Thursday, July 15, 2010
Friday, July 9, 2010
SPRAGUE!
This is the hike Paul and I will be attempting.
http://bp2.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip.aspx?tripId=241589
Will provide details and pictures when we return.
Until then,
Team Facial Hair
http://bp2.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip.aspx?tripId=241589
Will provide details and pictures when we return.
Until then,
Team Facial Hair
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Next Journey
While the family is leaving tomorrow, I plan on staying in Denver and meeting up with my friend Paul Brandes. We are going to attempt a ridiculously difficult hike.
More details later...
More details later...
Victory
Buckskin=Butter
The adrenaline of knowing the van was only 6 miles away gave us the boost to finish early.
We finished around 1 o'clock.
There will be many pictures and videos posted when I get back to Ster-town.
I would like to take this time to thanks the following artists for providing me with great hiking music: U2, Miles Davis, Andy McKee, Radiohead, Death Cab for Cutie, This Will Destroy You, John Coltrane, Sleeping at Last, Tupac, Saxon Shore, Explosions in the Sky, and Coldplay.
Good Times Gary,
Team Jaderstorm
Wednesday July 7th
Wednesday Evening,
Today was crazy. We woke up a bit late and ended up hitting the trail around 9:30. The trail itself was covered by fallen trees (some type of storm), so we had to take a bit of a detour. We walked along the stream and our boots got soaked in water/mud. Luckily, the sun was out in the morning which helped them dry a bit. We crossed a hefty ford and began the ascent up Trail Rider Pass. Due to my miscalculations, Trail Rider was much more difficult than anticipated. We made it to the pass by 1ish, and hung out on the 12,500 foot peak for a good 15 minutes. We made it down the mountain without rain only by the grace of God, for there were danger clouds all around us. We took a quick break near Snowmass lake (where the water is a greenish blue) and then continued onward. I made another colossal miscalculation and thought our next campsite was only 1-2 miles away. Turns out it was much longer, and farther up as well. It began to rain around 4 and we were all exhausted, so we decided to scrap the good campsite and make due with the closest we could find. Then the rain came hard. The some brief hail. When you're I the mountains and a storm comes, you sorta go into auto pilot mode. We quickly got our tents up and did what was necessary to prepare for a long night. Dean the Powerhorse made a sweet make shift tarp shelter so we could still cook in the rain. Luckily, the rain subsided, and we are now relaxing by a fire.
Tomorrow is our last day God willing. We will hike Buckskin Pass (12,650) and descend 4 miles to the trailhead.
Much love,
Team Jaderstorm
Today was crazy. We woke up a bit late and ended up hitting the trail around 9:30. The trail itself was covered by fallen trees (some type of storm), so we had to take a bit of a detour. We walked along the stream and our boots got soaked in water/mud. Luckily, the sun was out in the morning which helped them dry a bit. We crossed a hefty ford and began the ascent up Trail Rider Pass. Due to my miscalculations, Trail Rider was much more difficult than anticipated. We made it to the pass by 1ish, and hung out on the 12,500 foot peak for a good 15 minutes. We made it down the mountain without rain only by the grace of God, for there were danger clouds all around us. We took a quick break near Snowmass lake (where the water is a greenish blue) and then continued onward. I made another colossal miscalculation and thought our next campsite was only 1-2 miles away. Turns out it was much longer, and farther up as well. It began to rain around 4 and we were all exhausted, so we decided to scrap the good campsite and make due with the closest we could find. Then the rain came hard. The some brief hail. When you're I the mountains and a storm comes, you sorta go into auto pilot mode. We quickly got our tents up and did what was necessary to prepare for a long night. Dean the Powerhorse made a sweet make shift tarp shelter so we could still cook in the rain. Luckily, the rain subsided, and we are now relaxing by a fire.
Tomorrow is our last day God willing. We will hike Buckskin Pass (12,650) and descend 4 miles to the trailhead.
Much love,
Team Jaderstorm
Still Tuesday
Tuesday Evening,
Today was a rest day. We all slept in till around 10, which is quite late when you're in the mountains. I went on a day hike to scope out our trail for the next day, and in the process met a really interesting dude. His name was Rick. Rick was around his mid 40's and talked ridiculously fast. He was in great shape, and had really beefy legs. He looked like he was born in the mountains. We talked for about a half hour sharing trail tips, stories, and simple man chatter. He was a really friendly guy and had loads of backpacking experience. Meeting Rick made my day hike worth it.
Back at camp people were either fishing, reading, or feeding the fire. It was a very relaxing day.
Jake spent the night outside on Mike's chair due to his shoulder pain. He claims he slept great.
Oh, I almost forgot. I power owned everyone in Hearts. Shot the moon to win it. I'm terribly good at cards.
Best of days,
Team Jaderstorm
Today was a rest day. We all slept in till around 10, which is quite late when you're in the mountains. I went on a day hike to scope out our trail for the next day, and in the process met a really interesting dude. His name was Rick. Rick was around his mid 40's and talked ridiculously fast. He was in great shape, and had really beefy legs. He looked like he was born in the mountains. We talked for about a half hour sharing trail tips, stories, and simple man chatter. He was a really friendly guy and had loads of backpacking experience. Meeting Rick made my day hike worth it.
Back at camp people were either fishing, reading, or feeding the fire. It was a very relaxing day.
Jake spent the night outside on Mike's chair due to his shoulder pain. He claims he slept great.
Oh, I almost forgot. I power owned everyone in Hearts. Shot the moon to win it. I'm terribly good at cards.
Best of days,
Team Jaderstorm
Tuesday July 6th
Tuesday morning,
Yesterday we hiked Frigid Air pass which was substantially easier than West Maroon pass. Once we made it to the pass, we began a slow and steady descent down the mountain. We went through Fravert basin, and eventually found our campsite around 2:30ish. Our campsite was perfect, with a small fire pit and only 100 feet from a stream that was being fed by a giant waterfall 500 feet away. It was trout city. Mike and Dean caught 12 fish and we ate like kings. We enjoyed a relaxing night around the fire having some delightful man chats.
Oh, Mike made a sweet chair out of sticks and pines.
Jake's shoulder is still bothering him quite a bit, and he's not sleeping well.
We have decided to take a day of rest tomorrow.
Good times Gary,
Team Jaderstorm
Yesterday we hiked Frigid Air pass which was substantially easier than West Maroon pass. Once we made it to the pass, we began a slow and steady descent down the mountain. We went through Fravert basin, and eventually found our campsite around 2:30ish. Our campsite was perfect, with a small fire pit and only 100 feet from a stream that was being fed by a giant waterfall 500 feet away. It was trout city. Mike and Dean caught 12 fish and we ate like kings. We enjoyed a relaxing night around the fire having some delightful man chats.
Oh, Mike made a sweet chair out of sticks and pines.
Jake's shoulder is still bothering him quite a bit, and he's not sleeping well.
We have decided to take a day of rest tomorrow.
Good times Gary,
Team Jaderstorm
Monday July 5th
Monday Morning,
I'll begin by giving some more detail into yesterdays hike. Last night I was far too exhausted to think. West Maroon Pass is a beast, and part of the reason why we chose the campsite we did. If we hadn't been so worn out, the wise thing would have been to hike West Maroon and Frigid Air pass in one day. Once we pass over Frigid Air there are many great campsites, but due to our morale, we settled for a site above the treeline in between the two passes. This seemed like a great idea at first. We did not anticipate strong winds and freezing weather. We woke up this morning to a winter wonder land. Brutalcakes. I'm currently writing this at 8:30 while we are waiting for our tents to sun dry. Mike the Gorilla left his boots out of the vestibule, so it's going to be real bummercraft for him.
Oh, last night Dean the Powerhorse tried to make a hammock with a tarp and some rope. Valiant effort. Epic fail.
Currently Jake's shoulder is inflamed and is causing him a lot of pain.
Big day ahead of us, hopefully we'll leave camp by 9:30 and make it to our next site before 5.
No tengo labios,
Team Jaderstorm
I'll begin by giving some more detail into yesterdays hike. Last night I was far too exhausted to think. West Maroon Pass is a beast, and part of the reason why we chose the campsite we did. If we hadn't been so worn out, the wise thing would have been to hike West Maroon and Frigid Air pass in one day. Once we pass over Frigid Air there are many great campsites, but due to our morale, we settled for a site above the treeline in between the two passes. This seemed like a great idea at first. We did not anticipate strong winds and freezing weather. We woke up this morning to a winter wonder land. Brutalcakes. I'm currently writing this at 8:30 while we are waiting for our tents to sun dry. Mike the Gorilla left his boots out of the vestibule, so it's going to be real bummercraft for him.
Oh, last night Dean the Powerhorse tried to make a hammock with a tarp and some rope. Valiant effort. Epic fail.
Currently Jake's shoulder is inflamed and is causing him a lot of pain.
Big day ahead of us, hopefully we'll leave camp by 9:30 and make it to our next site before 5.
No tengo labios,
Team Jaderstorm
Sunday Evening
Today was death. We hiked up West Maroon pass which was far more difficult than I remembered. We started at 6:30 and made camp at 2:30 at very serene and beautiful site. It was far too windy to make a fire, so we cooked over stoves. Freeze dried meals tonight. Quick, easy, and usually good. I'm far too tired to keep writing, perhaps I'll write more tomorrow.
Sunday
Sunday July 4th,
Our first day of hiking was surprisingly more difficult than we anticipated. While it was only a two mile hike, the steady incline and altitude came as quite a shock. We made camp around 7 near crater lake and Dean the Powerhorse made chicken and bacon quesadillas. They were wondertown. I tried to make my own quesadilla creation with Jack Links buffalo chicken nugget jerky, and well....You win some, you lose some. But everything tastes good on the trail.
I woke up this morning to Mike the Gorilla moaning. I said to him, "hey mike, how'd you sleep?"
He responded, "well, I went to bed at 11, woke up at 11:07, 11:12, 11:16, 11:25, 11:40...." He kept going till he reached 2:17 when I told him to shut up and go back to sleep. The general consensus was that no one slept well, with lots of tossing and turning. The good news (sorta) is that today is brutalcakes. We are going to be hiking a vicious 7 mile incline over West Maroon Pass, arguably the most difficult section of the trip. The reason this is "good" is that we will hopefully sleep better tonight due to sheer exhaustion.
Oh, I almost forgot another fun fact. Dean the Powerhorse broke one of our water filters. Bad news bears.
All in all, spirits are high, and today we may die.
Much love,
Team Jaderstorm
Our first day of hiking was surprisingly more difficult than we anticipated. While it was only a two mile hike, the steady incline and altitude came as quite a shock. We made camp around 7 near crater lake and Dean the Powerhorse made chicken and bacon quesadillas. They were wondertown. I tried to make my own quesadilla creation with Jack Links buffalo chicken nugget jerky, and well....You win some, you lose some. But everything tastes good on the trail.
I woke up this morning to Mike the Gorilla moaning. I said to him, "hey mike, how'd you sleep?"
He responded, "well, I went to bed at 11, woke up at 11:07, 11:12, 11:16, 11:25, 11:40...." He kept going till he reached 2:17 when I told him to shut up and go back to sleep. The general consensus was that no one slept well, with lots of tossing and turning. The good news (sorta) is that today is brutalcakes. We are going to be hiking a vicious 7 mile incline over West Maroon Pass, arguably the most difficult section of the trip. The reason this is "good" is that we will hopefully sleep better tonight due to sheer exhaustion.
Oh, I almost forgot another fun fact. Dean the Powerhorse broke one of our water filters. Bad news bears.
All in all, spirits are high, and today we may die.
Much love,
Team Jaderstorm
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Aspen
We made it to Aspen. It is quite chaotic due to 4th of July weekend, and I'm think we've nearly killed 7 bikers due to Dean The Power Horse's crazy driving skills. It seems like everyone is Aspen owns a miniature dog, and they love to show them off.
We will hopefully hit the trails by 5 and make it to our first campsite before nightfall. The first day is an easy two mile hike that leads us a small lake with open campsites. From there on, everything is more rugged and intense.
This may be the last post until we finish, but who knows, perhaps we may snag some cell phone reception when we reach 12,000 feet.
Until then,
peace.
-Team Jaderstorm
We will hopefully hit the trails by 5 and make it to our first campsite before nightfall. The first day is an easy two mile hike that leads us a small lake with open campsites. From there on, everything is more rugged and intense.
This may be the last post until we finish, but who knows, perhaps we may snag some cell phone reception when we reach 12,000 feet.
Until then,
peace.
-Team Jaderstorm
Friday, July 2, 2010
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