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June and July 2005

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Clear Creek and Summit County Highpoint

Earlier this week, four of us, Joe, Alissa, Adam, and I decided to scale Grays Peak (elevation 14,270 feet) and Torreys Peak (elevation 14,267), two of the most popular 14ers in the Front Range. Joe and Alissa had never climbed a 14er before, but are experienced rock climbers. They just returned from a rock climbing trip of Grand Teton in Wyoming. Grand Teton is for serious climbers only.
Along with it being their first 14er, Grays Peak is a county highpoint, which checks another one off my list. In fact, it's a "twofer," a mountain that makes up the highest point of two counties. Grays is the high point of both Clear Creek and Summit Counties of Colorado. Torrey's Peak, while not a county highpoint, is a 14er and is usually climbed in conjunction with Grays since they are so close to each other.

We decided to leave after work on Friday and head up to the trailhead and camp. After an extremely long day at work, we finally left Denver around 4 in the afternoon in Joe and Alissa's Pathfinder. We stopped in Idaho Springs at a brewpub for some dinner and beers. After dinner we made our way up to the campsite. We were setting up our tents by 8 o'clock, just as the sun was setting. We were all in our respective tents and going to sleep by 9. Our plan was to awaken at 250 AM and be on the trail no later than 330. I woke up around 230 and started tearing down my camp. It was brisk that morning; I would guess around 45^o. Adam was already in the process of tearing down his campsite. After eating a quick breakfast of a Clif Bar, a croissant, and drinking some water, we were off. With our headlamps on, we made our way along the trail. About an hour into the hike and with some light starting to trickle over the horizon, you get your first view of Grays Peak.
At about 530, we ran into two guys that were making there way down from Torrey's summit. They said that they had left the trailhead at around one that morning, gotten to the summit, and slept for a while. They hadn't summitted Grays for some reason. I also don't understand why they didn't stay for sunrise, you could tell it was going to be a good one.

We summitted Grays at 6 AM. We had made pretty good time: 4 miles in 2.5 hours with 3,000 feet of vertical gain. We spent about 40 minutes at the top watching sunrise and eating our second breakfast. We were the first people on the summit that morning and we had earned it. That early of a wake-up call is not easy. After spending some time on Grays, we traversed over to Torreys. It only took us an hour to get to the summit. We spent about a half hour at Torrey's, but decided to cut our time at the top short because more and more people were coming. As I said before, this is one of the most popular hikes in the Front Range because of it's close proximity to Denver. At one point, I counted 66 people on the trails below us making their way up to the summits. This was our call to leave. We started our descent.
I still can't believe how many people we passed on the way down. I would estimate it to be at least 400 people. This does not allow for the solitude that I crave, as described in the July 25 blog entry. Thankfully, we were at the summits alone. There were some people that we passed that you knew weren't going to make it to the top due to at least one of the following reasons: poor choice of clothing (i.e. preparedness), being from sea level and not acclamating, or being grossly out of shape. We did pass this guy, a scraggley mountain goat:

These were my first Front Range 14ers. I'm glad we made the choice to leave as early as we did, because all fun would be taken from the summits if there was a party atmosphere. Plus, climbing during the night is a whole new experience. Overall, one of the best hikes I've ever had, and with good people, it makes it even better. I can definitely tell that I am getting better conditioned after each hike due to increased lung capacity and I'm learning how to make myself as efficient as possible.
You can see the rest of the pictures from the trip here.

July 31, 2005

Clear Creek and Summit County Highpoint
Earlier this week, four of us, Joe, Alissa, Adam, and I decided to scale Grays Peak (elevation 14,270 feet) and Torreys Peak (elevation 14,267), two of the most popular 14ers in the Front Range. Joe and Alissa had never climbed a 14er before, but are experienced rock climbers. They just returned from a rock climbing trip of Grand Teton in Wyoming. Grand Teton is for serious climbers only. Along with it being their first 14er, Grays Peak is a county highpoint, which checks another one off my list. In fact, it's a "twofer," a mountain that makes up the highest point of two counties. Grays is the high point of both Clear Creek and Summit Counties of Colorado. Torrey's Peak, while not a county highpoint, is a 14er and is usually climbed in conjunction with Grays since they are so close to each other.

We decided to leave after work on Friday and head up to the trailhead and camp. After an extremely long day at work, we finally left Denver around 4 in the afternoon in Joe and Alissa's Pathfinder. We stopped in Idaho Springs at a brewpub for some dinner and beers. After dinner we made our way up to the campsite. We were setting up our tents by 8 o'clock, just as the sun was setting. We were all in our respective tents and going to sleep by 9. Our plan was to awaken at 250 AM and be on the trail no later than 330. I woke up around 230 and started tearing down my camp. It was brisk that morning; I would guess around 45^o. Adam was already in the process of tearing down his campsite. After eating a quick breakfast of a Clif Bar, a croissant, and drinking some water, we were off. With our headlamps on, we made our way along the trail. About an hour into the hike and with some light starting to trickle over the horizon, you get your first view of Grays Peak. At about 530, we ran into two guys that were making there way down from Torrey's summit. They said that they had left the trailhead at around one that morning, gotten to the summit, and slept for a while. They hadn't summitted Grays for some reason. I also don't understand why they didn't stay for sunrise, you could tell it was going to be a good one.

We summitted Grays at 6 AM. We had made pretty good time: 4 miles in 2.5 hours with 3,000 feet of vertical gain. We spent about 40 minutes at the top watching sunrise and eating our second breakfast. We were the first people on the summit that morning and we had earned it. That early of a wake-up call is not easy. After spending some time on Grays, we traversed over to Torreys. It only took us an hour to get to the summit. We spent about a half hour at Torrey's, but decided to cut our time at the top short because more and more people were coming. As I said before, this is one of the most popular hikes in the Front Range because of it's close proximity to Denver. At one point, I counted 66 people on the trails below us making their way up to the summits. This was our call to leave. We started our descent. I still can't believe how many people we passed on the way down. I would estimate it to be at least 400 people. This does not allow for the solitude that I crave, as described in the July 25 blog entry. Thankfully, we were at the summits alone. There were some people that we passed that you knew weren't going to make it to the top due to at least one of the following reasons: poor choice of clothing (i.e. preparedness), being from sea level and not acclamating, or being grossly out of shape. We did pass this guy, a scraggley mountain goat:

These were my first Front Range 14ers. I'm glad we made the choice to leave as early as we did, because all fun would be taken from the summits if there was a party atmosphere. Plus, climbing during the night is a whole new experience. Overall, one of the best hikes I've ever had, and with good people, it makes it even better. I can definitely tell that I am getting better conditioned after each hike due to increased lung capacity and I'm learning how to make myself as efficient as possible. You can see the rest of the pictures from the trip here.
July 31, 2005

Hinsdale County Highpoint

About 3 weeks ago, my friend Tim was invited to climb Wetterhorn Peak and Uncompahgre Peak, the 6th highest peak in Colorado, with a few of his friends. Subsequently, he invited me, Adam, and anybody else who wanted to go along. Adam's wife, Alison, said that she was up for it, too. Unfortunately, Tim got sent to St. Louis for work and had to back out of the trip. Alison, too, decided that climbing didn't sound too good. Therefore, a trip originally scheduled for 7 people was reduced to two, Adam and myself. We decided to only do the Hinsdale County highpoint, Uncompahgre Peak, elevation 14,309 feet, located in southwest Colorado in the San Juan Mountains. In my opinion, the San Juan's are probably the most beautiful of all Colorado mountain ranges. The pictures from the trip can be accessed here.
Adam and I left Denver in his Pathfinder on Saturday morning for the 5.5 hour drive. We stopped in Gunnison for lunch and proceeded on to Lake City, the county seat of Hinsdale County. The entire county has an estimated population of 810 people, making it the least populous county in Colorado. We stopped to pick up supplies for dinner and breakfast in town and proceeded to the trailhead. We proceeded up the 4-wheel drive only road to our campsite. Check out this picture, it basically shows how bumpy the road was. We actually saw a Saturn Ion attempting this road. He didn't make it. I think the deep river crossing finally made the driver realize that this road was not for him.
We reached the trailhead by 5 pm. I set up my tent for the evening. Adam hadn't brought his tent and was planning on crashing in the truck. We drank a few beers and hung out at camp. I walked up to the trailhead and started talking to a Canadian camper, Danna. She was playing her guitar and chilling by her tent. I shot the shit with her for a few minutes. She offered me a Corona, which I, of course, accepted. I invited her to our campsite for dinner and took one more beer for Adam. Danna came down to our site about half an hour later. The three of us talked for a while about our respective works. She had some geology questions and she had interesting work to tell us about.
Apparently, Danna lives on the road at least 6 months per year. She's a field biologist doing a study on the endangered Uncompahgre Fritillary Butterfly. More information can be found here on conservation efforts being put forth concerning this insect. She had summitted earlier that day, so she wouldn't be joining us the next morning. She brought her dinner of mac and cheese down to our site while we made our dinner of egg, ham, onion, cheese, and salsa burritos. They were great. After dinner, Adam played us some tunes on her guitar.
By 930, I was ready for bed. We said our goodbyes to Danna and I proceeded to my tent. The 5 am wakeup was going to be there before we knew it.
As expected, the morning came quickly. We prepared breakfast, a repeat of the previous night's dinner, and tore down camp. We were on the trail by 630. About one mile in, you get your first view of the summit. Overall, the hiking was simple, but the air was thin. It's about 3.5 miles from the trailhead to the summit with an elevation gain of about 2,800 feet. We stopped a few times for some photos, snack, and oxygen breaks. We were at the summit by 845 that morning. We were the 7th and 8th people up that day. As normal, the 14ers are very crowded. Within 30 minutes of being at the summit, 25 others made it to the top. It was a party that I didn't want to attend. One of the best parts of climbing is the solitude. I definitely didn't have that here. We stayed at the summit for about 45 minutes. We ended up seeing the three guys that had originally invited Tim on the trip that I had met previously. If you read this blog regularly, it was Jason (see July 4, 2005 entry).
We began our descent and were back at the car by 11. Danna was gone, but had left us this note and two more beers. As I said, she was Canadian, but didn't like Rush, as evidenced by the note. That's un-Canadian if you ask me. That's like an American not liking baseball. Apparently, she didn't like Geddy Lee's voice. I tried to convince her that Neil Peart was probably one of the top 5 best drummers of all-time. She was having none of it. Anyway, we celebrated our day by toasting her two Corona's.

On the road to Denver by noon. I was watching the Cubs/Cardinals game by seven that night. Overall, a great hike and another county highpoint bagged. Now I just have to decide which one to do next.
July 25, 2005

Hinsdale County Highpoint
About 3 weeks ago, my friend Tim was invited to climb Wetterhorn Peak and Uncompahgre Peak, the 6th highest peak in Colorado, with a few of his friends. Subsequently, he invited me, Adam, and anybody else who wanted to go along. Adam's wife, Alison, said that she was up for it, too. Unfortunately, Tim got sent to St. Louis for work and had to back out of the trip. Alison, too, decided that climbing didn't sound too good. Therefore, a trip originally scheduled for 7 people was reduced to two, Adam and myself. We decided to only do the Hinsdale County highpoint, Uncompahgre Peak, elevation 14,309 feet, located in southwest Colorado in the San Juan Mountains. In my opinion, the San Juan's are probably the most beautiful of all Colorado mountain ranges. The pictures from the trip can be accessed here. Adam and I left Denver in his Pathfinder on Saturday morning for the 5.5 hour drive. We stopped in Gunnison for lunch and proceeded on to Lake City, the county seat of Hinsdale County. The entire county has an estimated population of 810 people, making it the least populous county in Colorado. We stopped to pick up supplies for dinner and breakfast in town and proceeded to the trailhead. We proceeded up the 4-wheel drive only road to our campsite. Check out this picture, it basically shows how bumpy the road was. We actually saw a Saturn Ion attempting this road. He didn't make it. I think the deep river crossing finally made the driver realize that this road was not for him. We reached the trailhead by 5 pm. I set up my tent for the evening. Adam hadn't brought his tent and was planning on crashing in the truck. We drank a few beers and hung out at camp. I walked up to the trailhead and started talking to a Canadian camper, Danna. She was playing her guitar and chilling by her tent. I shot the shit with her for a few minutes. She offered me a Corona, which I, of course, accepted. I invited her to our campsite for dinner and took one more beer for Adam. Danna came down to our site about half an hour later. The three of us talked for a while about our respective works. She had some geology questions and she had interesting work to tell us about. Apparently, Danna lives on the road at least 6 months per year. She's a field biologist doing a study on the endangered Uncompahgre Fritillary Butterfly. More information can be found here on conservation efforts being put forth concerning this insect. She had summitted earlier that day, so she wouldn't be joining us the next morning. She brought her dinner of mac and cheese down to our site while we made our dinner of egg, ham, onion, cheese, and salsa burritos. They were great. After dinner, Adam played us some tunes on her guitar. By 930, I was ready for bed. We said our goodbyes to Danna and I proceeded to my tent. The 5 am wakeup was going to be there before we knew it. As expected, the morning came quickly. We prepared breakfast, a repeat of the previous night's dinner, and tore down camp. We were on the trail by 630. About one mile in, you get your first view of the summit. Overall, the hiking was simple, but the air was thin. It's about 3.5 miles from the trailhead to the summit with an elevation gain of about 2,800 feet. We stopped a few times for some photos, snack, and oxygen breaks. We were at the summit by 845 that morning. We were the 7th and 8th people up that day. As normal, the 14ers are very crowded. Within 30 minutes of being at the summit, 25 others made it to the top. It was a party that I didn't want to attend. One of the best parts of climbing is the solitude. I definitely didn't have that here. We stayed at the summit for about 45 minutes. We ended up seeing the three guys that had originally invited Tim on the trip that I had met previously. If you read this blog regularly, it was Jason (see July 4, 2005 entry). We began our descent and were back at the car by 11. Danna was gone, but had left us this note and two more beers. As I said, she was Canadian, but didn't like Rush, as evidenced by the note. That's un-Canadian if you ask me. That's like an American not liking baseball. Apparently, she didn't like Geddy Lee's voice. I tried to convince her that Neil Peart was probably one of the top 5 best drummers of all-time. She was having none of it. Anyway, we celebrated our day by toasting her two Corona's.


On the road to Denver by noon. I was watching the Cubs/Cardinals game by seven that night. Overall, a great hike and another county highpoint bagged. Now I just have to decide which one to do next.
July 25, 2005

Hot and Dry July

The weather has definitely been the story around here. Damn, it's been hot. Here's a list of the high temperatures for this month at Denver International Airport.

July Date High Temp (^oF) Precipitation (inches)

1 91 0.00

2 96 0.00

3 90 Trace

4 87 0.00

5 90 0.00

6 94 0.00

7 97 0.00

8 97 Trace

9 97 Trace

10 98 0.00

11 96 0.00

12 95 0.00

13 95 0.00

14 98 0.00

15 95 0.00

16 102 0.00

17 86 0.00

18 89 0.00

19 101 0.00

20 105 0.00

21 104 0.00

22 102 0.00

Average 95.7 0.00

Standard
Deviation 5.28 NA

Red numbers indicate a day on which we either broke or tied a high temperature record. On July 20, a high temperature of 105^oF was recorded, which tied the highest temperature in Colorado recorded history.
The hottest July in Colorado recorded 19 days of 90+ degrees. As of July 23, we've had 19 such days. Today's forecast high is 101^oF. It appears that we are currently living through the hottest Colorado July. In my personal opinion, this is not a coincidence. Global warming is real and needs to be addressed by our next governmental administration. Obviously, our current administration doesn't care.
Xcel Energy recorded the largest day of energy demand in Colorado history on July 20, with an average demand of over 4,000 megawatts of power.
I'm outta here. Heading to the mountains to do the Hinsdale County highpoint and to get the hell out of this heat.

July 23, 2005

Cool Website

I found a cool website that tells about the origins of band names. I don't know how accurate it is, but here you go.
July 19, 2005

Cool Website
I found a cool website that tells about the origins of band names. I don't know how accurate it is, but here you go.
July 19, 2005

Las Animas County Highpoint

A few weeks ago, four of us decided that we wanted to summit West Spanish Peak, the Las Animas County, Colorado highpoint, elevation 13,626. By the time the actual trip came around, our group had been minimized to two people, myself, and my friend Tim. We left Denver on July 15 around 430 in the afternoon for the 4 hour drive. We stopped in Pueblo to get some dinner, but ate in the car to save some time. Just south of Pueblo, we can see a seemingly nasty thunderstorm ahead. Sure enough, it starts dumping. It hasn't rained in nearly a month, yet it decides to rain on a summit-prep day. The lightning show was amazing. As we were approaching West Spanish Peak, the lighting was hitting all around. The clouds were so thick that neither West nor East Spanish Peak were visible.
We continued on to the trailhead, elevation 11,220 feet. After a wrong turn, we finally find the TH around 10 pm. Fortunately, it had just stopped raining. We set up our tents are got to bed. Five-thirty in the morning came pretty quickly. We got up and made some scrambled eggs and ham. A good protein and energy mix that will keep you going for most of a morning. We were packed up and out of camp on the trail by 645 am. Some fellow summitters were only about 30 minutes behind us. We made it to tree line at 12,000 feet by 800 am. We continued up the somewhat marked trail. We made it to around 12,500 and decided that we wanted to leave the trail and take an unmarked shortcut. Bad idea. We got ourselves into some really steep talus, loose rocks that make up the side of the mountain. We were basically ascending the steepest part of the mountain on all four's. Very hard on your body.
We summitted at 1000 am with some amazing views of East Spanish Peak, the Wet Mountains, and the Sangre de Cristo Range, including Blanca Peak, Ellingwood Peak, and Little Bear. Check out the highpointing page for the pictures. The geology of the Spanish Peaks is amazing and one-of-a-kind in Colorado. To make a long story short, the Spanish Peaks are comprised of igneous rocks. The magma chamber that made up these igneous rocks intruded into already formed sedimentary rocks beneath the ground surface. The magma found every imperfection in the sedimentary rocks and intruded there. During a period of uplift in Colorado's geological history, the magma chamber and surrounding sedimentary rocks were brought to the surface. Over time, the less weather-resistent sedimentary rocks were eroded leaving the solidified magma chamber as what we see today. As you look at the photographs from the day, you'll see radial dikes protruding from the mountain. These igneous dikes were injected into fractures in the sedimentary rock and a similar eroding method exposed them.
After taking some photos, snacking on some trail mix and jerky, and relaxing for a few, we started back down the mountain about one hour later. It took us about one hour forty five minutes to reach the car. We were beat and our legs and knees were screaming. At that point, I sure didn't want to make the 4 hour drive home. Thankfully, we split the driving time between us, which made it not so bad. Back in Littleton by 5 pm. Took a much needed nap within 15 minutes of being home.
Another county highpoint accomplished, this one being the highest one that I've hiked (I've driven to the top of Pikes Peak, but that doesn't count). A great day overall. Looking forward to the Hinsdale County highpoint, Uncompahgre Peak, elevation 14,314, next weekend.

On a whole different note, today is my dad's birthday. Happy birthday dad.

July 16, 2005

Las Animas County Highpoint
A few weeks ago, four of us decided that we wanted to summit West Spanish Peak, the Las Animas County, Colorado highpoint, elevation 13,626. By the time the actual trip came around, our group had been minimized to two people, myself, and my friend Tim. We left Denver on July 15 around 430 in the afternoon for the 4 hour drive. We stopped in Pueblo to get some dinner, but ate in the car to save some time. Just south of Pueblo, we can see a seemingly nasty thunderstorm ahead. Sure enough, it starts dumping. It hasn't rained in nearly a month, yet it decides to rain on a summit-prep day. The lightning show was amazing. As we were approaching West Spanish Peak, the lighting was hitting all around. The clouds were so thick that neither West nor East Spanish Peak were visible. We continued on to the trailhead, elevation 11,220 feet. After a wrong turn, we finally find the TH around 10 pm. Fortunately, it had just stopped raining. We set up our tents are got to bed. Five-thirty in the morning came pretty quickly. We got up and made some scrambled eggs and ham. A good protein and energy mix that will keep you going for most of a morning. We were packed up and out of camp on the trail by 645 am. Some fellow summitters were only about 30 minutes behind us. We made it to tree line at 12,000 feet by 800 am. We continued up the somewhat marked trail. We made it to around 12,500 and decided that we wanted to leave the trail and take an unmarked shortcut. Bad idea. We got ourselves into some really steep talus, loose rocks that make up the side of the mountain. We were basically ascending the steepest part of the mountain on all four's. Very hard on your body. We summitted at 1000 am with some amazing views of East Spanish Peak, the Wet Mountains, and the Sangre de Cristo Range, including Blanca Peak, Ellingwood Peak, and Little Bear. Check out the highpointing page for the pictures. The geology of the Spanish Peaks is amazing and one-of-a-kind in Colorado. To make a long story short, the Spanish Peaks are comprised of igneous rocks. The magma chamber that made up these igneous rocks intruded into already formed sedimentary rocks beneath the ground surface. The magma found every imperfection in the sedimentary rocks and intruded there. During a period of uplift in Colorado's geological history, the magma chamber and surrounding sedimentary rocks were brought to the surface. Over time, the less weather-resistent sedimentary rocks were eroded leaving the solidified magma chamber as what we see today. As you look at the photographs from the day, you'll see radial dikes protruding from the mountain. These igneous dikes were injected into fractures in the sedimentary rock and a similar eroding method exposed them. After taking some photos, snacking on some trail mix and jerky, and relaxing for a few, we started back down the mountain about one hour later. It took us about one hour forty five minutes to reach the car. We were beat and our legs and knees were screaming. At that point, I sure didn't want to make the 4 hour drive home. Thankfully, we split the driving time between us, which made it not so bad. Back in Littleton by 5 pm. Took a much needed nap within 15 minutes of being home. Another county highpoint accomplished, this one being the highest one that I've hiked (I've driven to the top of Pikes Peak, but that doesn't count). A great day overall. Looking forward to the Hinsdale County highpoint, Uncompahgre Peak, elevation 14,314, next weekend.

On a whole different note, today is my dad's birthday. Happy birthday dad.
July 16, 2005

Atchison, Kansas

Got back yesterday from a three day work trip to Atchison, Kansas. If you dare, you can check out their website. I usually go to Atchison about once every three months. It was nice to get out of the office for a few days, but damn was it hot. I knew it would be, Kansas in July. It was so humid that you could see the thick haze in the air. The town is located along the Lewis and Clark Trail and adjacent to the Missouri River, which just adds to the humidity. My coworker Adam came too. He had never really been on a big sampling trip, so it was good to have him along. One thing that I had never noticed until he pointed it out to me was how much larger the population was there. I don't mean in number, I mean in actual girth. Living in Colorado, you get so used to everyone being fit and thin (not that you can't be bigger and fit or thin and unfit), it kind of takes you aback when you are some place different.
Atchison is the birthplace of Amelia Earhart and the home of Benedictine College, a Catholic establishment. In fact, this weekend is the annual Amelia Earhart Festival. Apparently, it's quite the big deal for the town. While we were there, they were setting up some amusement-type rides. Hopefully, there aren't any plane rides. You know, with the bad karma and all.
I was hoping to hit either the Kansas or Missouri high points, but neither are close to where I was and my time was limited. Oh well, they would've just been fields anyway. I'll try to get at least one of them next time.
Tonight, I'm preparing for the Las Animas County, Colorado highpoint, West Spanish Peak, attempt. My friend Tim and I will be attempting the 13,626 foot summit on Saturday morning. We are planning on camping out tomorrow night and getting a dawn or earlier start to the summit. I'll let you know in the next few days if we made it.
July 14, 2005

Atchison, Kansas
Got back yesterday from a three day work trip to Atchison, Kansas. If you dare, you can check out their website. I usually go to Atchison about once every three months. It was nice to get out of the office for a few days, but damn was it hot. I knew it would be, Kansas in July. It was so humid that you could see the thick haze in the air. The town is located along the Lewis and Clark Trail and adjacent to the Missouri River, which just adds to the humidity. My coworker Adam came too. He had never really been on a big sampling trip, so it was good to have him along. One thing that I had never noticed until he pointed it out to me was how much larger the population was there. I don't mean in number, I mean in actual girth. Living in Colorado, you get so used to everyone being fit and thin (not that you can't be bigger and fit or thin and unfit), it kind of takes you aback when you are some place different. Atchison is the birthplace of Amelia Earhart and the home of Benedictine College, a Catholic establishment. In fact, this weekend is the annual Amelia Earhart Festival. Apparently, it's quite the big deal for the town. While we were there, they were setting up some amusement-type rides. Hopefully, there aren't any plane rides. You know, with the bad karma and all. I was hoping to hit either the Kansas or Missouri high points, but neither are close to where I was and my time was limited. Oh well, they would've just been fields anyway. I'll try to get at least one of them next time. Tonight, I'm preparing for the Las Animas County, Colorado highpoint, West Spanish Peak, attempt. My friend Tim and I will be attempting the 13,626 foot summit on Saturday morning. We are planning on camping out tomorrow night and getting a dawn or earlier start to the summit. I'll let you know in the next few days if we made it.
July 14, 2005

Music Page

I've added a music page to the site. Check it out.
July 10, 2005

Music Page
I've added a music page to the site. Check it out.
July 10, 2005

Cosmic Bowling

Went out for dinner at Pappadeaux's, a local seafood joint. Very good, as always. I had shrimp creole, which could've been hotter, but good none the less. After dinner, we went bowling. I thought I was 15 again. At 11 o'clock, cosmic bowling started. I didn't like cosmic bowling when I was in high school. I really don't like it now. That's the first time I had bowled in probably three years. When the hell did bowling get to be $4.99 per game. What a joke. I guess they've got to pay for those discos balls some how.
The company is what made the night. A good night with a nice woman that I hope to see again soon.
July 9, 2005

Cosmic Bowling
Went out for dinner at Pappadeaux's, a local seafood joint. Very good, as always. I had shrimp creole, which could've been hotter, but good none the less. After dinner, we went bowling. I thought I was 15 again. At 11 o'clock, cosmic bowling started. I didn't like cosmic bowling when I was in high school. I really don't like it now. That's the first time I had bowled in probably three years. When the hell did bowling get to be $4.99 per game. What a joke. I guess they've got to pay for those discos balls some how. The company is what made the night. A good night with a nice woman that I hope to see again soon.
July 9, 2005

Website Edits

I spent most of the day playing around with some formatting issues on the site. Thanks to all who sent me emails with compliments and critiques. If you looked at some of the photo galleries this morning, the biggest change that you are going to notice is that once inside the photo galleries, I've added links back to the photos homepage so that you are not hitting back 50 times after looking at a large gallery. Overall, I'm satisfied, for now, about the look of the site. It'll improve as I go.
July 8, 2005

Website Edits
I spent most of the day playing around with some formatting issues on the site. Thanks to all who sent me emails with compliments and critiques. If you looked at some of the photo galleries this morning, the biggest change that you are going to notice is that once inside the photo galleries, I've added links back to the photos homepage so that you are not hitting back 50 times after looking at a large gallery. Overall, I'm satisfied, for now, about the look of the site. It'll improve as I go.
July 8, 2005

The Website and World Affairs

The website is finally up. I probably should've used some sort of website creation tool, but I decided that learning to write the code longhand would probably be better in the long run. I hope you enjoy. I need to thank Adam Armour, Ryan Kirkendall, and Matt Pruden for helping me when I'd hit a coding snag. Keep coming back for more.
As I'm sure you are all aware, Britain was hit with a major terrorist attack this morning. This attack was not, of course, on the magnitude of 9/11. However, terrorists attempt to shake you to your core and make you uneasy, not necessarily attempt to kill as many people as possible. An interesting thing that I saw this morning during the news coverage was a news conference at the G8 summit in Scotland. Britain's Prime Minister, Tony Blair, was speaking. Of course, and as you'd expect, our president was standing shoulder to shoulder with him. On the other side of Mr. Blair was Jacques Chirac, the French President. I find it quite strange that a man who's country starkly refuses to directly battle terrorism would stand there and solemly condemn the act. That's some of the biggest hypocricy I can imagine. Hell, let Japan's president stand there, at least he sends money.
Personally, I'm beyond the point of support of the war in Iraq. I support the troops, not the cause. Maybe this is an oxymoron. I have to admit that I was all for the war in the beginning. Get that tyrant, I figured! If we can't find some recluse in the mountains, find some guy in his palace.
Despite my disagreeances with our government, at least our president chooses a side and seems to stick to it. Political hypocricy: what a world!
July 7, 2005

The Website and World Affairs
The website is finally up. I probably should've used some sort of website creation tool, but I decided that learning to write the code longhand would probably be better in the long run. I hope you enjoy. I need to thank Adam Armour, Ryan Kirkendall, and Matt Pruden for helping me when I'd hit a coding snag. Keep coming back for more. As I'm sure you are all aware, Britain was hit with a major terrorist attack this morning. This attack was not, of course, on the magnitude of 9/11. However, terrorists attempt to shake you to your core and make you uneasy, not necessarily attempt to kill as many people as possible. An interesting thing that I saw this morning during the news coverage was a news conference at the G8 summit in Scotland. Britain's Prime Minister, Tony Blair, was speaking. Of course, and as you'd expect, our president was standing shoulder to shoulder with him. On the other side of Mr. Blair was Jacques Chirac, the French President. I find it quite strange that a man who's country starkly refuses to directly battle terrorism would stand there and solemly condemn the act. That's some of the biggest hypocricy I can imagine. Hell, let Japan's president stand there, at least he sends money. Personally, I'm beyond the point of support of the war in Iraq. I support the troops, not the cause. Maybe this is an oxymoron. I have to admit that I was all for the war in the beginning. Get that tyrant, I figured! If we can't find some recluse in the mountains, find some guy in his palace. Despite my disagreeances with our government, at least our president chooses a side and seems to stick to it. Political hypocricy: what a world!
July 7, 2005

July 4th

Didn't too much today during the day. Of course, it was sunny out so I just took a small run around the neighborhood. Went to the pool to study for the GRE. Wanted to be working on the website, but decided that studying would be more beneficial in the long run.
Called my friend and coworker Tim to see if we were still on for the Colorado Rockies game. He confirmed that there were 8 of us going. I decided to take the light rail into downtown to avoid the everpresent police checkpoints. I knew that I'd have a few brews, so driving out of downtown didn't seem too appealing. I met Tim, his visiting mom, friend's Brooke and Kaydee, Tim's friend Jason, and Kaydee's visiting parents at Lodo's in downtown. We sat down for a dinner before the game. Tim's friend Jason, whom I've met at least 5 times, introduced himself like it was the first time we'd ever seen each other. I attempted to explain to him the multiple other times we had hung out. He didn't believe me or anybody else. That was just the beginning of our night with Jason. I think he was drunk before he got to downtown.
Following dinner, we made our way over to Coors Field. We had missed the first inning, but no one was too worried since the quality of baseball is not that high out of our team. Amongst the eight of us, we had tickets in two different sections. Brooke, Jason, and I sat in the club level near left field. Our section was comprised a little older crowd and we had Jason with us. That could be trouble. I wouldn't say that went over well with our neighbors. He managed to steal some peanuts from the people we were sitting next to when they went to the restroom. He had them consumed before they got back. Of course, as soon as they get back, he bails. Brooke and I don't say a thing, but watch as these people search aimlessly for their lost peanuts. Thankfully, Jason didn't return. He wandered off, destination unknown, not to be seen until after the game.
The Rockies lost, of course. Damn, they are bad. I like baseball more than anything, but they really are hard to watch. The general management of that team has made such bad decisions in the past that we will all be suffering the consequences for years to come. Following the game, the biggest fireworks show in Denver began. They let approximately 10,000 fans down onto the field to watch. Our seats were not allowed to go onto the field. The fireworks were awesome. Biggest and best show in Denver.
Following the game, the separated groups converged again at Jacksons. I was wiped out. It was nearing midnight. I hung out for a few and then headed towards the light rail station.
Overall, a very good night with good people.
July 4, 2005

July 4th
Didn't too much today during the day. Of course, it was sunny out so I just took a small run around the neighborhood. Went to the pool to study for the GRE. Wanted to be working on the website, but decided that studying would be more beneficial in the long run. Called my friend and coworker Tim to see if we were still on for the Colorado Rockies game. He confirmed that there were 8 of us going. I decided to take the light rail into downtown to avoid the everpresent police checkpoints. I knew that I'd have a few brews, so driving out of downtown didn't seem too appealing. I met Tim, his visiting mom, friend's Brooke and Kaydee, Tim's friend Jason, and Kaydee's visiting parents at Lodo's in downtown. We sat down for a dinner before the game. Tim's friend Jason, whom I've met at least 5 times, introduced himself like it was the first time we'd ever seen each other. I attempted to explain to him the multiple other times we had hung out. He didn't believe me or anybody else. That was just the beginning of our night with Jason. I think he was drunk before he got to downtown. Following dinner, we made our way over to Coors Field. We had missed the first inning, but no one was too worried since the quality of baseball is not that high out of our team. Amongst the eight of us, we had tickets in two different sections. Brooke, Jason, and I sat in the club level near left field. Our section was comprised a little older crowd and we had Jason with us. That could be trouble. I wouldn't say that went over well with our neighbors. He managed to steal some peanuts from the people we were sitting next to when they went to the restroom. He had them consumed before they got back. Of course, as soon as they get back, he bails. Brooke and I don't say a thing, but watch as these people search aimlessly for their lost peanuts. Thankfully, Jason didn't return. He wandered off, destination unknown, not to be seen until after the game. The Rockies lost, of course. Damn, they are bad. I like baseball more than anything, but they really are hard to watch. The general management of that team has made such bad decisions in the past that we will all be suffering the consequences for years to come. Following the game, the biggest fireworks show in Denver began. They let approximately 10,000 fans down onto the field to watch. Our seats were not allowed to go onto the field. The fireworks were awesome. Biggest and best show in Denver. Following the game, the separated groups converged again at Jacksons. I was wiped out. It was nearing midnight. I hung out for a few and then headed towards the light rail station. Overall, a very good night with good people.
July 4, 2005

Douglas County Highpoint - Thunder Butte

After a good nights sleep, I was much better prepared for a summit hike than I was last week for Buffalo Peak. I had set the alarm for 0430 and was planning on being gone from the house by 0500. That schedule worked out basically according to plan. I packed a small day pack with compass, GPS, raincoat, sunscreen, camera, trekking poles, and snacks of almonds and craisins.
It took me about an hour and a half to get to the trailhead southwest of Deckers, Colorado. What a starkly desolate place I was in. The scenery was great, but was mostly burned out trees. This area of Colorado was devastated by the Hayman Fire of 2002. This fire was the largest fire in recorded Colorado history, and burned 138,000 acres of forest and 132 homes. The fire extended so closely to Denver that I remember there being days where my car was covered in ash falling from the sky. That was my first summer in Colorado, so I didn't really know what to think. The fire was started by a firefighter (aka nutjob), Terry Barton, as she supposedly burned a love letter from her estranged husband. My commentary on this event: What the hell is a firefighter doing burning anything is the forest during one of the greatest droughts in Colorado history? The local Colfax Avenue burning barrel must not have been available.
Back to the hike. I set out on the trail by 0700. The hike was relatively easy, only about 1,300 feet of elevation gain. Much easier than last weeks Buffalo Peak. There were some downed trees, but most had been burned away. I reached the summit at 0915. Pikes Peak was only 25 miles to the south of my location, so that massif displays an extreme dominance over this area of Colorado. I stayed at the summit for about an hour taking some pictures and soaking in the views and the silence.

I started making my way down around 1015 and was back at the car by noon. Didn't see anybody all day except as I approached the car two others and their dog were preparing for a summit attempt. The typical summer mountain thunderstorms were rolling in, so hopefully they were able to make it. A tall ridge is not the best place to be during a Colorado lightning storm.
Overall, a good day, and I was home early in the afternoon with plenty of time to get some other things accomplished.
July 2, 2005

Douglas County Highpoint - Thunder Butte
After a good nights sleep, I was much better prepared for a summit hike than I was last week for Buffalo Peak. I had set the alarm for 0430 and was planning on being gone from the house by 0500. That schedule worked out basically according to plan. I packed a small day pack with compass, GPS, raincoat, sunscreen, camera, trekking poles, and snacks of almonds and craisins. It took me about an hour and a half to get to the trailhead southwest of Deckers, Colorado. What a starkly desolate place I was in. The scenery was great, but was mostly burned out trees. This area of Colorado was devastated by the Hayman Fire of 2002. This fire was the largest fire in recorded Colorado history, and burned 138,000 acres of forest and 132 homes. The fire extended so closely to Denver that I remember there being days where my car was covered in ash falling from the sky. That was my first summer in Colorado, so I didn't really know what to think. The fire was started by a firefighter (aka nutjob), Terry Barton, as she supposedly burned a love letter from her estranged husband. My commentary on this event: What the hell is a firefighter doing burning anything is the forest during one of the greatest droughts in Colorado history? The local Colfax Avenue burning barrel must not have been available. Back to the hike. I set out on the trail by 0700. The hike was relatively easy, only about 1,300 feet of elevation gain. Much easier than last weeks Buffalo Peak. There were some downed trees, but most had been burned away. I reached the summit at 0915. Pikes Peak was only 25 miles to the south of my location, so that massif displays an extreme dominance over this area of Colorado. I stayed at the summit for about an hour taking some pictures and soaking in the views and the silence.

I started making my way down around 1015 and was back at the car by noon. Didn't see anybody all day except as I approached the car two others and their dog were preparing for a summit attempt. The typical summer mountain thunderstorms were rolling in, so hopefully they were able to make it. A tall ridge is not the best place to be during a Colorado lightning storm. Overall, a good day, and I was home early in the afternoon with plenty of time to get some other things accomplished.
July 2, 2005

Jefferson County Highpoint - Buffalo Peak

The alarm clock buzzing at 0430 was not really a pleasant experience after being up until midnight. But my coworker and climbing buddy Adam was supposed to be here any minute. I was smart enough to have packed the night before so all I needed to do was make some breakfast and pack the food that we were going to need that day. Sure enough, Adam arrives at 0445. I have a bowl of cereal, make some PB&J's on tortillas, pack some trail mix and craisins, and we're off. I'm not very hydrated, which proves to be trouble later on. We proceed to Stoney Pass Trailhead, the area that will lead us to the Jefferson County Highpoint, Buffalo Peak, elevation 11,589 feet above sea level.
Click here to see our route and elevation profile with our GPS waypoints plotted. Borrow these points if you'd like to traverse this peak. The GPS reference is to UTM zones with Datum84. You'll need a computer program or GPS unit to convert the UTM to degrees, minutes, and seconds.
We arrive at the so-called "trailhead" around 0730 and begin our ascent from the northeast side. (Note: There are multiple ways to attack this summit. Our was the steepest, yet the shortest in distance.) Don't know why they'd ever call this a trailhead, because the whole hike is a bushwack through dead and fallen trees. The hike up to Buffalo Peak is an unrelenting slope. During the hike we were on flat ground for only one section of about 500 feet. Walking over trees and underbrush really begins wearing on you quickly. Plus, with each step the air got thinner.
About 1,000 vertical feet from the top, my legs began cramping severely. My feeling was that this was due to not hydrating myself for the 3 days leading up to the hike. Live and learn, I guess. I'll never let that happen again. I had come too far to turn back now, so I just took it slower than my norm and traversed on.
We finally made the summit following a short boulder-scramble at around 1215. Here's a picture of the summit and the summit survey marker. See the highpointing page for the rest of the pictures from the peak. There were some great views.

We stayed at the summit for about 45 minutes taking some panoramic photos and just resting from such a hard climb. My body was already worn out and I still had 4 miles to hike down through thick brush. We began our descent down a similar route to the ascent. We relied on the GPS heavily since once you are away from the summit, there is no way to orient yourself in the large pines and aspens that surround you. We finally reached the car at around 1600. I was really happy to see Adam's Pathfinder. We cruised to the local gas station for some Gatorade since we had both gone through more than 2 liters of water each.
All in all, a great climb, with a greater sense of accomplishment. I look forward to doing the Douglas County highpoint next weekend.
June 26, 2005

Jefferson County Highpoint - Buffalo Peak
The alarm clock buzzing at 0430 was not really a pleasant experience after being up until midnight. But my coworker and climbing buddy Adam was supposed to be here any minute. I was smart enough to have packed the night before so all I needed to do was make some breakfast and pack the food that we were going to need that day. Sure enough, Adam arrives at 0445. I have a bowl of cereal, make some PB&J's on tortillas, pack some trail mix and craisins, and we're off. I'm not very hydrated, which proves to be trouble later on. We proceed to Stoney Pass Trailhead, the area that will lead us to the Jefferson County Highpoint, Buffalo Peak, elevation 11,589 feet above sea level. Click here to see our route and elevation profile with our GPS waypoints plotted. Borrow these points if you'd like to traverse this peak. The GPS reference is to UTM zones with Datum84. You'll need a computer program or GPS unit to convert the UTM to degrees, minutes, and seconds. We arrive at the so-called "trailhead" around 0730 and begin our ascent from the northeast side. (Note: There are multiple ways to attack this summit. Our was the steepest, yet the shortest in distance.) Don't know why they'd ever call this a trailhead, because the whole hike is a bushwack through dead and fallen trees. The hike up to Buffalo Peak is an unrelenting slope. During the hike we were on flat ground for only one section of about 500 feet. Walking over trees and underbrush really begins wearing on you quickly. Plus, with each step the air got thinner. About 1,000 vertical feet from the top, my legs began cramping severely. My feeling was that this was due to not hydrating myself for the 3 days leading up to the hike. Live and learn, I guess. I'll never let that happen again. I had come too far to turn back now, so I just took it slower than my norm and traversed on. We finally made the summit following a short boulder-scramble at around 1215. Here's a picture of the summit and the summit survey marker. See the highpointing page for the rest of the pictures from the peak. There were some great views.

We stayed at the summit for about 45 minutes taking some panoramic photos and just resting from such a hard climb. My body was already worn out and I still had 4 miles to hike down through thick brush. We began our descent down a similar route to the ascent. We relied on the GPS heavily since once you are away from the summit, there is no way to orient yourself in the large pines and aspens that surround you. We finally reached the car at around 1600. I was really happy to see Adam's Pathfinder. We cruised to the local gas station for some Gatorade since we had both gone through more than 2 liters of water each. All in all, a great climb, with a greater sense of accomplishment. I look forward to doing the Douglas County highpoint next weekend.
June 26, 2005

Elbert County Highpoint / Cookout

After getting home from the camping trip, I figured a good way to nurse a hangover was to head out and do an easy highpoint. It's a drive-up highpoint, so no work is actually involved, thankfully. The Elbert County highpoint is located about 50 miles southeast of Denver near Monument. So, I drove down there while testing my newly borrowed GPS unit, to take a picture at the highpoint. The actual summit is on private land, so you can't actually get within 50 feet of it. I suppose I could've jumped the fence, but I'm not to interested in trespassing on some farmers field. He might dispense some country justice. Check the Highpoints Page for the pix.
By this point in the afternoon, I was feeling good but needed to rehydrate myself for tomorrow's monster summit hike. I got a hold of Seth and Khyla and we made plans to have a small cookout at Seth's house in the Washington Park neighborhood of southeast Denver. I cruised to the store to pick up some things to make my new favorite appetizer, guacamole. Here's the recipe:
3 ripe avocados
Half a can of Rotel Extra Spicy Diced Tomatoes
Juice from half of a lemon
1/2 tablespoon of salt

Mix those all together and you've got a great guacamole.
I proceeded over to Seth's place for the cookout. Upon arrival, it's like Seth and I didn't miss a beat despite the fact that it'd been nearly two years since we last hung out. On the other hand, I hadn't seen Khyla for nearly 5 years, and I don't think I really knew what to do. We had an awkward hello, but after that, everything seemed alright. She remembers things that I'd long since forgotten.
We had a nice cookout of burgers, beans, salad, and Fat Tire. Since Khyla is from out of town and can't purchase it in Indiana, all she wanted to drink was Fat Tire. If you are reading this from east of the Mississippi and you can't buy Fat Tire or other New Belgium Brewery creations, make sure you ask for one whenever you make it to the west. They are one of the best microbreweries in the country. After the previous night of killing a pony keg of Fat, that was about the last beer I wanted to be drinking.
I ended up staying there way too late for my 0430 wake up call. I paid for it the next day.

June 25, 2005

Elbert County Highpoint / Cookout
After getting home from the camping trip, I figured a good way to nurse a hangover was to head out and do an easy highpoint. It's a drive-up highpoint, so no work is actually involved, thankfully. The Elbert County highpoint is located about 50 miles southeast of Denver near Monument. So, I drove down there while testing my newly borrowed GPS unit, to take a picture at the highpoint. The actual summit is on private land, so you can't actually get within 50 feet of it. I suppose I could've jumped the fence, but I'm not to interested in trespassing on some farmers field. He might dispense some country justice. Check the Highpoints Page for the pix. By this point in the afternoon, I was feeling good but needed to rehydrate myself for tomorrow's monster summit hike. I got a hold of Seth and Khyla and we made plans to have a small cookout at Seth's house in the Washington Park neighborhood of southeast Denver. I cruised to the store to pick up some things to make my new favorite appetizer, guacamole. Here's the recipe: 3 ripe avocados Half a can of Rotel Extra Spicy Diced Tomatoes Juice from half of a lemon 1/2 tablespoon of salt Mix those all together and you've got a great guacamole. I proceeded over to Seth's place for the cookout. Upon arrival, it's like Seth and I didn't miss a beat despite the fact that it'd been nearly two years since we last hung out. On the other hand, I hadn't seen Khyla for nearly 5 years, and I don't think I really knew what to do. We had an awkward hello, but after that, everything seemed alright. She remembers things that I'd long since forgotten. We had a nice cookout of burgers, beans, salad, and Fat Tire. Since Khyla is from out of town and can't purchase it in Indiana, all she wanted to drink was Fat Tire. If you are reading this from east of the Mississippi and you can't buy Fat Tire or other New Belgium Brewery creations, make sure you ask for one whenever you make it to the west. They are one of the best microbreweries in the country. After the previous night of killing a pony keg of Fat, that was about the last beer I wanted to be drinking. I ended up staying there way too late for my 0430 wake up call. I paid for it the next day.
June 25, 2005

Camping Trip

As a team- and comrodory-building opportunity, the entire office (with a few minor exceptions) took this afternoon off and proceeded out to Chief Hosa Campground near Genesee. This campground is only about 15 miles from Denver, so we were far from really roughin' it. As a favor to the boss Eric, and since he was paying, Adam and I went and picked up the Fat Tire pony keg at the liquor store before proceeding out to the campground. I should've known then that this night was going to be a long one with painful consequences.
After arriving at the campsite, I set up my tent, a Sierra Designs Meteor Light CD, in a nice location where I could only minorly hear the constant rumble of Interstate 70 only 500 feet away. Like I said, this was by no means the backcountry. After all the unpacking of the tent, thermarest, and sleeping bag, it was time to get down to business.
This campground is definitely set up more for RV's and families then a bunch of roudy geologists and engineers. Coincidentally enough, we got a light screening by some security guards to make sure we weren't camping there because of the Widespread Panic show at nearby Red Rocks Amphitheatre. Obviously, they didn't want any of those "hippies" at their family campground. Either way, we had a good time. Played some horseshoes, basketball, and the 'torque my elbow to lift my hand and thus my cup to my mouth' game. I think I played that game too many times that night.
While playing some 'shoes, I get a very unexpected call from a long-time good friend, Seth Little. Seth lives here in Denver, but we had lost contact due to a lost phone issue. He had tracked me down through my dad. Seth and I have been friends for years; ever since we met working at Deer Creek Amphitheatre in Noblesville, Indiana. He ended up going to IU and the rest is history. Somehow we both ended up in Denver. He was with an old friend of ours, Khyla, another IU grad. I don't think I'd spoken or heard anything of her for at least 5 years. It was good to hear that all was well. I promised that we'd get together tomorrow night and left it at that.
Stayed up really late hanging by the fire talking some smack. Finally, I reached a point where sleep was absolutely necessary. Needless to say, cars buzzing by didn't bother me at that point. All in all, a good night with some good people.

June 24, 2005

Camping Trip
As a team- and comrodory-building opportunity, the entire office (with a few minor exceptions) took this afternoon off and proceeded out to Chief Hosa Campground near Genesee. This campground is only about 15 miles from Denver, so we were far from really roughin' it. As a favor to the boss Eric, and since he was paying, Adam and I went and picked up the Fat Tire pony keg at the liquor store before proceeding out to the campground. I should've known then that this night was going to be a long one with painful consequences. After arriving at the campsite, I set up my tent, a Sierra Designs Meteor Light CD, in a nice location where I could only minorly hear the constant rumble of Interstate 70 only 500 feet away. Like I said, this was by no means the backcountry. After all the unpacking of the tent, thermarest, and sleeping bag, it was time to get down to business. This campground is definitely set up more for RV's and families then a bunch of roudy geologists and engineers. Coincidentally enough, we got a light screening by some security guards to make sure we weren't camping there because of the Widespread Panic show at nearby Red Rocks Amphitheatre. Obviously, they didn't want any of those "hippies" at their family campground. Either way, we had a good time. Played some horseshoes, basketball, and the 'torque my elbow to lift my hand and thus my cup to my mouth' game. I think I played that game too many times that night. While playing some 'shoes, I get a very unexpected call from a long-time good friend, Seth Little. Seth lives here in Denver, but we had lost contact due to a lost phone issue. He had tracked me down through my dad. Seth and I have been friends for years; ever since we met working at Deer Creek Amphitheatre in Noblesville, Indiana. He ended up going to IU and the rest is history. Somehow we both ended up in Denver. He was with an old friend of ours, Khyla, another IU grad. I don't think I'd spoken or heard anything of her for at least 5 years. It was good to hear that all was well. I promised that we'd get together tomorrow night and left it at that. Stayed up really late hanging by the fire talking some smack. Finally, I reached a point where sleep was absolutely necessary. Needless to say, cars buzzing by didn't bother me at that point. All in all, a good night with some good people.
June 24, 2005

Trip Planning

Not much to report today. Made some final prep for the weekend mountaineering trip. Went and bought my topos and a new compass. Manually plotted my course. In the next few weeks, I'm finally going to suck it up and buy a GPS unit. I think that I've made my decision on which one is best for me, but I have a problem actually spending the money. Hopefully, my new pack will come so that I have it for Sunday. Everyone from work is camping on Friday night at Chief Hosa campground. Hopefully, that'll be a good time. It'll be car camping, which isn't my favorite, but anytime outside beats time inside.

June 22, 2005

Trip Planning
Not much to report today. Made some final prep for the weekend mountaineering trip. Went and bought my topos and a new compass. Manually plotted my course. In the next few weeks, I'm finally going to suck it up and buy a GPS unit. I think that I've made my decision on which one is best for me, but I have a problem actually spending the money. Hopefully, my new pack will come so that I have it for Sunday. Everyone from work is camping on Friday night at Chief Hosa campground. Hopefully, that'll be a good time. It'll be car camping, which isn't my favorite, but anytime outside beats time inside.
June 22, 2005

My initial blog entry

Well, here it is: my very first entry into the weblog universe. Hopefully, over time, I'll have some interesting things to share with all. Today, not so much. Today I went to work. Wow, what a slow day. Of course, I've been working on this damn webpage all night, so I didn't get any exercise. And I ordered pizza. Oy. The weather was good today. Unfortunately I was stuck inside the office all day. Actually, I never went outside. Since I had brought my lunch, I didn't really have to. I'm really looking forward to doing some mountaineering this weekend. It can't get here fast enough.

June 21, 2005

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