Monthly Archives: December 2012

2012 has been one AMAZING year!  Completed my first successful New Year’s Resolution – 52 unique hikes across Colorado, Wyoming, Utah & New Hampshire.  During 2012, as my pup Ro grew – so did our health & hike stamina.

CHANGE – I increased water intake (dropped tea & coffee) and upped my daily fruit & vegetable counts.  My entire diet improved & unknowingly, dropped 20+ lbs.  EVERYTHING changed over simply a matter of months.

CHANGE – I learned to navigate remote trailheads (after getting lost in March – a common hike theme in 2012) and survived a lightning strike (on Audubon in August).  Ro & I completed 6 14ers and 3 13ers, hiked in waist-deep snow, and both experienced ice brows on high altitude, sudden weather change treks.

In 2012, I made a lotta new friends.  So many awesome people who love being outside & also love Colorado!

CHANGE – I ran 3 road races in 2012, including a local 10 mile event in Louisville.

CHANGE – I switched churches, was baptized (in August) and expanded my religious faith.

FAMILY SUCCESS – I watched Ashton graduate from UConn (in May), celebrated Ro’s first birthday and ‘Gotcha Day’ (October & December) AND travelled to DisneyWorld (Florida) for DAVE-cember, where little man turned 18!

CHANGE – I joined Facebook in 2012 but dropped both cable TV and cell phone service.  That said, need to make peace with cell phone service in 2013 and decrease time spent on Facebook.  At DisneyWorld I watched folks glued to their iPhones – super scary.  I don’t wanna become a droid – there’s gotta be a happy medium.  Remain 1000% committed/focused to ‘life-2nd half’ as an active outdoor-based guy — still don’t see TV in my future (unfortunately, just not reading enough).

FUTURE – Goal for 2013 is to further tech-up.  In 2012, I launched mycoloradolife.net.  In 2013, I want to use my iPad at least 75% of the time and gravitate away from the laptop.

FUTURE – Goal for 2013 is to increase friend & family time.  Whereas 2012 was a lean year for travel while settling into my Colorado life and acclimating to life with a dog – 2013 will include more travel, more first time life experiences.

But no worries…still expect to see xtreme hike & summit pics in 2013 – so much more to explore in Colorado!

 

My mantra remains the same – LIVE, LIVE SIMPLY, LIVE NOW.

We are ALL capable of change.

Put it down on paper.  Celebrate small victories, build on life successes, be courageous!  It’s scary to expose thoughts, wants, dreams.  But DO it — PUSH yourself in 2013, do something new, enjoy the ride.

 

Happy AMAZING 2012 my friends!   No regrets; nothing left undone.

Hike Challenge 2012 - 52 AMAZING weeks!

Hike Challenge 2012 – 52 AMAZING weeks!

No better way to celebrate completion of my 2012 Hike Challenge than to share hike #52 with my friend Stephen in New Hampshire.  But where to go?  Could there be something worthy outside of Colorado?

Arrived in Manchester on the 29th in between snow storms!  Literally started snowing 2 hours after landing – 8 inches of fresh snow which delayed my East Coast ‘welcome home’ party ‘til Sunday but…fresh powder is a mighty cool welcome of its own.

New Hampshire climate is not so different than Colorado with 3 exceptions:

  • lack of East Coast sunshine makes for lotta ‘grey’ days
  • lack of evergreens which makes for lotta winter season ‘stick’ trees
  • hard-core NH hikers are all-about 4’s – not 14ers.  Elevations in New Hampshire shoot up fast from sea level but nothing rivaling our Rocky Mountain peaks.  Tree line drops off at 4,000 ft in NH; 12,000 ft in Colorado.

All said, being outside & climbing a mountain ANYWHERE on New Year’s Eve is ROCKSTAR!  And similar to Colorado, we were not the only hikers out on Holiday Eve.  Epic hike challenge finale 🙂

Dressed a-ok for the sub-zero peak wind chill but could have been better equipped with poles & crampons.  Ice on granite makes for an arduous peak scramble – and creates a bigger calorie burn.  Selected the White Dot Trail to summit – most direct, but also the steepest climb.  I’d select a point on our trek horizon, then we’d push to reach ‘the 2nd dead tree’, or ‘the 1st boulder after the curve’, take a break & push to our next target point.

Reached tree-line where our trail flattened for half a mile, temps dropped, and the evergreens & underbrush sparkled under a dazzling coating of ice and light snow…like something from a Jack Frost Christmas special — BEAUTIFUL!

Two and half hours in & one last scramble UP, then SUMMIT SUCCESS!

Snapped a few pics, took a short video clip, then blasted down the mountain side in quick time…sliding on my heels most of the journey.  My Colorado seasoning hadn’t prepared me for bitter New Hampshire wind.  LOL>

 

52 week Hike Challenge — yeah, it’s possible.  Set a goal, stick a goal.  Done.

 

Mt Monadnock (summit clip)

 

Ho hum, had to work on Saturday – so no hike, right?  You kidding?  AND we’re gonna have our first white Christmas in years…which means SNOW.  There’s my motivation: quick Christmas Eve hike before holiday SNOW.  Lovin’ life!

Planned to hike Green Mountain in Boulder for #51 (yep, year’s almost over!)  Departed from Gregory Canyon trailhead but unfortunately an hour half later, I arrived back at Gregory Canyon trailhead.  How does that even happen?  ARGH!  Been almost 3 months since I’ve been lost on a hike.  So could either try try again (which I’ve done before) or try an impromptu ‘Plan B’ hike (which I’ve also done before :))

Plan B: Flagstaff Mountain.  Departed from Gregory Canyon trailhead and an hour half later, summited Flagstaff Mountain in Boulder (just under 7,000 ft elevation).  Easy hike up, light snow path, beautiful panorama of pines and boulders.

Flagstaff Mountain is a mountain located just west of downtown Boulder, Colorado, Colorado.  It offers stunning daytime and night-time views of Boulder, Denver and the surrounding mountains. There are hiking and bike trails, picnic areas, the Summit Nature Center, and an outdoor amphitheatre.

Saw multiple signs warning of a Dec 20th mountain lion sighting so stayed super alert as Ro & I were completely alone on today’s hike.  Hard to believe more people wouldn’t be out hiking on Christmas Eve – LOL>

Flagstaff is road accessible all the way to the top – super popular with cyclists.  Our trail crisscrossed the road 6 times before summit success – garnished with 2 shelters (one stone, one wood) and rows of picnic tables.  BEAUTIFUL view (and only 20 minutes from my Louisville home)!  Gotta do this again next summer 🙂

Flagstaff will be Ro’s last hike of 2012.  What a great hiking companion!  Finishing up my New Year’s challenge next weekend in New Hampshire – and ringing in 2013 with East Coast friends.  What an amazing ride – LOVE LOVE LOVE my Colorado life!