Monday, September 27, 2010

Glacier National Park Teaser


Kristin and I spent an amazing week earlier this month exploring Glacier National Park with my mom.  With too many stories and too many photos, we've had a hell of a time sorting through all the content and getting something posted about the trip.

Instead of waiting until its all organized, we decided to post a little teaser - a short clip of Mom preparing for her assault on Mt. Stanton.  The peak rises 4500' above Lake McDonald on the western edge of the park, and we figured it would make a great little hike on the second day of the trip.   

We won't give it away, but we will say that Mom kicked some serious butt.  Did she summit?  Did she bonk?  Did we lose her on the descent? You'll have to tune back in to find out what happened!  Reality TV at its finest.  

Labor Day 2010 - Springbok Arete Backpacking Trip

Labor Day weekend - the end of a wet and soggy summer - I tried to squeeze in one last mountain trip.  Faced with yet another mediocre forecast, Doug and I played the denial game and convinced ourselves we just had to be there because you never know what you'll get.  30%, 40%, 50% chance of rain.  It's all the same really ... isn't it?  How are we going to know what its like unless we go and find out?     

Ridiculing the stupid weather men, convinced they predict a 30-50% chance of rain every single day just so they're always right, we packed up our gear and headed to the Anderson River range in SW British Columbia.  The objective - Springbok Arete on Les Cornes.  If you're going to fail miserably, you might as well fail on a big objective.

Monday, September 20, 2010

El Potrero Chico Reprise


Back in March, Kristin and I escaped the dreary weather of the Pacific Northwest in search of Mexican limestone in El Potrero Chico.  We stumbled upon some amazing climbing, but we also met a memorable collection of personalities and characters.  One of the great people we got to know in Mexico, John Kelley, just published an article on his impressions of EPC and the unique community of climbers we found while we were there.  Check it out.  Nice work John!