The Dream Team

The new President, with all the problems facing America and the world is going to have his hands full. The problems are as diverse as tackling climate change, fixing the economy, protecting American interests abroad, combating terrorism and a plethora of domestic issues. Regardless of who wins the up coming Presidential election he is going to need a good, strong, effective Cabinet to deal with these issues. Here are my picks.

Secretary of State: Bill Clinton; it is kind of a long shot and might be some what unlikely that he would accept the job, but the former President is one of the most highly respected Americans abroad. He also has the where withall to undo the negative energy that America has garnered in the past eight years.

Secretary of Defense: Robert Gates; he is a keeper, stay with the current civilian leadership of the military. He has provided effective independent advice to the President while still listening to the advice from the military chiefs.

Secretary of Treasury: Micheal Bloomber; the mayor of New York has had lots of experience as a corporate leader, financial expert, government coordinator and has the strength to pull the shaken economy back in order.

Director of National Intelligence: Jamie Gorelick; an investigative lawyer and former 9/11 Commission Member, would serve the intelligence community well.

National Security Advisor: General Wesley Clark; he would bring a good mix of experience and academic knowledge to the job. Having Sarah Rice as his deputy would fill in his knowledge gaps and help focus on areas that have been neglected in past administrations.

A new Cabinet position should be created as well; this position would highlight the increasing importance of the environment and energy. The Secretary of the Environment and Energy: Arnold Schwarzenegger; has shown great resolve at getting the job down on environmental issues, and can help America lead the way on environmental issues.

Take Two

So I am going to be heading out on Take Two of the Colorado Trail this Sunday. I'm calling it Take Two because there will be somewhat similar conditions in the high country, namely snow; or at least in this case the possibility of snow. The differences now are the season (fall vs. spring), fitness (I'm not in what I call great shape, though better than most people I know) and I gotta dog; I think I'm a bit more knowledgeable about what I'm getting into as well.

I will be starting from Copper Mountain and heading toward the town of Twin Lakes, about twelve miles west of Leadville. The trip will be about 50 miles and I plan on doing it in 5-6 days; if I'm doing good on time and feeling well I'll probably climb Mt. Elbert as I get close to Twin Lakes. Originally I was going to head out today, but my intertibial band started hurting really bad last week and I felt like I needed to rehab it a bit. Plus a bunch of things that I hadn't done during the summer session at school needed done. So if I had headed out today I would have made it to Mt. Princeton Hot Springs out side Buena Vista, which is roughly another 50 miles from Twin Lakes.

I am planning on moving fairly light and quickly with a 10 mile per day average, carrying around 25 pounds, which is actually a lot heavier than I would like, but the pup and I will be in the 'third' season or the 'shoulder' season here in Colorado and had to pack accordingly. The intense rain and snow of last weekend really demonstrated just how rough this fall and winter might be; though that was probably just an isolated incident. Here is a list of what all I'll be bringing

So for those of you who are thinking of meeting me in Twin Lakes and going packing that weekend I will probably get into town Saturday morning and I will meet you in town. It is a tiny little town with less than two hundred people.

I will meet you at the place marked by the pin on the sat photo, but its a tiny place so there shouldn't be to much confusion. Hopefully there will be cell reception though, so I'll keep everyone attune to the changes. As far as the trip goes, a lot depends on who all comes. If there are at least two vehicles we could do a traverse and continue along the CT to a shuttle vehicle. If that opportunity does not present itself then some sort of loop or out and back could be thought up.

So if your up for coming let me know and we can work something out! Don't hesitate to ask questions.

Greys Peak

Waking up Saturday morning was a real drag; I was dead tired, my head hurt and I just generally felt like crap. Ah, getting old, isn't it great? I used to be able to drink all night, be drunk as a skunk and wake up feeling pretty chipper. No longer. After a rather fun night out in downtown Denver, I was definately not feeling like going backpacking. So instead Jennifer and I slept all day, watched movies and did somethings around the house that had been neglected after a monster study/cram/write week. Sunday was to be a different matter though, a hike would be had and it would be a grand one.

We woke up early Sunday morning to make the requisite early start for climbing a mountain and began the drive up I-70 into the mountains. Arriving at the approach road that leads to the trailhead quickly dashed our hopes of driving to the trailhead, because a series of large ruts, rocks and roots was too tough of an obstacle for my Subaru. Parking the car, we began the long slog up to the trailhead, hoping that some kind soul would pick us up. Our hopes where quickly answered and we found a seat in the bed of a pickup and enjoyed the three mile bouncy ride. We arrived at the trailhead and walked into the beautiful alpine valley and quickly got the first look at our objective, Grays and Torries. We walked on taking in the awesome surroundings, vibrant wildflowers, dramatic rocky summits, white snowfields, crystal clear streams and squeaky little pikas. Then we started the climb, and went up and up and up some more! Trudging up the rocky slopes in an oxygen deprived environment was rough, with our chests heaving and legs burning, but we endured and pressed on.

Alpine valley going in Torries is the one on the right and Gray's is the one just to the left of it

Jennifer walking up the trail with Grey's Peak towering over her to the right

We summited around noon to a wonderous view as the clouds began to close in and the temperature dropped. What an amazing sight! Every hue of green imaginable, yellows, oranges and blues from the unique alpine environment. We ate some snacks, put on more clothes, took the photos and headed back down.

Jennifer looking very pleased with herself

The view from the top of Gray's Peak
We where pretty beat and decided that one peak was enough for the day, so Torries will have to wait for another day. We ambled down back to the trailhead and began the long slog back to the car. This time no kind stranger in a SUV came to our rescue and we had to trudge the last three miles back down to the car, but it was still an awesome adventure for our first of many 14ers!

Gore Range Backpacking Trip July 25-27

The time has come for us all to go backpacking and experience the wonderful mountains of the Gore Range. I am proposing a weekend backpacking trip where we will meet up Friday evening and car camp or hike in a little bit; alternatively meet up fairly early Saturday morning and head out. Our destination? The majestic Slate Lake Basin which is an easy six mile hike with around 1000 feet of elevation gain. We will bask in the lovely alpenglow that evening, enjoying our scrumpcious backpacking meals and possibly enjoy some fly fishing in Slate Lake. The next morning we will have a lesiurely start before we begin our trek back to the trailhead. Let me know if you want to come, or have any questions.

Weekend in Fraser

So we finally go a new camera, it is the Olympus 1030 SW. It is completely Ben proof, it is waterproof, drop and crush resistant and it is sweet.

Jennifer and I took it up to Fraser for a nice relaxing Fourth of July weekend. After braving the mountain traffic on Thursday afternoon we arrived in the beautiful Fraser valley and the little yellow house.




The little yellow house

Byers Peak
I wanna climb this

Beware of the wildlife up there

Ultra-Marathoner Weight Loss System

Ignore all those fancy weight loss diets and "miracle" cures out there. You don't need to count calories, miss out on the chocolate cake or do a thousand sit ups a day. Leave Jenny alone, don't go to South Beach and never drink a single cup of Wu Long Tea; for I have the ultimate weight loss system!

With my outstanding program that has in no way been scientifically proven, FDA certified or anything else, what-so-ever, you can go from this:

To This:

Tired of being the Hippo and want to be the Gazelle? Sick of being avoided at the watering hole and want to be able to flee your enemies?
Then prepare to live the revolution! This simple program is so easy even a Three Toed Sloth could do it! It relies on the ancient wisdom of this forgotten proverb:

"Burn more than thou consumest"

I think Sophocles or some other ancient guy said it at one time or another.

Are you ready to feel the power, to feel in control of your life? Then get ready for here it comes at ya,

The Details:

Over our ten week program you will lose all the weight your body can concievably lose. You will experience tremendous pain in the form of burning quads, blistered feet and awesome amounts of exhaustion.

So get ready to get tired, because if you are like any of my other clients you'll get tired just reading this.

The Program:

Run all the freaking time. Oh yeah you heard me your gonna be running; alot. How much is alot, well your gonna be running as much as an adult male African Ostrich; that is right, an Ostrich.

If you embrace the power of the Ostrich then you too will look like the Gazelle!
Just look at one of my latest happy clients!

Thompson says "It worked for me, I used to be a sperm whale."

To take part in this legendary program just go run, right now. Start out with small mileages then begin working your way up to longer and longer runs. Before you know it you will be running ten miles every day and looking like the gazelle!

The Last Epic

So I have been meaning to post this for sometime now, but what will all the chaos of moving, finding a job and getting settled I just haven't had time; plus we just got the internet today. First I'll give a quick update on how things are going out here in Colorado.

Things are going pretty well....aside from the whole no job thing. Colorado is pretty sweet, overall and I am glad to be back.

So on to the Epic!

This was my last outdoor activity in Idaho and I wanted it too be something momentous. For that I needed to do something that would be poignant, hard and challenging, but doable in one day, due to time constraints. First of all I suppose it is just in my nature for something to be challenging, or I could even go as far to say, for it to be worth doing; for me there has to be a bit of suffering involved. Doubly so if it going to be something "epic" or a summation of my outdoor activities somewhere.

So my original plan was to do a week long backpacking trip in the Sawtooths, though due to time constraints and lack of interest by friends I gave this plan up and settled on climbing McDonald Peak. McDonald Peak is one of the more accessible climbs in the Sawtooths, especially in the winter, or spring since it does not require a extremely long approach. Plus it is right behind the family cabin, so I have played around on its lower slopes quite a bit while during my times in the Stanley Basin.

So on Wednesday after my last final I hurried home and scooped up the dog, my pack, snowshoes and kissed Jennifer good bye.

"See ya tommarow!"

I wanted to be up in the Sun Valley area by five pm so I could rent some skis, since skiing is always preferable to snowshoeing, but I didn't actually get out of Boise, until around four thirty. Fortunately I remebered the Eco-Lounge in Boise; I had been trying to get a hold of the store for a couple days, but always got no answer. As I drove out of town I decided to give one last call.

"Eco-Lounge"

"Yeah, are you guys still renting out backcountry gear?"

"What like skis?"

"Yeah, like telemark skis and boots."

"We only have alpine touring stuff"

"Ok that will work, I'll be right there."

It is much better to ski than slog around in snowshoes, if for anything, its for the ride back down the mountain.

So I drove up through Sun Valley to get the key to the cabin and drove to the approach road that goes to the summer homes at the base of the peak. I drove in aways, but was then stopped by excessive amounts of snow and mud.

I packed up the skis and rest of the gear and started the long slog into the cabin. Reaching the cabin after an exhausting slog, Kulgogi and I quickly fell asleep in preparation of our alpine start for the assault on the peak.

"Errrg EEEERggggg EEEERrrrgg" The alarm went off at the happy hour of four in the morning and I immediatly slapped the snooze, a few times। Around five I finally woke up and stumbled downstairs to warm up my breakfast of champions; smores Poptarts mmmmmh, nutrious.

Kulgogi and I struggled out the door and into the morning darkness. We quickly made it to the bottom of the ridge and I dropped off my kicker skins and my hiking boots. Or I should say hiking boot, apparently I had dropped one earlier. So after a bit of swearing I began the boot pack through the snowless forest up to the snowline.

After a bit I reached enough snow to skin on and began the long slog up the mountain.

And up

And up

Until we finally reached the summit block

We pushed on into the alpine and the mountain got much steeper. I dropped the skis next to a rock outcropping and started kicking steps into the hard snow for the last hundred yards or so to the summit.

Don't I look overjoyed to be sucking wind at 10000ft?

Soon it was all worth it though, as I summited and took in the awesome view of the Sawtooths.

After taking in the view for few minutes I glissaded back down the mountain to my skis and then enjoyed 4,000 feet of corn back down to the gear that I stashed earlier. I went and collected my errant boot and walked back to the car. There I enjoyed one last view of my accomplishment and drove back to Boise.

Peace out Idaho!