Black Mountain
Hiking near Livingston Montana on July 20th, 2020. Thanks for the hiking inspo and being such a good friend Al. These chronicle the first part, the hiking to Pine Creek Lake. From there it was off the beaten path to the summit.
El Capitan (Bitterroot Edition)
Not to be confused with the granite monolith in Yosemite sharing the same name. These chronicle the first half of a trip to El Capitan, the 9,983 ft mountain in the Bitterroots south of Missoula, at the border of Montana and Idaho.
I got my butt kicked. We left the car at 8am and got back around 11pm. Lots of bushwacking, some wrong turns, and a few 5th class moves. Bagged it.
Pyramid Peak
There are several Pyramid Peaks in Montana. We spent two nights up by the one in the Swan Range. Thanks to Kate for picking out the route.
Mt. Bierstadt
Yesterday. This is a popular hike, but we managed to avoid mucho HB’s by going late in the day. The weather cooperated and it turned out to be an excellent evening. I decided to bring my camera. Thanks to Juddson for the company and the motivation.
Otter Mountain
Decided to head up a hill through the woods and ended up on top of Otter Mountain, 12766 ft. No captions here, just pictures of yesterday taken with the dying camera on my iphone. Number of HB’s viewed = 0. Muy bueno.
Biking Norwood Back to GJ
These pictures cover the second half of the trip. Two more gorgeous days of biking. Jeff has a blog of this you can check out here: https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=1mr&doc_id=22976&v=38
Rural CO Biking
In a time where the official policy of the State of Colorado is to remain within 10 miles of your home, Jeff and I rode our bikes about 250 miles over 4 days in the western part of the state.
Because we were two white guys no one shot us or anything. (edit….this was a reference to Ahmed Arbury, who was murdered while he was jogging. Since I wrote this George Floyd was murdered and the world has reacted in a substantial way) Local police and Sheriffs did not care. The multitude of other recreaters (which apparently is not a word, but should be) from in and out of state certainly did not care.
Much scenery was seen and many snacks were eaten. Thanks to Jeff for the plan. These pictures are from the first two days.
Los Angeles
A week spent exploring the eclectic world of my friend Valerie. From the beaches of Malibu, to east LA suburbia, to desert weirdness in Joshua Tree, this trip was the last time things felt normal. I came home and for my 40th birthday present the world transformed into a mass of uncertainty and isolation.
Late Season Limestone
Breaking up the Mexico trip with some pictures of a couple late fall weekends clipping bolts at Shelf Road. Me gusta mucho.
Estes Park with Mom and Dad
My parents drove out from North Carolina to Denver in August. We ended up spending 3 nights in Estes Park. Activities included playing 2 rounds of golf, looking at Rocky Mountain National Park scenery, and walking around many lakes. Thanks Mom and Dad for coming to visit!
Mas Montana
Some events not pictured: Day at the lake with Hil, Martin, Leo, Claire and friends. Tubing the Clark Fork with Cole, Hannah and Conor. Made it to the Union on a Saturday night.
Much thanks to Abigail and Heidi for all the hospitality. Thanks to Al and Becky for always treating me like family.
Until next time Montana.
P.S. Happy Birthday Dad! Love you!
Gray Wolf Peak
Hiking in the Mission Mountains north of Missoula, Montana. Big ups to Biga for all the mountain inspiration.
