RMNP

Having been on the injured reserve list this entire summer, I have looked at Rocky Mountain National Park in a different way. RMNP means a lot more than just a place to go and climb. When I am healthy and fit, all I want to do is go to my projects and work them into submission. This summer, I have seen “the park” through a non climbing set of eyes.
Hiking up the trail heading to Chaos Canyon, I think to myself what an amazing place rocky is. The climbing is world class and the rock is amazing, but what about all the other things that make the park so impressive? For me, there are so many things that make the park one my favorite places to get away. Not being able to climb, I have been doing some hiking around the park and up to Chaos Canyon. There are so many things I took for granted only because the park was a place that I could go and be a selfish climber. Pushing my own personal limits in climbing requires a selfish approach unfortunately. Usually while hiking up the trail, I would focus on my project’s sequences or try to tap into that focus that for myself, is sometimes required to complete projects that are at my limit. In doing so, I thought I took in the amazing surroundings, but I really wasn’t seeing. Within the almost 1,000 square miles there are 359 miles of hiking trails, some of which are Alberta Falls, Dream Lake, Ouzel Falls, Mills Lake, Cub Lake, The Loch, Flattop Mountain, and Longs Peak. There are about 900 different species of flowers, 60 mountains exceeding 12,000 feet, topping off at 14,259 feet, and 60 species of mammals; more than 280 recorded bird species; six amphibians, including the federally endangered boreal toad; one reptile (the harmless garter snake); 11 species of fish; and countless insects, including a surprisingly large number of butterflies. The park is one of the most amazing places in the world. As a climber who mainly focuses on his goals, (bouldering), sometimes seeing things differently puts other things into perspective. I love climbing and always will, but opening my eyes to seeing what is really out there and I mean what is really out there as far as this earth is extremely refreshing.
Here are some other cool facts that make up RMNP.
Establishment
President Woodrow Wilson signed legislation on 26 Jan 1915 to create Rocky Mountain National Park. In 1976 the natural ecosystems of the park, which represent the Rocky Mountain Biogeographic Province, received recognition through the United Nations "Man and Biosphere" program as an international Biosphere Reserve. The reserve is part of the network of protected samples of the world's major ecosystem types that is devoted to conservation of nature and genetic material and to scientific research in the service of humanity. It provides a standard against which the effects of human impact on the environment can be measured.

Protecting the Rockies
In 1903, F. O. Stanley, inventor of the Stanley Steamer automobile, came to Estes Park for his health. Impressed by the beauty of the valley and grateful for the improvement in his health, he decided to invest his money and his future there. In 1909, he opened the elegant Stanley Hotel, a classic hostelry exemplifying the golden age of touring.
Largely due to Stanley's efforts, the Estes Park Protective and Improvement Association was established to protect local wildflowers and wildlife and to improve roads and trails. "Those who pull flowers up by the roots will be condemned by all worthy people, and also by the Estes Park Protective and Improvement Association," they warned. It was the start of a conservation ethic that has become increasingly important and complex.
Even more important to the future of the area was Enos Mills, who came to the Longs Peak area in 1884 when he was 14 years old. A dedicated naturalist, he wrote eloquent books about the area's natural history. Not long after his arrival, Mills bought the Longs Peak Inn and began conducting local nature trips.
In 1909, Mills first proposed that the area become the nation's tenth national park to preserve the wildlands from inappropriate use. It was his vision that you would arrive here years later to experience the wonderful Rocky Mountain wilderness he knew. "In years to come when I am asleep beneath the pines, thousands of families will find rest and hope in this park," he proclaimed.
Unleashing his diverse talents and inexhaustible energy, he spent several years lecturing across the nation, writing thousands of letters and articles, and lobbying Congress to create a new park that would stretch from the Wyoming border south to Pikes Peak, covering more than 1,000 square miles. Most civic leaders supported the idea, as did the Denver Chamber of Commerce and the Colorado Mountain Club. In general, mining, logging, and agricultural interests opposed it. The compromise drafted by James G. Rogers, the first president of the Colorado Mountain Club, was the establishment of a smaller park (358.3 square miles). On January 26, 1915, under President Woodrow Wilson, it was declared Rocky Mountain National Park.
Today, the park stands as a legacy to those pioneers who looked beyond its harvestable resources to its more lasting values.
Size and Visitation
The park has grown to more than 415 square miles. In 1990, it gained an additional 465 acres when Congress approved expansion of the park to include the area known as Lily Lake. The National Park Service, the Conservation Fund, and some diligent legislators successfully halted land development in this area adjacent to the park's boundary. It now is an important buffer zone that helps protect the migratory routes of wildlife in the park.
Visitation - FY 2000Total Recreation Visits - 3,180,889

Midrange boulder problems

I thought it would be kind of cool to put together a list of the mid range boulder problems in Colorado frontrange. I had sent out a message on Face book to all the other climbers that I know in Colorado to respond with what they feel are their favorite V6- V8 boulder problems. I am putting the list together and will post it as soon as folks hit me back. Colorado is known for it's really hard problems, but it seems as though the mid range problems get over looked. I wanted to bring to light our phenomenal mid range problems as well.

Balloon Ride

Danielle and I received a balloon ride as our wedding gift from all of our friends at Evolve. We finally took advantage of it and scheduled our ride for this last weekend. We were hoping to wait till October so that the fall colors would fill in, but we couldn't wait any longer, we were too psyched! Fair Winds was the Hot Air Balloon Company we went up with. The entire staff and the owner Jeff were the funniest people ever. They totally love their jobs and you could tell.
The Fair Winds Balloon Company has about 5 balloons. You can fit about 4 to 8 people per balloon basket depending on the basket. We had to be at the launch site at 6:30 a.m. in Gunbarrel. We took off around 7:30ish and stayed up for about 2 hours. It was super calm, about a whapping 4 miles per hour. The views were spectacular and the weather was perfect. There was not a cloud in the sky and it was actually warm that early in the morning. We thought it was going to be cold higher up in the atmosphere, so we dressed in pants and brought sweatshirts. Because you stand right below the burners, it felt like your hair, neck and shoulders were going to catch fire. It gets really warm in the basket, especially when the pilot hits the burners.
We floated along the Boulder skyline and enjoyed all the views of the Rockies, Plains and Front Range. Jeff, our pilot gave us all kinds of Boulder trivia and some cool history lessons of the area. We took tons of photos and just relaxed, enjoying the peaceful calm of the balloon ride. Because you float with the wind, you actually don’t feel any breeze at all. The balloons fallow wind currents and can change their direction by lifting or falling to other wind currents. The wind currents blow in different directions depending on the elevation you are at. The only time you feel any breeze is when you rise or fall to a different wind current. The balloons go up early in the morning because of wind speeds and because of air temp. The cooler the atmosphere, the easier it is to heat the air within the balloon, giving them the lift they need. I guess the wind speeds needs to be pretty minimal or it gets really difficult to control the balloon on the ground and in the air. Jeff told us that he has clocked himself at 40 miles per hour once. Landing in those conditions can be very dangerous.
Now, trying to find the right place to land sounds pretty easy, right? I guess in Boulder County, you can’t land in open space. Each balloon has a catch team that fallows them. Once the balloon lands, their catch team rolls up in either a van or a towed trailer. They then break down the balloon and away they go. The owner Jeff has been landing in various areas around Boulder for 30 years and knows just about everyone. We had landed in a spot, but realized we were in open space. We took off again and looked for another landing spot. Jeff started to land on a farmer’s property while asking his ground support crew to ask the farmer if it was ok via warlike talkie. We came in kind of hot. Jeff had to bypass a pond while trying to avoid a tree and land quick enough to not take out the farmer’s fence. It was as pin point as you could get. Jeff dropped us right between a fence and a fire pit. We were all impressed to say the least.
After we all helped break down the balloon, we met back at the launch site. Jeff and his crew gave everyone that flew that day a goodie bag with a t-shirt, a small bottle of champagne and a bunch of coupons to help support local business. The tradition goes; in France where ballooning started, farmers thought that ballooners were devils. When the ballooners landed, they would give the farmers either a bottle of wine or champagne to show where they were from. Today, ballooners carry bottles of wine or champagne to give to the farmers where they have to land to say thanks.
Danielle and I had wonderful time learning about hot air balloons and the traditions that encompass them. The Fair Winds team gave us a wonderful experience that we will remember for many years to come. We can’t wait to do it again.

Edward Abbey

A cool paragraph from the book, "Desert Solitaire".

No, wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit, and as vital to our lives as water and good bread. A civilization which destroys what little remains of the wild, the spare, the original, is cutting itself off from its origins and betraying the pinciple of civilization itself. If industrial man cintinues to multiply his numbers and expand his operatinos he will succeed in his apparent intention, to seal himself off from the natural and isolate himself within a synthetic prison of his own making. He will make himself an exile from the earth and then will know at last, if he is still capable of feeling anything, the pain and agony of final loss. He will understand what the captive Zia INdians meant when they made a song out of their sickness for home;
My home over there,
Now I remember it;
And when I see that mountain far away,
Why then I weep,
Why then I weep,
Remembering my home.

Non Climbing Summer activities

Staying fit and positive is going to be my motto for a while. Not being able to climb is always a tough non-motivating situation, but channeling that energy into other pursuits will ultimately be a positive. I have been getting out and hiking with my dog while finding other beautiful places in Colorado that I normally would not search out.
Climbing has been my way of staying fit for many years and a great way to escape the stressful dramas of life. Now that I have contracted the dreadful tendinitis in my left elbow and possibly a torn bicep in my right arm, staying fit will be a different pursuit. Not having an upper body to keep in shape, I figure maybe going hiking to keep my lower half in check would be a positive way to escape those pesky, stressful dramas.
There are so many hiking trails in such a close proximity to our home that I have been able to hike a new trail weekly. I have taken Peanut up to Nederland and hiked the trail around Nederland Lake, the Green Mountain Trail in Boulder Canyon, the Rabbit Mountain Trail in Lyons, and a bunch of open space trails along the plains. The wild flowers are still in bloom and are rich in their colors of yellow, orange and purple. Even though we are in the middle of August, with so much rain this year, everything is still alive and green which is a nice change from summers past.
Saturday, I took Peanut up to the Rabbit Mountain Trail in Lyons. It was warm, but not blazing hot with a gentle breeze and scattered clouds.Peanut and I hiked the three mile trail up to a look out that allowed us to see the entire Front Range and Flatiron areas. I have my snake eyes on so to speak for rattlers, but have been lucky so far. Even though it hasn’t been too warm, I know there are still snakes out basking in the sun. On our way back down the trail, Peanut, bless her heart, crashed. She is a small pit bull with very short hair. When the temperatures get one degree above 70, she moves like a slug. I was walking at a medium pace and noticed that she had been lagging way behind. I do admit that there wasn’t a lot of shade on the trail and Peanut does do ok when there is some shade for her to hide in. It was a pretty sad sight to see and at this rate, we would never get home in time to make Chris Schulte’s birthday party. I picked her up, wrapped her around my neck and she didn’t even put up a fight. She is about 38- 40 pounds which isn’t too bad. I walk her down to the base of the uphill section and place her back on the ground. As soon as I put her leash back on, she is in the lead and pulling on the leash as usual. She is such a funny dog, in that, I mean that she is so much like a little child. I have had to do this before because she more or less stops and gives you the, I’m dying look and just stares up at you with sad eyes. Her suffocating panting was also a sign that she was a bit overheated. I do know that her breed is from a cooler, moister region that is totally different from Colorado’s dry, high altitude, intense sunny region. As we closed the gap towards my truck, it did seem to be getting warmer and I felt a bit bad about dragging the Nutt up the sparsely shaded trail. Poor Peanut must think that every time I take her outside now, that I am going to torture her to hike some fiery inferno of a trail. She may at some point protest these hikes and just want to stay home in her air-conditioned castle. I think for Peanut’s sake and mine; I can get back out and get to climbing again soon!