another bath in the creek. I think the water was between 5 and 11 degrees, so it was refreshing to say the least. While I was flirting with hypothermia I did see a bull moose on up the river. Well, I'm pretty sure I did, but it could have just been a vision of my quickly freezing brain.

When I reached the American Basin trailhead, the sky had cleared and it was a beautiful evening. I was the only one at the trailhead.

Day 5

My wristwatch alarm rang at 5:30 a.m., and I was on the trail to Handies (again) by 6:00 a.m. It took a mere 1 hour and 38 minutes to reach the summit, where I was the first, and about 55 minutes on the descent. Handies is a fantastic summit because it is mountains as far as you can see.

Afterwards, I drove the arduous dirt road from Handies back to Lake City, then over another 40 miles of dirt rode (all 2WD this time) to San Luis peak. Since it was raining when I got to the Stewart Creek TH, I just crawled in the back and took a nap. However, when I woke, it was clear as could be and only 5:00 p.m. After a small subconscious debate, I decided, "why not have some adventure?" I packed a light overnight pack (in case the weather changed) and headed for a sunset summit on San Luis.

Along the meandering, mostly flat trail, I saw no fewer than 11 beaver ponds. I watched two neighbors lazily paddle through their wattery domain. These animal architects didn't appear to have a care in the world--but I did, because I wanted to reach the summit before dark.

Picture of a lodge

It took me 2 hours and 45 min. to reach the summit, where the sun was just setting (it was 8:45 p.m.) In the distance, I could see a pink thunderstorm, and it was awesome to watch from the summit. I noticed I had good reception, so I called Ashley and it was very nice talking with her for a while. It was already dark, so I wasn't in any hurry to get back down. I contemplated setting my tarp up on the summit and camping there, but instead I opted to head back down for the night.

San Luis Summit

I was planning on putting the iPod in for the descent to hopefully deter my forest night terrors, but I must have forgot to lock it on the ascent, because it was dead. So, I got to descend in darkness and hear all the glorious sounds of the pitch black forest. I tried to leave my headlamp on the trail, because I didn't want to turn away and see all the eyes watching me.

Eventually, I made it back in 2 hours and 38 minutes, at 11:58 p.m. It rounded out another 18 miles of hiking and over 6,000 feet of elevation gain for the day. Needless to say, I just crashed when I got back.

The following morning, I left at 6:30 a.m. and headed back to Boulder. It was a wonderful trip, and I was able to cover a lot of beautiful country. I enjoyed every minute of it.

The Watermark

2011-07-10T14:40:00.006-06:00

Joe and I went to The Watermark. First, we both led "Lothlorien" (5.8). Then Joe let me lead "Minas Tireth" (5.10a). The roof is definitely the crux.

Unbelievably, right where Joe is in the picture below, I dropped my phone (about 30 feet off the deck). It didn't even get a scratch on it.

Here is Joe getting over the hardest part.

Boulder to Ward

2011-07-09T21:03:00.004-06:00

Eighteen miles of continuous climbing, and nearly 4,000 feet of elevation gain is the ride from Boulder to the small mountain town of Ward. It is a mellow grade with an average of about 5% for the total climb, but the last mile is brutal because after climbing for 17 miles the last mile is about 11%.

I continued just past Ward to the Peak to Peak highway near the entrance to Brainard Lake and the Indian Peaks Wilderness area. Maybe next time, I'll ride up to Brainard Lake, or take the Peak to Peak to Nederland then back down Canyon to Boulder. It was a total of 45 miles.

I had a minor problem when my rear tire went flat on the descent. Since I recently replaced my rear tire with an extremely cheap one, it was very hard to insert the new tube and change it. I'm not sure how long it took, but it was a cumbersome undertaking.

Finally Friday at The Watermark

2011-07-08T21:57:00.008-06:00

Nick and his girlfriend, Erin, met me at the Boulder library after work, as usually. We headed up to The Watermark in Boulder Canyon. We did the Tryrolean Traverse, where the water was so high that it was splashing us as we crossed. First, Nick flash led the 100 ft. route "Road to Isengard" (5.8), then Erin toproped it, without any issues. I led it and cleaned as well. Then, they let me lead another route before dark. Right next to it is the 100 ft. route "The Memory of Trees" (5.9). This route had two roof puzzles, and two slabs with a little scary runout. I'm starting to like The Watermark quite a bit.

Buffalo Bill's Grave

2011-06-27T17:45:00.011-06:00

I gave my respects to Buffalo Bill's grave site on Sunday. Pedalling up the winding Lookout Mountain road, I made it to the summit where Buffalo Bill Cody was laid to rest in Golden, CO (there is also a museum). The ride is 1,300 feet elevation gain over 5 miles, with an average gradient of 5.5%. This is a great ride, and it will be the last mountain to acquire King of the Mountain (KOM) points for this year's Tour of Colorado. The last stage is from Golden to Denver, and they start the stage riding Lookout Mountain. So, I can officially say I've ridden part of a stage on this year's Tour of Colorado. I bet the pros will ride it in about 15 min.

Buffalo Bill's Grave

Lookout Mountain is a "bald" mountain because it doesn't have any trees on it. It was great because I was able to get some sun, but it was bad because you could look up and see how much further you had to go. The beginning of the ride is very mellow. I thought it was going to be a waste of my 30 min. drive to get there, but it turned out to be a lot of fun as soon as the "Warning 5 MPH 'S' curve" signs appeared. I consider this a beginner ride for the Flagstaff Mountain climb. It is the same distance, with similar switchbacks, but not near as steep. I would rank the Boulder area (Lookout Mountain is not in Boulder) climbs I've done in this order: NCAR, Jamestown, Lookout, Flagstaff.

View of the road

There were great views the entire way of Clear Creek Canyon, the Coors Brewery, and Denver (depending on which side of the mountain you were on). I finished the climb in just over 30 min. and I think I could easily knock 10 min. off. I paced myself on this ride because I had no idea what to expect (I'd never even ridden it in a car). Now that I do, I'll be able to enjoy it even more, maybe even ride it back-to-back.

View of Denver

Valmont Bike Park

2011-06-23T20:15:00.003-06:00

Right after work, I met Nick at the newly opened Valmont Bike Park (VBP) in Boulder. It is kind of like a snowboard terrain park for mountain bikes. We pretty much hit up all the different areas. They are rated just like snowboarding (green, blue, black) and the terrain park is (small, med., large, and XL). On the single track trails, one of the best parts is there are multiple options per feature. For example, if there was a four foot rock to jump off of, Nick would hit it, then I would go over the little "bump" rock right beside it.

It was exactly what I needed to help hone my mtn. bike skills. I'm looking forward to hitting it up, and trying some of the more advanced features, after my technique gets better of course. Furthermore, my new shoes and pedals worked great. I think I got a pretty good deal for new shoes and pedals for less than $70.

Here are some pics from the VBP website:

http://bouldermountainbike.org/content/gallery

Afterwards, I did the Marshall Mesa loop as a cool down.

Favorite Ride?

2011-06-21T20:31:00.001-06:00

Since today is the longest day of the year, I decided to go on an impromptu long ride after work. Leaving the house, I headed out for Jamestown. When I turned on Lefthand Canyon, the beautiful climbing began. This has to be one of my favorite Boulder rides, thus far.

The climb was around nine miles with an average grade of around 3.2 percent. The total ride was 42 miles with about 2,000 feet of elevation gain.

- Posted by Levi

Hanging out with Aron Ralston

2011-06-21T20:23:00.002-06:00

We were walking down Pearl St., after dinner at the Walnut Brewery, and I saw Aron Ralston pushing his bike. I quickly walked over and introduced myself, and shook his hand (I offered him my left hand). He was extremely nice, as I had always expected. We chatted for a min. then I said, "I've read your book like three times," and he smiled and said, "wow, I think that might be a record." He was willing to stay and chat with us, but neither Ashley nor I wanted to bother him. Since he lives in Boulder now, I'm sure I'll see him around. I wouldn't be surprised if we start hanging out soon.

An overview on Aron Ralston: He is the best selling author of "Between a Rock and a Hard Place," and the inspiration behind the movie "127 Hours." I was very happy to meet him.

- Posted by Levi

Great Ride Beautiful Day

2011-06-18T16:09:00.003-06:00

Adam, Lauren, Matt, and I met at Amante Coffee in No. Bo., and headed out highway 36 to Left Hand Canyon toward Jamestown. This was Matt's first ride since last summer, and even more remarkable than his year long layoff, was this was his first ride after receiving a brand new shiny titanium shin, that was inserted after he broke his leg in half, only a few weeks ago. I knew it was going to be a race ride for me just to keep up with these guys, and gal, because even though they haven't rode for a while, I knew their worst shape, would be better than my best. Thankfully they took it easy on me, and let me tag along.

When I noticed Lauren was in her big chainring, bottomed out in the back, with a cadence of about 40 RPM, and I was in my easiest gear going as hard as I could, I wanted to be disgusted, ashamed, and embarrassed, but it was exactly what I expected from her. They were all out for a casual joy ride, and this was one of my hardest rides of the season. Even though it was difficult, it was a gorgeous day, with great friends, and a wonderful ride. I'm looking forward to riding the different variations up Lefthand.

We ended up riding about an hour and a half, and covered just over 20 miles. It was great getting to chat with some friends on a Saturday morning ride (and when I say chat, I mean I listened to them converse, while I was reaching my VO2 max and lactate threshold, unable to speak).

Afterwards, I came back and rode a small cool down ride. I tallied 29 miles for the day, and that is deserving of a nap.

- Posted by Levi

Flagstaff - Got Triple?

2011-06-17T12:45:00.003-06:00

I've ridden to the Flagstaff amphitheater several time this year, which is about halfway to the summit, but I haven't had the courage to tackle the Flagstaff summit . . . until yesterday. I felt confident and wanted to test my climbing stamina for the season. I thought it would give me an idea of where I am now, compared to this time last season.

I started out pacing myself to the amphitheater turn off, which took about 27 min. (normal easy pace for me). Then, after a short break to catch my breath and mentally prepare for the climb ahead, I began the self-destructive journey. No more than two min. later, I essentially started doing track stands on my bike. I was literally going as slow as possible without tipping over (because I couldn't physically make my machine go faster). I kept thinking in my head "I'm pretty sure you weren't ready for the summit yet this year." There were a couple times I had to stop on the side of the road to prevent me from falling over, because I was going too slow and about to reach cardiac arrest. Have you ever tried to start riding a bike, while clipping into pedals in the middle of 10-15% grade hill? It is frustrating, and very inefficient, but it's better than falling over, and sliding a mile down the road because you don't have the energy or will to stop yourself.

Finally, after nearly giving up on the 15% section just below Lost Gulch Overlook, I made it to Lost Gulch, where I quickly pulled off to enjoy the view (by that I mean I pretended to be enjoying the view, when actually I don't think I could see anything because I was on the verge of blacking out). I fought with my sub-conscience for an eternity about turning around or finishing the final pitch to the end. I decided, since I'd come this far, I might as well top out.

I had to stop 20-30 more times during that last "S" climb, but eventually made it to the mailboxes at the top, which signifies the end of the climb. I blazed to the top with a time of one hour and ten minutes. For comparison purposes, the mountain record is 22 min., my friends usually do it in the high 30s, and I'm pushing 90 min. I think it's fair to say that I'm not ready to actually "ride" Flagstaff to the summit this year, unless I purchase a triple crank and ride in the easiest granny gear, even that wouldn't guarantee me success.

Here are some stats on the ride for those of you who don't know. (From my house it is about a three mile ride to the base of the official climb, and is a total 16 miles roundtrip). The first five miles of the climb have an average grade of 7.4% with a .3 section below Lost Gulch Overlook at 14%. The first .5 mile above Gregory Canyon averages 10%, the 3.5 miles from Gregory Canyon to the Amphitheater turnoff averages 6.5%, and the next two miles to the exit from the Mountain park averages 10%. For those of you familiar with proffesional cycling it is classified as a Category 1 climb.

Photo Courtesy of "mapmyride.com" thanks to Benjamin D. Rans

- Posted by Levi

The Second Flatiron

2011-06-15T18:49:00.002-06:00

I climbed the second flatiron for the second time. The approach took 15 min. from when I parked the car until I reached the bottom of the second. I took my time trying to find, and commit to memory, anchor placements for when I climb with someone who would like to be roped up, so I can belay from above. From the time I walked out the front door, until I returned home was a total time of 2.5 hours.

This is not a very good picture, but it's the big rock in the middle

Rest Day?

2011-06-14T19:37:00.001-06:00

As you dedicated followers know, I recently sliced my tire on a ride. Well, don't fret, I was able to get a replacement tire and tube at my local University Cycles bike shop and I broke them in on a short "recovery" ride. I did a six mile ride with a small climb of two miles at 5.7% average gradient. I thought it was going to be a walk in the park (Chatauqua Park), but several factors quickly changed my mind.

I had a busy day at work and wasn't able to escape for a bite to eat. Therefore, I hadn't had anything since my bowl of Wheaties (yes, that is what I actually ate for breakfast), besides a handful of mixed nuts (minus the cashews, which Ash had already sorted out). No lunch, combined with the fact I forgot my water bottle, and the strong headwind (and by strong I mean when I got out of the saddle I almost got pushed over) quickly resulted in a "bonk." I considered turning around and having the headwind sail me downhill all the way home, but thought I might as well get some exercise. I made it to my destination, turned around, only to have two cars in front of me following the speed limit, thus resulting in my hands getting tired from having to squeeze my brakes for the entire descent. So much for walking in the park.

Mountain Biking Marshall Mesa

2011-06-14T12:22:00.007-06:00

Since my road bike is currently out of commission waiting on a new tire, I decided to go off-roading. I rode 10 miles last night in 1:15. I did the Marshall Mesa loop, then crossed Highway 96 and road over on the Flatirons Vista trail. It took 25 min. to get to the "loop," 25 min. to ride it, and 25 min. back.

Road Trip: Out for a Sunday Drive

2011-06-14T12:22:00.005-06:00

As I groggily emerge from my Sunday morning hibernation, and stumble to the living room, Ash greets me with "I think I eventually would like a lake house." As you could expect my reactions were, I paused, and stared at her blankly with no expression or reaction. Five minutes later the topic had not changed and she's exclaimed "it is in my nature be be around a body of water in summer." Without thinking I suggest, "why don't you look in Granby for some vacation rentals." Of course she immediately begins her frantic Google search, while I head to the kitchen for some breakfast. As she's audibly commenting on every property she sees, I offer "we should just go up and look around." I was thinking in my head that she'd say "nah, it's too late, maybe another weekend," because it was already nearly 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, and it takes about two hours to get there. Alas, her response was (as she getting off the couch) "ok, I'll get in the shower, let's leave at noon." Then without any reactions from me, I hear the bathroom door shut and the shower start. "Well, I guess we're going to Granby."

Grand Lake

It took 2.5 hours to get there from 70 through Winter Park. We stayed there about three hours, walking around, having a picnic, and taking a short hike to Adams falls on the West entrance of RMNP. Then we headed back via Highway 34, which takes you all the way through RMNP. We stopped in Lyons for dinner, and made it home in 2.5 hours at about eight o'clock.

Adams Falls - RMNP

Rainbow mist from the falls

Nothing like going on a random road trip on a Sunday afternoon. What a great day.

Snow-walled road through RMNP

- Posted by Levi

Ash to the Rescue

2011-06-11T19:51:00.002-06:00

After lunch at the farmer's market with Matt, Rox, and Ash, I hopped on my bike and headed toward Lyons on Highway 36. Just after mile seven, I heard flip, flip, flip, flip, flip . . . . I looked down at my front wheel to see what was rubbing on the spokes, or what the heck was going on. I couldn't see anything, but the sound got louder, and so I intended to slow down and investigate the mysterious sound; then after a quick touch of the brakes the flip, flip, flip ended with a demoralizing and familiar pow. I quickly dismounted and immediately discovered the back wheel to be the culprit. It was completely flat. First thought was, "blown tube, no big deal, I'll just insert my spare tube and keep going." Upon further investigation, my rear tube exploded because my tire was sliced in half. Nothing you can do to be prepared for that.

I called my beautiful lover and said I needed her to come pick me up. Her first words were "Oh, no! What happened?" she said with a panic stricken voice. I quickly assured her it was just a minor inconvenience, and I'd just sit tight until she could rescue me. She was there to brighten my day in about 15 minutes, with a cute little smile on her face (even though I could tell she was a little concerned, but glad I was okay).

It was going to be a beautiful 30 mile ride in the Boulder foothills, but it ended up being a short seven mile ride, with a new tire in the future budget. I'm so thankful Ash was willing and able to come save the day. This is starting to become a trend . . . me getting in trouble and someone having to rescue me. I'll say it's just because I want people to feel special.

NCAR

2011-06-11T11:12:00.003-06:00

I rode NCAR on Friday, with a time of 10:14.

USA Pro Cycling Challenge "Tour of Colorado"

2011-06-07T17:07:00.002-06:00

The routes for the inaugural "Tour of Colorado" have been posted. Watch this brief video about the start/finish cities and routes: http://www.usaprocyclingchallenge.com/gallery

Hopefully, I'll get a chance to ride some of the stages (or at least a part of a stage). I'm thinking the time trial stage in Vail, because it's only 10 miles.

- Posted by Levi

The First Flatiron

2011-06-05T18:26:00.004-06:00

On Saturday morning, my 6:30 a.m. alarm came like an unexpected slap in the face. However, after packing up my gear for the extended multi-pitch route on the iconic first Boulder flatiron, the red hand print from my alarm started to fade. Nick and Max met me at Chatauqua, where we sorted through all our gear, and determined who's what we'd take. Then we started hiking up the "super highway" trail to the base of the first flatiron.

Sorting our gear at the base of the climb

We did the "Fandango" (5.5) route. It was about six pitches with three people, and it took us just under seven hours, from the time we left the parking lot, until we returned. It was a standard, beautiful summer day in Boulder, and we were fortunate, that only one other team was attempting our route at the same time on Saturday morning. We started ahead of them, but since Max was leading and placing gear (Nick and I followed), and the other team was simul-climbing, they quickly passed us (furthermore, near the summit, where all the routes merge, several other people smiled past us as they were free soloing). However, we were taking our time and just enjoying the climb, weather, and wonderful views.

I have Max "on-belay" for the first pitch of the nearly 900 foot route

It was a perfect day with great company. I'm looking forward to finishing the flatirons, by climbing the third, as well as additional and repeat routes on all of them.

Nick climbing with the city of Boulder in the background

Our rope management and anchor building skills

Max leading another pitch

Nick is second, with Max belaying from above

Nick belaying on his backup belay ATC; his first reluctantly surrendered to the Earth's strong gravitational pull

Max enjoying the view while waiting on the false summit, before the final pitch

Nick finishing the route with a 100 foot "rap"

Lazy Sunday at Watermark

2011-06-05T18:26:00.003-06:00

It was another beautiful day in Boulder. I couldn't decide what to do, so I contacted my friend Joe to see if he'd be interested in climbing. I wasn't sure if I wanted to go, so I thought I'd let him make the decision: if he said yes, then we'd go, if he was busy, then that would narrow down my choices by one. He said he was down (even though he just got back from a 13 mile run), so we met and were at the crag an hour later (12:30).

We went to the Watermark crag, which neither of had been to before. We did two sport routes, two times each (lead/TR). First we warmed up with "Glennevere" (5.9), followed by "Twin Peaks" (5.10a/b).

Both routes were "star rated," but we really enjoyed the dual crux, and problem solving aspect of "Twin Peaks." Unfortunately, neither of us were able to make a clean "flash" ascent, but we'll be back for sure to score the "redpoint." So far, it's one of the only routes I haven't redpointed (that I've attempted, obviously).

Joe leading "Twin Peaks" (the small roof below him to the right was the first route we did)

- Posted by Levi

Finally Friday Climbing Series: Avalon, First Tier

2011-06-03T22:14:00.001-06:00

Nick and Max met me at the Boulder library parking lot after work to head into the canyon for a couple routes. We decided on the Avalon crag due to the easily accessible routes. We crossed the increasingly speedy Boulder creek via the Tyrolean traverse. I imagine in a few weeks Boulder creek will be a ragging torrent, due to all the snow melt in the high mountains.

Nick on the Tyrolean

Nick, Max, and I each lead "Sword in the Stone" (5.9+), and "Mists of Avalon" (5.10a). Both of these were sweet routes. "Sword" had a fun arete, and "Mists" had a large, technical roof, a side pull crack, and a lot of "crimper" holds.

Max leading the first route

Nick on "Mists of Avalon" (5.10a)

- Posted by Levi

Mountain Bike Deer Dodging

2011-06-03T13:34:00.001-06:00

Yesterday I rode my mountain bike on the three mile loop at the Batasso Preserve, near Sugarloaf mountain. I did two laps in just under an hour. There were a lot of up and downs, and I am in terrible mountain bike shape. My cardio and technical handling was pitiful. I thought my roadie conditioning was terrible, but my mountain biking is down right embarrassing. I was ashamed to be on the trail.

The only extra adventure I had was the eight small Mule deer does in the trail, that appeared to be irritated by my presence. I must have been interrupting their peaceful existence of weed munching, but they didn't seem to be too concerned because I had to come to a complete stop before one meandered off the bike trail. With deer this lazy, no wander there were eight "Beware of Mountain Lion" and "Mountain Lion Spotted in Area" signs scattered throughout the trail.

- Posted by Levi

Bike Cruizin'

2011-05-31T22:02:00.002-06:00

I rode 20 miles on Saturday. I rode up S. Boulder rode and back. Then I rode up Baseline, down 9th, up 9th, and down Baseline. Finally, I finished the ride with NCAR. It took an hour and a half for the 20 miles. The only extra adventure I had is when I about hit a Prairie Dog going about 25 mph.

Today, I rode my mountain bike on the Marshall Mesa trail. Then, I came home, switched bikes and picked up Ash. We left from our house and took our cruisers around So. Bo., lusting over some of the million dollar mountain view homes.

- Posted by Levi

Finally Friday Climbing: The 2nd Flatiron

2011-05-28T12:02:00.002-06:00

I climbed "Freeway" (5.0-5.2) on Friday. It was six pitches for a total of 800 feet. Beautiful views, and not a soul in sight.

- Posted by Levi

NCAR

2011-05-26T13:11:00.001-06:00

I rode NCAR for the third time this season. Improved my time by about 30 seconds, but still over a minute off from where I was last season. I'm in terrible shape, but hopefully it won't be long. I did break a sweat for the first time since last September.

Time: 11:05

MPH: 22*

- Posted by Levi

Dream Canyon Climbing

2011-05-22T16:43:00.001-06:00

Saturday, Nick and I were going to climb, but it ended up being me, Nick, his girlfriend Erin, their friends Max and Jill, and their friends Zach, Amir, and Bob. So, it turned out to be different than I had anticipated, but I got to meet some new people and had a good time. The Upper Dream Canyon is beautiful, and a great place to just chill for the day.

All the routes were right beside this creek

We went to Upper Dream Canyon, to the Dream Dome crag. We climbed the first pitch of "Wrinkles in Time" (5.9) and the first pitch of "Leviathan" (5.10). I lead "Wrinkles in Time" and it ended up being a mixed route, because I got off route and had to place several pieces of pro. I ended up laying my own route, but made it. Later, I TR'ed it and it was a lot of fun. I'd like to return and do both pitches.

Here I am on the edge of the first pitch of "Wrinkles in Time" (5.9), you can see the creek at the bottom

Nick leading the first pitch of "Wrinkles in Time" (5.9)

Nick and I are relaxing by the creek

- Posted by Levi

Climbing at The Boulderado

2011-05-17T13:49:00.001-06:00

Ash was kind enough to take me out for a short climb, since she knows I've been couped up inside for the last week. I was looking to get outside and climb a route or two, so we chose the Boulderado crag, which is super easy access in the middle of Boulder canyon. The weather was not very good, and that allowed us to have the crag to ourselves. It was a little overcast and a bit chilly to start, since we were high in the canyon late in the day, but it was perfect for what we wanted to do. Once the sun came out, it was nearly blissful.

I lead the trad route "Ho Hum" (5.4). This is a super sweet beginner route, and I'll be taking out-of-towners here for sure. In the future, it can be toproped, but this time I wanted to lead it trad. There's a 100 foot trad route right next to it, "Idle Hands" (5.6), that I'll test out next time I'm there.

I'm getting "G'ed" up

Placing some gear

Rappelling Down

- Posted by Levi

Mt. Anterno - Kick Stepping, Post-holing, & Snow Blindness

2011-05-09T14:09:00.001-06:00

Summary

I soloed climbed route 17.1 West Slopes, from Gerry Roach's (1999) book, Colorado's Fourteeners From Hikes to Climbs Second Edition . This route starts from the Baldwin Gulch Trailhead, and is 16 miles RT, with 4,900 feet of elevation gain.
I hiked up three miles (1h 48m) and camped above the summer 4x4 TH at just under 11,000 feet.
I left camp at 6:30 a.m. and made the summit in 4h 39m. I stayed 10 min. at the summit, and it took 2h 10m to get back down to camp, and finally another 1h and 4min to trek the 3 miles back to the Jeep. The total time was 9h 53m.
Overall Impression: This was a great route to do in winter or early spring for an easy mountaineering route. The route is straight forward with snow and ice and limited exposure. However, if done in the spring--snowshoes, skins, snowboard, ice axe and/or snow goggles/glasses would be extremely beneficial.

Trip Report (Part I - The Summit)

Leaving work on Friday afternoon, I headed out to obtain the peak of Mt. Aterno, solo. It was a three hour drive to the Baldwin Gulch TH, and I made it with plenty of time to hike up and setup camp so I could summit the following morning. I had a three mile hike to 11,000 feet (just above the summer four-wheel drive trailhead) where I had planned to setup camp for the night.

The view driving toward my adventure (Mt. Aterno is directly behind this mountain)

Since my usual responsible person (Ash) was away on a cruise with some of her friends, it was up to my friend Rew to save my life should anything go awry. I gave him all the info: Where the trailhead was, what route I was attempting, where I was camping, when I expected to be back, and what number to call should he not hear from me at the designated time. He is the perfect choice because I knew he would follow the schedule, not worry about me, and ultimately do the right thing if he needed to.

It was a perfect solo trip. I didn't see another person the entire trip. Furthermore, since there was snowpack the entire way to the summit, it was apparent that no one had done this route in quite some time (there were no tracks). I was able to be alone in nature with the creator. Nothing is better.

Leaving the Jeep, I debated with my sub-conscience whether or not to take my snowshoes with me. The 4x4 trail I attempted to drive up, was covered in ice and frozen snow, and I could see the summit and it appeared to be windswept and without snow. Therefore, I decided I didn't want to carry the extra four pounds of my snowshoes if I wasn't going to use them . . . biggest mistake of the trip. After about an hour of hiking on the 4x4 trail, it quickly became apparent that I was going to be "post-holing" for a while. However, I didn't want to turn around and head back down to get them and add another three miles on to my 16 mile trip. Plus, I rationalized to myself, when I leave early in the morning all the snow will be frozen and it will allow me to walk on top of it like a sidewalk all the way to the summit. I decided I'd risk the added frustration of "post-holing" for saving the extra mileage of turning around to retrieve my snowshoes.

Post-holing (Please skip this is you know what the term means)- When you are walking in snow, and your foot/leg inadvertently, and randomly breaks through the snow and your foot/leg creates a deep whole in the snow (like when digging a whole to insert a post). In my case there was about 2-3 in. of fresh snow, with a harder packed snow under that which supported my weight . . . most of the time. Occasionally, my foot would break this under-layer of supporting snow and my leg would sink to mid-shin, to knee, or all the way up to my upper thigh. This is completely random when it would happen. For example, say I'm stepping with my right foot, it could either land on the snow like I was walking on a sidewalk, or sink in unexpectedly one-three feet. So, say in this example, it sinks in up to my knee. Well, then my left leg tries catch the weight of me "falling." Then I move my left to pull my right foot out, now my left foot has the possibility of sinking in, or standing like normal. Thus it's a vicious cycle. It's hard to explain, but it's similar to Russian Roulette with each step. To say the least, it's not enjoyable.

With my decision to keep going, sans snowshoes, I noticed I had another situation creeping in. There were some hot spots developing on each of my heels. I stopped to investigate and noticed that I had small blisters (it hadn't even been an hour yet). So, I got out the first-aid and attempted to remedy the ominous situation. It worked good enough to keep going and get to my campsite.

The evening festivities were uneventful. They consisted of digging out snow to setup my tent, get in my bag ready for bed, melt some snow for water, and eating a delightful Cliff bar for dinner. Quickly, it was lights out and I fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

The view from my tent at 11,000'

I woke up ready to bag the summit. I quickly melted some more snow/water for the summit attempt, and downed another delicious Cliff bar for breakfast. I got dressed, setting my sunglasses aside, saying to myself "don't forget your sunglasses." I was out on the trail by 6:30 a.m.

Everything started out great: The trail was easy to follow, the snow was packed, which made for easy travel, and there was not another person for miles. However, the trail I thought was going to be easy to follow because it was wide, turned out to be just a snow drift accumulator above treeline. Therefore, after following the trail and taking one step forward and two back in the sand-like snow, I decided to forgo the switchbacks and just head straight up the mountain kick-stepping mountaineer's style.

By the time I got to the ridge between Point mountain (13er) and Aterno, the sun was out in full force, and it was a gorgeous "blue bird" day. I reached for my shades, and realized I had left them in the tent (I paused, gritted my teeth with the "you're an idiot expression," and threw my head back in disgust). Obviously, it was too late to turn around and get them, because I was only about a thousand vertical feet from the summit. Well, there was nothing I could do about it now, thus I mentally kicked myself for leaving them, and kept kick-stepping on my merry way.

Now, the ridge between Point and Aterno is probably nothing more than an energetic walk in the summer, but in the winter and spring, it becomes a little more treacherous. One side is jagged and rocky, while the other has a steep 1,000 feet slope of snow. I decided to continue kick-stepping and ice-axing on the snow side, because if I fell I could arrest myself with my axe, (which I did), and the worst thing that could happen is I'd have to hike back up a steep face a thousand feet. To add to the adventure there was a relentless wind that was blowing hard enough to make the traverse much more interesting.

This is the ridge, I stayed slightly on the right, so if I slipped, I'd slide down the snow slope

Finally, after about 4.5 hours of upward climbing, I made it to the summit of Aterno. It was a beautiful day, and very rewarding standing on the summit. I thought about turning around many, many times throughout the trip, but was very happy I persevered.

Views from the summit

To start the descent, I really wished I had hauled my snowboard in, because the snow was softening and it would have been a brilliant ride, but alas I didn't bring my board (who am I kidding, even if I would have, I probably would have left it in the tent). I was able to glissade about 1,500 feet, so that made it much quicker and more enjoyable. Then, when I got down to the lower elevation, where the snow was softer, the snow wasn't able to sustain my weight and glissading was out of the picture for further means of travel. Every time I attempted it, I just ended up sitting in the snow. So I continued walking straight down the couloir, sinking in to mid-shin with each step.

The rest of the trip was uneventful. The further I descended, the warmer it got, which made the snow softer and the post-holing more prevalent. It was very, very frustrating but I was able to make it to camp, pack up, and head back down to the Jeep.

Trip Report (Part II - The Aftermath)

When I arrived home I noticed my eyes were dry and "tired." I watched a movie, then decided I should chill in bed early, opposed to staying up and reading my book. After about 30 min. or so of laying in bed, my eyes were becoming painful to keep shut, but when I opened them, they would tear constantly and abundantly. The more I kept them shut, the harder they were to open again, and the pain was increasing. I fumbled around for some Ibuprofen, and discovered a bottle of generic sleeping pills. I squinted at the bottle's label to see how many to take (just one, the directions read). I downed the IB and the sleeping pill, thinking that would diminish the pain, and I'd sleep it off. Much to the contrary, the pain became much worse. Each movement of my eyes brought increased pain. Have you ever tried to shut your eyes and not move them? That lasts for about eight seconds until they flutter uncontrollably.

I wasn't exactly sure what was going on, and didn't really know what to do. I had just watched a special on Mt. Everest where two climbers became "snow blind" after withdrawing their goggles for 20 min. on the summit. I feared this is what I was developing and I was without goggles all day! The pain was pretty excruciating. I don't have the highest pain tolerance, but this was nearing the top of my scale. When it reached the point where I had to take my hands to force my eyes open, I decided it was time for action. However, what could I do? I couldn't see; therefore, driving was out of the question. It was approaching 11:00 p.m., so I hated to call someone and say, "hey, if you're not doing anything would you mind taking me to the E.R." On the other hand, I couldn't call anyone. I have a touchscreen phone, and I literally couldn't open my eyes to dial.

At this point, I knew I had to go to the E.R., and I wanted to call my friend Matt, but ironically he couldn't drive because he had broken his tibia and fibula the weekend before skiing, and now has a rod and a myriad of screws holding his bones together. Anyway, I couldn't call him because I couldn't see to dial. Luckily, I knew I had called Ash last. So, I grabbed my phone and pressed what I thought was redial. She picked up (even though it was almost midnight where she was). I asked if she'd call our friend Roxanne (Matt's wife) and ask if they could pick me up and take me to the E.R.

Anyway, to shorten this unnecessarily epic story, Ash called Rox, and her and Matt immediately came to save the day. When they arrived, Rox escorted me from our front porch to the car and helped me into the backseat like a kind, gentle police officer. A few minutes later, the three of us arrived at the E.R. We must have been a sight (I wouldn’t know because I had a hand towel wrapped around my head). When we arrived Rox said, “Levi, wait just a min. I have to help Matt with his crutches.” So, Roxanne is guiding me making sure I don’t walk in front of a speeding ambulance, and Matt is hobbling behind us on his crutches.

Most of this is a blur to me (remember the sleeping pill I took about an hour ago?), as soon as we arrived, the nurse said “what happened to you guys” while looking at the three of us. Then she forced open my eyes, even after much complaining on my part, and gave me some numbing drops which were instant relief.

Finally, the doctor put some dye in my eyes so he could see better with his eye microscope thing. He said I had a severe case of “snow blindness,” (he called it some medical term of course) and I would be able to see again in 24-48 hours. He gave me some pain pills and special eye drops and sent me back out to my rescuers (Matt and Rox). They were kind enough to take me back home and walk me to the door, where I could feel my way to bed (where I didn’t leave for the next 16 hours) . . . it was heaven!

Blisters

Bruises

Swollen, Burned Retinas (I'm blind in this picture)

As I’m writing this, my vision is still a bit blurry, but I’m well on the road to recovery. Overall, it was a great trip. Yes, I decided to leave my snowshoes in the car, forgot my sunglasses, which lead to my hospital trip, acquired blisters on both heels, bruised my shins from post-holing in the soft snow, but through all of these trials, I found what great friends I truly have.

- Posted by Levi

Animal World Climbing

2011-05-04T10:53:00.001-06:00

I've been meaning to get outside this week, but it just wasn't working out. Nick, Joe, and I went to The Spot bouldering gym on Sun. and bouldered pretty hard for about four hours. Then yesterday we went to Movement and led several routes on the big overhanging wall. Finally, today we were able to get outside. I met Nick at the library parking lot after work and we headed to the Animal World crag.

Nick and I went there a few weeks ago, on his birthday, and did "Lazy Day" (5.9+); "Laurel & Hardy" (5.9); and the 100 foot "Animation" (5.8). We both lead all of them.

Today Nick led "Animation" (5.8) again, which is a super rad route. As I mentioned previously it is 100 feet, so you get lots of climbing with fun holds. Pete met us at the Animal World parking lot, to climb this route. He came out last Friday, but our meeting was a pretty bad experience (got lost, cold, and dark). So, he toproped it next after Nick led it. Then I just topped it after him. Next we went over to the next bolt line and did "Unfamiliar Strangers" (5.9+). It was a fun route, with the crux coming at the bottom after the second bolt. Nick and I both fell at the same point (about 10 feet from the ground), so neither of us can claim a "flash" ascent. I was pretty mad, because I barely missed the move to get over the crux, but alas, it wasn't meant to be. After cleaning the gear at the anchor (90 feet off the deck), we both did the bottom section again just to prove that we could do it clean--and we did.

Here I am leading "Unfamiliar Strangers" (5.9+)

We headed down to the car about a quarter till 9, by the light of our headlamps.

- Posted by Levi

Finally Friday Climbing Series

2011-04-29T15:45:00.001-06:00

I met Nick at the Boulder library parking lot at 5:15 and we headed to Boulder Canyon for a little climbing after work. We were headed to The Watermark crag, but we got lost, as usual, and ended up at Black Widow Slab and Vampire Rock (I found this out later after returning home and looking on Mountainproject.com). Two new people met us there, Pete and Annie. They had the intentions of climbing with us, but after we got lost, it started getting dark, and the mercury dropped, they decided to wait until next time. So, they headed down.

The crags didn't look like where we wanted to be, but we didn't have a lot of daylight and we saw some routes that looked good. First, at Black Widow Slab, both Nick and I tried "Gyromancy" (5.11a). We got to the crux, but couldn't get past it. It didn't help that we had no idea where we were and what the difficulty of the route was.

After this we packed up and headed off in search of The Watermark, because we thought it had to be right around the corner. We found some more routes that looked promising, but we weren't sure if it was the right crag or not. It ended up being Vampire Rock (Right Side) We decided on a route to do. I lead "That's Weak" (5.10a). Then Nick lead it as well. Nick topped out at a little after 9:00 p.m. and it was a scorching 37 degrees (the rock face had to be much colder; it's hard to tell how good the hold is when you can't feel your fingers or toes). We both had our head lamps on about midway through his climb (I was belaying, obviously, but I needed to see him clipping). I bet the cars driving past down on Canyon were wondering what the light was in the middle of a huge slab of rock.

We got down and crossed Boulder Creek by the glow of our headlamps, and made it to the Jeep about 9:30. We headed back in town for a burger at Walnut Brewery.

Overall, it was freezing, dark, we ended up at the wrong place, and it was awesome.

- Posted by Levi

Consolation Ride

2011-04-28T17:35:00.001-06:00

I was going to climb tonight after work because it was the first great day we've had in a while. It was 80 degrees. However, four separate climbing partners cancelled on me. So, my backup plan was to hike to South Boulder Peak. However, with all the weather problems in Huntsville, I had to be on-call for system down emergencies, so I couldn't be out of cell reception. If being on-call and changing my plans is all I have to complain about, I'm pretty lucky considering all the damage down south. I was able to get in a short bike ride.

I rode my by bike up NCAR today for the second time of the season. My time was 11:32 (my first time was 11:33). That's a pretty terrible time, but I'll take it, because it was just a casual ride getting ready for the season. I cruised down with a max speed of 20 mph*.

NCAR Details (approx.):

Grade: 5.7 Avg.

Distance: 2 miles

Elevation Gain: 700 feet

- Posted by Levi

The Passion of the Summit Season: Happy Easter

2011-04-24T11:44:00.001-06:00

Now that I have all my extracurricular projects finished, and I've officially put away all our snowboarding gear, it's time to start the summit season. This morning I left the house at 8:00 a.m. and headed to the Gregory Canyon TH to do Green Mountain (It took 7 min. from my house to the TH).

Green Mountain is the backdrop to the Flatirons and rises to 8,144 feet above sea level. The trail is 5.5 miles RT with 2,300 feet of elevation gain. I did this as a beginning season warm up, so I went at a turtle's pace--slow and steady, with no stops. However, slow and steady did not win the race. I was passed by three or four runners, and I thought to myself "we'll see who gets to the summit first, haven't you ever heard the story of the tortoise and the hair?" Well, needless to say, I think that story is a tall tale, because they passed me again in about 25 min. on their way down, and I wasn't even halfway.

It took 1h23m to summit. I spent 22m on the summit. The decent took 1h06min for a total time of 2h51m.

The morning was completely overcast, and there was a slight dusting of snow after about 7,000'. Seven thousand feet doesn't sound that high, but that is higher than any peaks in the Appalachian mountains, or East of the Mississippi for that matter. Anyway, the "snowcaps" in Indian Peaks were not visible, so that was discouraging, but still a fun hike.

Since today is Easter, I read Matthew 26-28 today on the summit of Green mountain. There are very few things I consider true worship besides spending time alone with God in his creation. Since, Ash and I went to Flatirons last night for Saturday night service, and we have Easter plans this afternoon, I needed to head back down. I said "happy Easter" to the hikers I passed on their way up. Notice I said "happy Easter" not "he is risen." I'm not a fan of that saying for several reasons. One, Christians only say it on Easter, to other Christians, and only at church. Second, I think it is kind of cliche and common sense. It's similar to saying "the Earth is round," or "my wife is awesome." It's just stating the obvious. I don't know how I would react if someone said that to me. I would most likely want to say "Oh really, are you just figuring this out?" Most likely I would just stare at them, blankly. I'm not your stereotypical Christian, so this is not a phrase I say, or even reply to. I think the "in the know" reply is supposed to be "he is risen indeed." My thoughts are this: He is risen, and he has been for a long time. If you are a Christian and don't realize this on a daily basis are you really a Christian? That is the entire foundation of Christianity . . . Jesus rose from the dead. If he were still in a tomb somewhere there would be no basis for our faith. Anyway, all that to say, I'm not of fan of the greeting "he is risen" on Easter morning.

Meanwhile, back to the Green mountain hike, I took this picture of my new Gerber BG knife on the summit (the sign the knife is sitting on has names and elevations of all the peaks you can see on a typical day). My dad bought it for me as a surprise (He's the best Dad in the whole world!). He mailed it with a note that read:

"Just because i love you today . . . .

For the rock climber,

hiker, mountain climber, biker,

snowboarder, guide, and favorite son

who needs to be prepared for adventure!

Dann, Father of Levi"

Happy Easter!

- Posted by Levi

Saturday Play Day

2011-04-23T20:56:00.001-06:00

Ash and I met Matt and Roxanne at Movement for some Saturday afternoon climbing at the gym. Ash took her Toprope climbing and belay test. She about fainted she was so nervous before the test. She passed with flying colors, of course, she'd done it outside several times, so of course I had no doubt she'd pass.

Here is Ash starting the test.

Afterwards the four of us went to get some "froyo" at Ripple, before Ash and I headed to the Saturday evening service. Flatirons is doing a series on climbing --"so far, so good." Tonight our pastor repelled 40 feet from the ceiling to open the service. It was pretty sweet.

- Posted by Levi

Finally Friday - Sport Park Climbing

2011-04-15T13:16:00.001-06:00

After work, I met up with Matt and his friend Mike, who was visiting from out of town. We headed up to the Sport Park crag in Boulder Canyon for a few routes to celebrate the start of the weekend. We were the only car in the parking lot. The weather wasn't that great (about a foot of snow on the hike in), but anytime you get a chance to be at the rock playground in the mountains, it's always a great opportunity.

We only had daylight for a couple routes each, but it was great hanging out, and the Sport Park is a fun place to do some laid back sport. Matt lead "Monkey Bob (5.8)" and I lead "Choss Temple Pilots (5.8)."

Afterwards we stopped by Rueben's for a burger.

Here is the random snow from midway on one of the routes.

Here is me leading.

Here is Matt climbing and I'm belaying.

- Posted by Levi

Last Week's Events Recap

2011-04-11T17:37:00.001-06:00

Last Friday (after work)

Climbed with Mom, Dad, and Ash in Boulder Canyon at the Solaris crag.

The four of us did "Don't Get Me Started (5.6)."

Then I did "Start Me Up (5.7)" but decided it was a little more difficult than expected, so the others decided not to attempt it.

Finally, I did a really nice 85 foot route with a little roof "The Luminosity (5.9)." There are some pictures on the mountain project website (not of me):http://www.mountainproject.com/v/colorado/boulder/boulder_canyon/105761157

Last Saturday

Mom, Dad, Ash, and I did the Doudy Draw to Flatirons Vista trail, that was just over 6 miles. It was a beautiful day and great hike. There are some pictures on protrails website:http://www.protrails.com/trail.php?trailID=150

Last Tuesday

Mom, Dad, Ash, and I hiked up to the central flatirons from the NCAR trailhead and climbed by Mallory Cave at the Der Zerkle crag. Dad and I topped "What if You're Not (5.7)." Ash decided to just belay after the hour approach hike, and Mom decided she'd wait until later after she about had all the skin ripped off of her soft hands from the extremely rough rock face. Again, here is a link with a few pics (that don't do this climb justice):http://www.mountainproject.com/v/colorado/boulder/flatirons/105748618

Last Friday

Mom and I hiked from NCAR to Chautauqua on the Mesa Trail, with a short side trail up to the "lookout rock chairs." Ash was at Yoga, and Dad was just chillin' at the house.

Saturday

We had some more successful climbers. All four of us went back to BoCan and climbed at the Avalon crag, second tier, middle wall (the one we tried to climb at the previous week, but the guide took us to the wrong talus field--mainly because the directions in the guidebook were misleading). We did the route "Disinclination (5.7)," and everyone made it to the top. They all did extremely well, and I was very happy and proud. We decided to cut the 90 foot route a little short and clipped at the 3rd bolt so the belayer could see the climber. There was a nice platform to stand and belay on above the 2nd bolt, so it worked out well.

Sunday

I was able to Climb with Joe and Nick (usuals) and Florence, who I'd never climbed with before. We went to Golden to North Table Mountain. The weather was supposed to be terrible, but ended up being very nice. However, since none of us had a guide book, we really didn't know what were were climbing. I arrived a little late (after dropping my parents off at the bus stop), and they had started on-siting a route. It ended up being a 5.11, and we couldn't get past the crux. So, we moved on to where we'd climbed before. I lead "Fabulous Flying Carr's (5.11a);" "Another Unnamed Billy Bob (5.7+);" "Pack O' Bobs (5.8-);" and "Wholly Holey (5.8+)."

I went a little off route on the 11 and did the "chimney" because there was a lot of runout. I really liked "Wholly Holey." It was a fun 5.8 with a "roof" at the start. I'd do this route multiple times. It had a lot of variations all on the same face. Overall, it was a great day, and we only saw four other climbers (the forecasted bad weather must have scared them off, but it was gorgeous).

Here is a picture of me "stemming" before I headed left to work in the "chimney."

- Posted by Levi

Outdoor Gear List

2011-04-11T14:18:00.007-06:00

After several requests for my gear list, I decided to put this overly comprehensive list in one place. This will also allow me to take inventory and update when needed, as well as reflect on the extreme waste of money that goes in to all these hobbies. I should probably add clothing to this list, but that will wait for a separate post.

I think it would be very beneficial if I knew someone with a nice DSLR camera that could photo document the list . . . alas, I can't think of anyone that would be willing to do it.

The List (in completely random order):

Climbing:

Black Diamond (BD) Momentum Harness (Purchased in October 2010)

Mammut Harness (AP)

60 m New England Equinox 10.2mm Dry, Dynamic Rope (Purchased in January 2011)

60 m Mammut Infinity 9.5mm Dry, Dynamic Rope (Purchased in October 2011)

12 BD PosiWire Quickdraws (Purchased in January 2011)

BD Stoppers (#4-13) (had to replace a #6 that was stuck)

BD Camalot C4 (#.4-3) (double of .75 & 1)

BD Neutrino Rack Pack Carabiners (6)

Wild Country Rockcentrics Hex (#4-8)

Metolius Torque Nut Tool

5.10 shoes

Evolv shoes (AP)

BD ATC

Petzl Grigri 2

Petzl Helmet

Petzl Belay/Rappel Gloves

3 BD Positron locking carabiners (Left one for rappelling)

1 Petzl Am'D locking carabiner

2 BD Rock Lock locking carabiners

4 BD bent gate carabiners

6 BD Oval carabiners

2 Camp Oval Straight Wire carabiners

10' & 20' 1" webbing (Purchased in April 2011)

Two Metolius slings (24")

Seven BD Nylon Runners (24")

Two BD Dynex Runner (48")

Metolius Techno Chalk Bag

LA Hanlon Designer Chalk Bag

Mountaineering:

La Sportiva Trango Boots (Purchased in October 2010)

REI 65 cm Ice Axe

Yukon Charlie’s Snowshoes

Rossignol Evo Glade XC Skies

Rossignol X1 Boots

Gloves/Mittens

Uvex Goggles

Adidas Goggles

Outdoor Research Gaiters

Grivel G12 Crampons

BD Crampon Bag

Camping & Hiking:

Quarter Dome REI Tent

Quest Tent (3.2 lb) + poles (1.1 lb)

Sil Tarp 5' x 8' (7 oz)

GoLite Quest 72L Backpack (3.3 lb)

Camelbak M.U.L.E. Backpack (1.14 lb)

Osprey Daylite Backpack (*destroyed by alpine creatures)

Osprey Exos 43L Backpack (AP) (2.3 lb)

Osprey Talon 11 Backpack (AP) (1.6 lb)

Kelty Redcloud 91.8L Backpack (6.1 lb)

TNF Verto 26L (13 oz)

TNF Terra 40L Backpack (AP) (3.13 lb)

Quest 40 degree sleeping bag

Mont-bell 30 degree sleeping bag (AP)

Mont-bell 15 degree sleeping bag

Mont-bell 0 degree sleeping bag (AP)

Columbia Hiking/Trail Running Shoes

Merrell Hiking Shoes (AP)

Merrell Hiking Boots (AP)

Solomon Hiking Boots

Stableicers

GSI Pinnacle Dualist

MSR Pocket Rocket Stove (.4 oz)

Thermarest Pro Sleeping Pad (1.5 lb)

Thermarest Z-Lite Sleeping Pad

Thermarest foam Sleeping Pad

REI Lite-Core Sleeping Pad (AP)

Katadyn Pro Water Filter (.15 oz)

Cocoon Inflatable Pillow (.4 oz)

Themolite Pillow (.8 oz)

Camp Stool (1.5 lb)

Leatherman Multitool (.8 oz)

Petzl Headlamp (AP)

Coast Headlamp

BD Hiking Poles

BD Orbit Lantern

Ursack Bear Bag

Magellan Gold GPS

Snowboarding:

Burton Twin Snowboard

Burton Hail Boots

Ride RX bindings

K2 Moment Snowboard (AP)

K2 bindings (AP)

Ride Boa Boots (AP)

Cycling & Mountain Biking:

Specialized Roubaix Road Bike (105 Components)

Cannondale 2.8 R800 (1993)

Diamondback Sorrento Mountain Bike

Specialized Gloves

Sugoi Gloves

Carnac Tri Shoes

Diadora Mountain Bike Shoes

Giro Helmet

Trek Arm Warmers

Garneau Leg Warmers

Speedplay Pedals

- Posted by Levi

Seeing Blue

2011-02-07T15:01:00.000-07:00

Can I just tell you how much I love this candle??

I LOVE this candle.

I love this candle so much that I haven't burned my last Yankee Blueberry Muffin candle because they were discontinued a few years back. I almost freaked out when I saw that Levi had lit this candle...because it's my last one (tear). I don't even like blueberries but there is something about this candle that just warms my heart. I wish you could smell this candle through your computer screen...you could lean in, take a big whiff, and bask in it's deliciousness. Mmmm, mmmmm, mmmmm!

And for the record, they (Yankee Candle) have tried to come out with a similar smelling candle with no avail. Nice try YC, why don't you just bring back the Blueberry Muffin?? Pretty pretty please?!?!

New Camera

2011-02-05T20:50:00.001-07:00

For my 30th b'day, my wonderful husband surprised me with something I have been wanting for a LONG time...a new camera!

I have been having F.U.N. with this camera. Here are just a few pictures I've taken (I have a lot to learn...so these are just me, playing around!):

December Extras

2011-02-05T20:36:00.000-07:00

Here are a few other noteworthy moments from December:

The next few pictures are from our Christmas gift to Levi's parents. We took them to Climb Time to play around. We had lots of fun!

Gretchen and Dann learning the ropes :)

Figuring out a route

Dann and Gretchen

These next two pictures are from our Lego Competition: Girls vs. Boys:

The guys...missing their fearless leader ;)

Winners!!!

December 2010

2011-02-05T18:57:00.000-07:00

Continuing on with playing "catch up"...we headed into the month of December.

We left our house on Friday, December 3 and didn't return until Sunday, January 2. Whew...four weeks we were gone! We spent the first week in Huntsville- Levi working and me hanging out and catching up with friends. It was a great week and I am so very thankful for the friends God has blessed us with, they are amazing. The day before we left my husband fooled me and threw me an early surprise b'day party with all of our friends there...he is THE BEST! I had a great time, even if we were celebrating my upcoming 30th b'day!

From Hunstville, we headed up north to spend the rest of the month in Indiana for the Christmas holiday. We had quite a time getting to Indiana though. The midwest got some awful weather the day we were to leave and our flight was cancelled. Long story short we had to rent (another) car and drive up (a drive I thought I'd never be making again). Our normal 6 hour drive (to Indy) turned into the slowest 12 hour drive. The rest of the time in IN, Levi worked from home and we enjoyed spending quality time with our friends and family.

Here's a brief summary of our month in pictures:

All the stuff that we packed

Love these girls...(l to r)- Sarah, Jen, me, Kim, and Bailey

Levi and I with Bailey

Holding sweet little Jaden Padgett

My awesome sign that Sarah made for my surprise b'day party

Me and my awesome friend Annie

Me on my 3oth b'day

Trying out our new camera (more on this later)

Awww...love my mom and dad :)

Us kiddos

We finally got to meet the newest addition to the Perigo clan, Miss Amira

Angie and I holding our own shooting guns with the boys

I was SO happy to get to go hang out with the Lahrman girls one afternoon, Lexi is A-dorable!

The most adorable girls on the planet...Briley and Mabry Hanlon

Cuddling with Mabes, trying to stay warm!

The Hanlon family

Warming up after being outside in the cold

Love, love, love :)

Bringing in the new year right...with some ice cream and goodies!

Happy 2011!!

The only thing I forgot to add that is totally worth mentioning is the Lego building competition put on by Jacob Wagoner, who promised us it would only take 8-11 minutes to build. He had the girls (Erin and I) take on the boys (Levi, Jacob, and Dan) to see who could build the Lego set the fastest (aka- he suckered the adults into building his toys for him...smart kid!). An hour and half later... GIRLS WON!! :) There was nothing better than to start and end our trip to IN with the Wagoner family!

Love and hugs to all that we got to see and spend time with while on our month long trip! We miss you all terribly...so come visit! Hahaha :)

TRT: Last Stop

2011-02-05T13:55:00.000-07:00

The last stop on our Thanksgiving Road Trip was to Moab, UT to visit Arches National Park.

We left Capitol Reef in the late afternoon and drove 3.5 hours to Moab. The drive was great because there weren't any cars on the road (remember, it was Thanksgiving). We enjoyed the open road and another beautiful sunset. We weren't in any hurry to get to Moab because we knew we'd pulling in long after the sun had set. Once we arrived in Moab we drove downtown and found a place to have dinner. We ate at Zax and it was great! After eating we headed over to Arches to get settled in for the night. Go figure, the campground was on the complete opposite side of the park so it took (what seemed like, at least) forever. We found a spot and got settled in (camped in the back of the Jeep).

Our campsite at Arches

The next morning we woke up and headed out to check out the park. It is amazing to me how different all the parks truly were. We did a couple short hikes- Delicate Arch (viewing area), and the North and South Windows. We wanted to get checked into our hotel before noon because the Iron Bowl was on and we had to cheer on our Crimson Tide. We got checked in, watched the game (unfortunately, it didn't turn out in our favor...boo), and just relaxed in the hotel. We went out for dinner that night and had another wonderful meal at the Moab Brewery.

What we woke up during our stay at Arches

Skyline Arch

Notice the slick rock that Moab is known for...mountain biking capitol

Delicate Arch

Driving around in Arches

North and South Windows

Saturday morning we got all packed up and headed back over to Arches to do some more hiking. It was a wonderful day to be outside, highs in the upper 30's, blue skies, and the sun beating down on us. We did a couple different trails to see some different arches. We hiked to see Tunnel, Landscape, Partition, and Navajo Arch.

Tunnel Arch

Landscape Arch

Partition Arch

Navajo Arch

Canyonlands National Park

Since we were so close to yet another national park, we decided to head 30 miles out of our way and stop in at Canyonlands. We will definitely be going back but this trip consisted of a few pictures (just to officially say we've been there). Canyonlands is very long and we entered the Islands in the Sky part which reminds you of being back at the Grand Canyon. After our stop at Canyonlands, we were back on the road headed home. Six hours later we pulled into our driveway.

Canyonlands

Heading home...

Facebook Photo Album:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=306794&id=574881153&l=557c3bc2b7

TRT: Day Six

2011-02-05T13:11:00.000-07:00

Are you guys still out there?? Whew, it's been a long journey so thanks for sticking with me (if you are, indeed, still reading this).

We are rounding out towards the end of our trip. Day six- Capitol Reef...gobble gobble, it was Thanksgiving!!

We left the hotel in Escalante and drove the 3.5 hours to Capitol Reef National Park. Since it was Thanksgiving, we saw about 5 other people in the entire park. :) It was kind of nice for the park to be so empty, it was like we had the whole place to ourselves. It was another super nice day with the sun out in full force. We stopped by the Visitor's Center to eat a little lunch and decide what we wanted to do here. We were both pretty tired from the day before so we decided to take it easy and mostly drive around the park and see the sights. In honor of turkey day, we made a little Turkey Tetrazzini (backpacker style) and it was yummy!

Driving into the park

Levi just had to climb to the top!

Ugh...just trying to get a little cell reception, is that too much to ask?!

Levi making Thanksgiving dinner for us :)

Our T'day spread- ritz crackers and chips for the appetizer and turkey tetrazzini for the main course

Yummy!!

Playing around in the park

One of the dirt roads we drove on for a while

Another off-road experience

A really old one-room school house

More petroglyphs

This park wasn't super big so it didn't take us long to drive around and see what we wanted to see. We took the scenic drive through the park and ended up getting off on a couple dirt roads and off-roading for a little bit. We called it a day pretty early and headed off towards the last stop on agenda- Moab, UT.

TRT: Day Five

2011-02-05T12:24:00.000-07:00

Bryce Canyon

Our trip from Zion to Bryce took us right under two hours, which was great considering how bad the roads were with the ice and snow. We pulled into Bryce and went directly to the Visitor's Center to talk to a park ranger about our hiking options. The only trail that we had planned on taking was iffy due to the snowfall the night before. The park ranger wasn't for sure if anyone had been on the Navajo Loop and directed us to another hike that would be just as beautiful but not as difficult, the Peek-a-boo Loop. We headed up to the trail head and made sure not to make the same mistake as the day before (forgetting our stabilizers). We bundled up and slipped on our stabilizers and headed out on the hike. The high...let me reiterate...the HIGH for the day was supposed to be 17 degrees but the skies were clear, the sun was out, and we felt great! The hike did not disappoint and we got some amazing pictures from that day. About half way through out loop hike we came across another hiker. In the midst of our conversation he mentioned he had just come from the Navajo trail and that it was doable especially with our stabilizers on our feet. We made the decision to do the loop, adding another 5 miles to the already three we had hiked. The snow made it more difficult to hike and we definitely got our workout that day. The Navajo Loop was gorgeous but I won't lie, I was over it not even half way through the hike. W e had already hiked a good bit that day and the climb just went up, up, up...ugh! I was getting cold, I was tired and hungry, and just really wanted to be back at the car. Once we made our way back to the original Peek-a-boo trail (where we had merged off for the Navajo loop), we still had over a mile to the top...yes, the top. Remember, we were hiking in Bryce CANYON, instead of your normal hiking up and then you come back down...it was quite the opposite. We hiked down into the canyon and had to hike back up to the top. That was the worst mile of.my.life! The switchbacks never seemed to end :( Once we were at the top we still had another half mile back to the car. We had also planned on sleeping in the car, and I was NOT looking forward to that after being in freezing weather all day. We hurried back to the Visitor's Center to change clothes and warm up. I was able to convince Levi to look for a hotel, yay! We headed on towards our next destination and we were able to find take some time off the clock for the next morning and also found a place a stay with heat and a hot shower! After all the complaining about the day you will probably be surprised to hear me say that this was my favorite day of the whole trip. The scenery really was so so so beautiful- the radiant red rock against the backdrop of the crystal clear blue sky and white puffy clouds.

Before heading out on our hike...all bundled up!

Gor-geous day!

This was our "trail" Notice how deep the snow was

"The Windows"

Next stop- Capitol Reef State Park.

TRT: Day Three & Four

2011-02-04T19:25:00.000-07:00

Zion National Park

Monday, Nov. 22: We checked out of hotel and headed back through Grand Canyon National Park (South Rim) one last time. We just did a "drive through"- not stopping to hike but only for pictures, etc. The roads were still pretty snow and ice covered from the "blizzard" the night before and it was still pretty cold but once the sun was out, it started to melt everything.

On our way out...Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon

On the road to Zion

It took us about about 6/6.5 hours to drive from the GC to Zion National Park. It was a gorgeous drive and we took the time to stop and take pictures along the way. We stopped in the Page/Lake Powell, which straddles the border between AZ and UT, to get some groceries and snacks for the next couple of days. We were officially heading into the phase of our trip that didn't include hotel stays and hot showers (boo!). We pulled into Zion National Park around 8:30 p.m.- which meant that it was totally pitch black. I don't know if you've ever experienced arriving at a national park "after hours" but it is a pretty weird feeling. There are no street lights guiding you alongside the road, nobody is really out walking around...until you get to the camp ground and you realize that you get to came beside hundreds of other park goers. The road leading us through the park was pretty curvy and we noticed that we went down the whole time. It wasn't until the next day that we realized just how far we were going down and what that actually looked like. I think if I would have known the night before, I may have peed my pants! :) We finally pulled into the camp ground and found a spot, unloaded the Jeep, organized our bedding and the things that didn't "fit" inside, and fell asleep under the brightest stars. We luckily stayed very warm and cozy and our bed was just right. Every night Levi would boil up some water, put it in our Nalgene bottles (which stayed warm most of the night), and we would cuddle up with them for added warmth.

**Side note- the bathrooms at the campground we spent the first night were SO nice! They looked to be newer, very well kept, and had running water and flushing toilets.

Tuesday, Nov. 23: We got all bundled up and headed to the visitor's center first thing to get some information on the hikes we wanted to take. Since Zion had also had some weather come through, we weren't for sure about the hike we wanted to take and soon learned from the park ranger that she didn't think the trail was doable due to ice and wind. We decided to try to hike up as far as we could anyway. The trail itself was a very nice trail. It started out as a nice dirt path then turned into a nice paved path...I know, you are thinking, "paved path???" Let me get this straight, it wasn't an easy sidewalk paved path. The trail was steep and winding up the side of the mountain and at some points it narrowed that if you were to get too close to the edge, well...we just won't go there. We finally made it past the really steep part when we noticed a "traffic jam." We quickly found out that the next part of the trail (about 10 steep switchbacks) was unpassable without proper shoes due to ice. Levi was so mad (mad is an understatement by the way) b/c we had left our Stabilicers in the car (little devices that slip onto your feet that help you walk through conditions such as those). There was no way of getting around that part and so we had to turn around. After we returned from our first hike, we cooked up some food, and decided on another trail to take before calling it quits for the day. The second trail wasn't as steep but it was super muddy! This trail led us back to some waterfalls and "emerald" pools. Well, the pools were iced over so we couldn't tell if they were emerald or not but it was amazing nonetheless. We finished out our day at Zion by following a scenic drive and then headed out to check into our cabin for the night.

Waking up that morning to the beauty surrounding us

Visitor's Center

At the point where we had to turn around due to the icy conditions on the trail

The trail...pretty crazy huh! This doesn't even show how steep it was!

Pointing to where we were...WAY up there!

Second hike of the day back to the emerald pools and waterfalls. This picture doesn't do this justice...it was like a winter wonderland, everything was frozen.

Scenic drive through the park

Zion National Park

Tuesday night we stayed at Zion Ponderosa Ranch in a small cabin. It was great to have an actual bed to sleep in but most importantly after a full day of hiking in cold temperatures...a hot shower was A-wesome!! The only thing was that there wasn't a bathroom in our cabin, we had to walk to the bath house to take showers and go to the bathroom. The ranch was almost ghostlike but I'm sure it's hopping in the summertime. It snowed overnight and we woke up to another dusting (6-8 inches) of beautiful glistening snow. Before we moved on to the next location, we made to sure to go back and get a picture of the park sign.

Where we stayed the 2nd night

Our little cabin :)

The snow that fell over the night (6-8 inches)

The roads weren't in great condition when we started off that morning

Next on our journey...Bryce Canyon.

**If you'd like to view the pictures I posted on Facebook, here is the link. I was able to upload more pictures to that album.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=306102&id=574881153&l=da422bfa32

TRT: Day Two

2011-02-04T18:40:00.001-07:00

I am now going to affectionately call this trip TRT because I'm just that lazy!

TRT= Thanksgiving Road Trip (genius, I know!)

Okay...on to Day Two!

We woke up to snow in Flagstaff, AZ. We didn't find out until later that we left at just the right time. The conditions only worsened as the day went on and there were many traffic accidents and delays. Luckily, we woke up early and headed across the parking lot to eat breakfast at good ole' Cracker Barrel. After stuffing our faces with their homemade goodness, we headed out (slowly) on our way to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. As we made our way closer to the Grand Canyon, the weather seemed to get better. It was an overall cloudy day but we had NO IDEA what was in store for us!

Once we got right outside the park, we stopped at the visitor's center to stretch our legs only to realize that it was FREEZING outside! We had to make some quick decisions because our plan was to camp out/sleep in the back of the Jeep. After finding out the weather situation (which wasn't looking good...cold and snowy), we made the final decision to find a hotel for the night. Noticing that the weather was moving in more quickly then we expected we shifted the majority of our outdoor plans for the following morning. We decided to stick around for an IMAX movie on the history of the Grand Canyon which was pretty interesting. After the movie, we drove around until we found a good deal on a hotel for the night. We then bundled up and headed into the park to see the sights. Like I had mentioned before, it was pretty overcast but the sun showed up here and there. We could see the weather moving in but decided to take a short hike anyway. The trail was nice and wide but pretty muddy. We walked for a good hour down the side of the canyon and when we looked up you could no longer see the canyon at all. By the time we made it back to the top, you almost couldn't see 5 feet in front of you...needless to say, the snow had caught back up to us! After navigating out of the park, we stopped for some dinner and then headed back to the (warm) hotel for the evening. Tomorrow we would be back on the road again on our way to our first national park in Utah- Zion.

Waking up to snow falling

Before the weather rolled in @ the Grand Canyon

The start of the weather rolling in

Our view from the trail we were hiking

Weather steadily getting worse...

And worse...

At least the trail was nice and wide (I pictured it being this really skinny little thing on the side of the canyon...thank goodness I was wrong!)

Hey! Where did the Grand Canyon go??

Levi investigating the disappearance of the Grand Canyon

Me pretending to be standing in front of some gorgeous view...haha!!

On our way out of the park, some elk grazing alongside the road. You can also see how much snow accumulation they had in a short period of time.

Thanksgiving Road Trip: Day One

2011-02-04T17:51:00.000-07:00

First of all, please exuse that this is WAY over due...uh, like over 2 months! The reason I'm going back to post on our road trip back from November 2010 is because if I don't, then we might forget the little details and it sure would be nice to look back at this one day and remember the little things that have long left our memories. So...here's to remembering!

We left Boulder on Friday, Nov. 19. After hitting the normal 5 o'clock traffic in Denver we made a pit stop to REI in Colorado Springs to hit up a winter sale they had going on (hello Patagonia fleece, I love you!) and to get a little food in our bellies. A little over 7 hours later we arrived at our hotel in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Day One:

Saturday morning we got up and fueled our bodies with a yummy breakfast at the hotel restaurant. For the record, it was fantastic and just what we needed to get us started for the day.

From there, we headed into Old Town were we spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon. In Old Town we visited the oldest church in Alb., meandered the streets soaking up all the southwestern decor, and just enjoyed the nearly 70 degree weather. I couldn't leave out my husband's favorite part of the trip...the Rattle Snake Museum. He was in heaven! :)

From Old Town we headed out to the Petroglyph National Monument. It was just okay, not our favorite, but like I said the weather was Gor-geous and it was just a great day to be outside.

Petroglyph

At the top of our hike

After walking around most of the day we were hungry. A friend of mine suggested we eat at Sadie's, a well known Mexican restaurant. It did not disappoint! At this point we were ready for a nap but instead we were Flagstaff bound! We witnessed one of THE most amazing sunsets I've ever seen. What a great beginning to our trip.

Next post: Day Two- Flagstaff and Day 1 of the Grand Canyon

Hello?? Anyone out there...

2011-02-04T17:18:00.000-07:00

Gosh...I've really let this blogging thing go to the wayside. My bad!! I promise to try to update it better. I have a couple posts saved from a couple of months ago but I had trouble uploading the pictures, so I may give it another go and try it again...or I may just scrap it altogether and start fresh!

Here's to being a better blogger in 2011! :)

6 in 7

2010-11-29T15:04:00.000-07:00

Back in November, during the week of Thanksgiving, Levi and I ventured out on a 7 day road trip. We hit 4 states (including CO) and 6 national parks in 7 days. We started out heading south to Albuquerque, New Mexico. After spending a day in Albuquerque we headed west where we made an overnight stop in Flagstaff, Arizona before heading on to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. From Arizona we made our way into Utah where we hit the rest of the parks- Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Arches, and Canyonlands (Island in the Sky portion).

Instead of trying to upload the million pictures of each park/day to one post, I will post about each day/park.

Here is a recap of the parks we went to:

This isn't really a "national park" but it was during out first stop in Albuquerque.

**Side note- it was also about 30 degrees COLDER than the average temps on most of our stops (hence, the snow).

My goal is to briefly post about each day/stop and add a few more pictures. I really didn't want to go "back" and post about things we did last year (since I'm SO far behind) but this was such a special trip and a wonderful experience for us that it would be a shame not to spend a little bit more time recapping the trip.

Mt. Massive

2010-09-22T07:07:00.001-06:00

When Tyler came out we decided to go big by doing the 2nd highest mountain in Colorado, 3rd highest in the continental United States, and the 28th highest on the continent.

Here is the trip report for Mt. Massive:

http://www.14ers.com/php14ers/tripreport.php?trip=9201

Don't forget to read Holy Cross if you missed it earlier:

http://www.14ers.com/php14ers/tripreport.php?trip=9190