The Archives

July 2008




  • Colorado

    Marmots!

    07.31.08 | Permalink | 2 Comments

    A mother and baby marmot perched on a rock up in Ice Lakes Basin, San Juans, Colorado. Check out a zoom crop of the two below.

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  • Funny Stuff

    No Exit

    Comics by Andy Singer. See more at AndySinger.com.

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  • Colorado

    Boating at 12,000 Feet

    Ice Lake Flowers

    I was up at Ice Lakes Basin today, in the San Juans of Colorado, and saw a boat on the lake at 12,257′! They hauled this inflatable raft almost 2,500 feet up to take this cruise. That is some ambitious leisure.

  • Backpacking & Camping, Colorado

    Ouray-Uncompahgre Loop

    Uncompahgre Wilderness

    This weekend I went on a wonderful 25 mile backpacking loop from Ouray. I started at Bear Creek, a few miles up the road from Ouray, hiked up to the rolling green tundra paradise of the Uncompahgre Wilderness, along the Horsethief Trail to the Bridge of Heaven Trail, then back down into Ouray. I camped two nights along the way.

    The tundra is so beautiful right now, with lush green grass and wildflowers popping up everywhere. In contrast to last week’s brutal bushwhack, this trip was a stroll through paradise. I was practically ecstatic as I walked through one gorgeous basin after another. This hike easily ranks among the best I’ve done in Colorado, and it’s basically in my backyard!

    UPDATE: I’ve finally posted my photos here.

  • Funny Stuff, Videos

    Dancing Around the World

    Here’s a goofy video for you. It’s pretty awesome how this guy Matt got paid to travel the world to do exactly this… read more about his adventure at Where the Hell is Matt?

  • Colorado

    Moon above Hayden

    Moon and Clouds

    The moon shines through some funky clouds above Hayden Peak, as seen from my front door in Ouray, Colorado.

  • Backpacking & Camping, Colorado, Mountain Stories

    Cow Creek Bushwhack

    07.13.08 | Permalink | 10 Comments

    During the last three days, I bushwhacked through the Cow Creek valley, a rugged and remote mountain valley in the Uncompahgre Wilderness of the San Juan Mountains east of Ridgway. My original plan was to hike through the valley and continue up to the high alpine zone, where I would hike a high loop route around to Wetterhorn Basin and then take a trail back to my truck. However this plan was thwarted by geography – the Cow Creek valley is absolutely impassible six miles up, forcing me to turn around and bushwhack all the way back out the way I came.

    Cow Creek, Colorado
    This photo shows a sample of the kind of terrain and bushwhacking I was dealing with the entire time. There are many obstacles along the river which forced me to constantly hike up and down through thick bush and forest and along steep, loose, rocky slopes. Over the three days, I spent 23 hours of tough hiking to cover a mere 12 miles round trip, for an average of about 0.5 miles/hour! I can think of a few words to describe this bushwhack; it was brutal, tedious, frustrating, demoralizing, maddening, hellish, unrewarding, exhausting, etc, etc.

    Below are some more photos from this fruitless exploration.

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  • Colorado

    Dusk in Ouray

    Ouray at Dusk
    [+] Dusk in Ouray, Colorado as seen from the Sutton Mine Trail.

  • Events

    Ouray Water Fights

    07.05.08 | Permalink | 2 Comments

    Ouray Water Fights
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    WATER FIGHT!!! This is a Ouray 4th of July tradition dating way back to the mining days, in which 4 people (2 vs. 2) blast the hell out of each other with fire hoses, for as long as it takes until the losing team falls down or just can’t hold on to the hose any longer. It’s a ridiculous mix of hilarity and brutality, and as I look at these photos I still can’t stop laughing.

    This year I got right up along the ropes and snapped some photos while getting completely drenched. Good times! Check out all my battle photos below.

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