“In this modern age very little remains that is real. Night has been banished, so have the cold, the wind and the stars. They have all been neutralized: the rhythm of life itself is obscured. Everything goes so fast and makes so much noise, and we hurry by without heeding the grass by the roadside, its color, its smell and the way it shimmers when the wind caresses it. What a strange encounter it is then between us and the high places of our planet! Up there, we are surrounded by the silence of forgetfulness.”
– Gaston Rebuffat
- The N. Face of the Triangle Du Tacul, Mt. Blanc Range.
I aspire to be a well-rounded climber. What’s a well-rounded climber? Well I believe it’s someone who holds a sense of adventure and an appreciation for nature above all else. In the most recent issue of Alpinist Magazine, Jim Logan describes how he and Mugs Stump prepared for their successful first ascent of the Emperor Face on Mt. Robson: “We’d spend the whole summer doing whatever it took. We hiked in, set up camp and simply observed it [the Emperor Face] for a few days, learning.”
I believe respect and admiration for the rugged beauty and power of the mountains is paramount. If I can’t go climbing, I’ll go ski-touring, trail-running, cycling, whatever. Just being outside in a landscape I love is enough to refresh me mentally/emotionally. And when I do end up just skiing, running or hiking, it’s a great opportunity to get fit, get psyched, and stay sane. Not to mention all the routes I can scope out from a quick run or ski up Glacier Gorge, Loch Vale, or Notchtop area!
- My tracks on the ridge, Mt. Bancroft – Indian Peaks.
I’m currently taking an EMT Basic / Clinical course at Front Range Community College in hopes of upgrading to WEMT (Wilderness protocol) and broadening my employment options. I’m enjoying the course and spending most of my free-time studying, so I’m not getting outside as much as I should be. In the mean time I’ve been logging some miles on the road bike, gym climbing a lot, running after school laps on short/easy Big Thompson Ice, and going for trail-runs and power hikes up Poudre Canyon.
So when the time comes (AND IT WILL COME) I’ll be ready for it! Apparently the Cameron Pass snow situation is improving, and I’ll definitely head up there soon. I’m stoked and looking forward to a great spring! (More sunshine, steeper lines to be skied, alpine ice in the Park, more sunny cragging, alpine rock in the Park, longer days = longer ski tours, more sunshine, new seasonal beers from the breweries, more sunshine…).
- Another trail run up Hewlett’s Gulch! Great place.
