The Great Blue Heron

If a picture could say it all.

At this juncture I’ve had several people in my life die, including an assortment of friends and family. I’ve felt a sense of loss with each death but this fall, when I had to accept that my grandpa was sick with brain cancer, and now far too quickly, no longer with me, dead; I felt a hole of remorse and pain I’ve never felt before. My grandpa, Pop, was my everything. 

He died almost two months ago and I’ve been struggling to write something because I want whatever I write to be perfect. I don’t want to summarize his life, I want to honor his life. As I slowly begin to formulate ideas of how to best do this (I have a general idea but the end product will take some time) in this post I’ll tell you about a bird I’ve been seeing regularly ever since he passed: The Great Blue Heron.

No joke, I’ve been seeing Great Blue Herons EVERYWHERE lately.  If not daily, I’ve seen this great bird multiple times a day in the most interesting places. I’ve seen him flying over head, stalking prey in ponds, and suddenly springing into action with a slightly too close for comfort interaction with Josey. I’ve seen him in Colorado, Nebraska, Chicago and North Carolina.

I’ve adopted the Great Blue Heron into my life as my animal totem, my guiding force – an animal that presented itself so perfectly timed with my grandfather’s passing that I easily brush aside cynical doubts as to its meaning and validity. I never looked at the Great Blue Heron carefully before or taken any interest in him whatsoever, but knowing my grandfather’s interest in ornithology and this bird’s great power, I’ve quickly become fascinated.

The Great Blue Heron - a photo from the interweb

The Great Blue Heron represents self-determination and a jack-of-all-trades, reminding me to continue to trust and pursue my relatively unconventional path. He also teaches that grounding yourself in all manners of the sense can lead to valuable emotional insights. These are always the things my grandfather provided me with – unwavering belief in any endeavor I embraced – always encouraging me to make good use of both my body and mind – asking me to take a harder look at driving forces in my life.

I’ve led a pretty anxiety laden life and I think much of this has come from feeling a need to have one concrete, end-all goal. As I’ve begun to honestly address the anxiety in my life (after waking up on my 29^th birthday feeling nauseous, head and heart throbbing) I’ve begun to take the time to pause and look at the roots of my anxiety more - I’ve begun to take deeper breaths.

The Great Blue Heron and my grandfather, which I will now forever equate as one, are teaching me slowly, that to me balance is a little of this and a little of that. That my love for moving along trails through dense forests, mountain scenery, and alpine terrain mesh perfectly with my interest in intimately knowing the natural world, and working to contribute ever so slightly to the conservation of this planet that I call home.

Pop

As the Great Blue Heron tells me to trust in my self-determination I find that slow and durable is faster than rapid and rash. I apply lessons of risk, resilience and restoration to my life and happily find a balance of introspection and engagement. I see that shifting gears early and often is my most interested form of life. That I’m a creature who can be both active and quite; and through this all, why wouldn’t I keep rolling the dice?

Pop was more than just my grandpa, he was that extra special man in my life. I never questioned his love and I knew without a trace of uncertainty that he would always and forever have my back. I’m thankful the Great Blue Heron has entered my life. Reminding me to pause. Reminding me to take a deep breath.

More or Less, Yes

After 29 years of thinking that I want more out of life, I’ve come to the halting realization that in actuality, I want less.

I want less commitment, less definitive purpose and less of a path to follow. With the subsequent time and energy afforded by less, maybe I won’t find myself overwhelmed by the constant nagging notion of productivity as a prescription for full life. Maybe I’ll become unconsciously absorbed in the details of this beautiful planet and have no choice but to fight tooth and nail for its survival. Maybe I’ll find a way to write words that express the feeling I get in the face of fear and the exuberance for life that follows without sounding maddeningly cliché.

This realization comes with a mixed bag of emotions.

In the wake of conversations with friends who share similar desires and values I want to bolt out the door and start loading up a van - birds of paradise exploding from my chest. Other times I sit alone at a table full of strangers and feel like a small, insignificant lunatic who needs to start paying their dues and jump on the drunken misery train of mundane ASAP.

So why? Why not just “go for it”?

Well…I’m thinking too linearly. This isn’t just a switch to flip. It’s a progression. It’s the slow unraveling of a façade that came with the unexpected and sickly alluring world of more. It’s finding comfort in familiar scars; making uncertainly a friendlier foe and understanding that infinite possibility has no end. It’s ending the battle of should and starting the adventure of could.

So thats why. That's why I AM going for it. Slowly but ever more surely, beginning, with less.

Reeling

My mind is reeling.

I’m in Grand Junction, CO for the Colorado chapter of The Wildlife Society’s annual state meeting and after two consecutive days of inspiring presentations, workshops and discussions with wildlife professionals I can’t get my brain to turn off. It’s a strange mix of exhilarating and overwhelming being here; ideas flood the limits of my mental capacity and opportunities that I’ve only dreamed of have casually present themselves. It’s the strange irony of being in love with something that just two years ago, I hardly knew existed.

Windy camp with Los Cuernos in the distance

While the revelations of this conference are framed by the inherently un-sexy confines of a hotel ballroom, it’s these thoughts that bring me rushing back to my setting the majority of last month. Enter: Patagonia.

It all began in early 2014 as I reflected on the passing of two people I held in great respect and affection: Amy Dombrowski and Bill Keith. The untimely deaths of these two highly passionate and kind individuals lead me to a clear realization that this is a short, fragile life we live. I rationalized, as a result, that the absolute worst thing I could do in the wake of their deaths would be to set limits on the possibilities of my own life. With this resolution in my mind, I took out a United airlines credit card with the perk of 50,000 free reward miles and combined those with a few I’d been saving to purchase a $58.04 round trip ticket (after taxes and fees) to Santiago, Chile for Winter Break of 2014-2015.

I’ve dreamed of laying eyes on the sheer, glaciated cliffs of Patagonia’s most famed mountains – particularly the Fitz Roy masiff – since the day Patagonia, Inc. catalogues began arriving at my house circa 13 years old. That being said, I had high expectations for this trip. And let me tell you: it didn’t disappoint.

I would have to write a short novel to tell the complete tale of Kate and I’s time in Patagonia and all the amazing moments we experienced. With this not being possible, nor a highly desirable endeavor, I’ll simply share a few small points that I simply can’t stand to withhold:

Sophie, guardian of Navarino

Isla Navarino: It’s not the end of the world, but wait, being one of the southern most inhabited islands in the world, Isla Navarino kind of is. Kate and I arrived here on recommendation of my roommates, Lee and Marie, and we were quite simply blown away. The land was rugged, pristine and insanely beautiful. We encountered jagged peaks, stunning lagoons, vast landscapes of micro-plant communities and twisted beech trees straight out of Dr. Seuss. The challenging, adventurous nature of the trek took us over beautiful passes, up vertical slopes entirely devoid of switchbacks, rock-hopping across scree fields and crawling over downed trees in thick vegetation – all in the company of a couple tag-along local dogs. The incredible kindness, generosity and pure awesomeness of the people of Isla Navarino’s largest town, Puerto Williams, left us utterly floored.

Torres del Paine

Torres del Paine National Park: Despite the crowds that came along with a location on the bucket list of the entire world, when Kate and I arrived at the Torres mirador and gazed upon the most perfect sight known to man with the luck of a blue sky break in the day, it was impossible to contain the sudden exuberance that shot your heart straight up to your head. We sat there for what seemed like ages, mesmerized. For the rest of our time in the park we decided to avoid the masses by condensing the 5-day “W” trek into a 3-day backpack/run adventure. On our penultimate day, an early start on a seemingly gloomy day lead us up Valle Francis (in near solitude!) into the most expansive cirque I’ve ever laid eyes upon. We returned to camp, packed our tents and bags and continued over to the Grande Paine Refugio where we set camp once again before taking off to see Glacier Grey. Still in our hiking boots and with 13 miles already under our belts, we faced a stiff headwind for ~6.5miles out to the glacier. Here we encountered house-sized chunks of bright blue ice floating in a vast lake that was being fed by a massive wall of ice. On our return trip we realized just how strong the wind we had face on our way out was as we quite literally flew back to camp. At the crest of a large hill where the wind was roaring particularly hard, we had the sensation of being marionette dolls – moving our limbs effortlessly as if they where attached to strings while we sped across the landscape.

Kate, looking for cerro Fitz Roy

The Fitz Roy massif and Cerro Torre: In my mind I held these mountains to be the holy grail of Patagonia. As our bus neared the gateway town of El Chalten, Fitz Roy and its satellite peaks beckoned us with a perfect view and clear blue skies. I stared in wonder. As we arrived into town small clouds began to cover Fitz Roy’s peak and I decided to wait on a photo. Little did I know that would be the last I would see of the great mountain. For the next 3 days Kate and I saw nothing but rain, snow, and more rain. We camped for a while before retreating into town to enjoy local microbrews and play the tourist game for the first time on our trip. We were scheduled to depart at 6pm on our final day to start the long trek home and with a big dose of luck we woke early that morning to SUN! Kate and I headed to the mountains to commence a 20 mile one-day tour (somehow, again, in hiking boots even though we ran 90% of the time) of the area to see what we could see. Although only glimpses of a few Fitz Roy satellites presented themselves, we sat at the base of the massif completely alone, watching glaciers hang high above vertical faces. It was hard not to feel that you were watching a sculptor at work as he carved away the finishing touches of perfection, shrouding his work from view with clouds. We continued on to another glacier and finally Cerro Torre where again, luck hit as I caught a 30-sec full view of the famed tower.

Kate and I

Back in the here and now, it’s hard to leave you with only those stories as each sentence makes me think of a million more – but in the end this trip gave me so much more than I could have ever anticipated – and beyond adventure and beautiful sights I have three take home points:

1. The knowledge that I must return to Chile and Argentina. At the onset of this trip 3 weeks seemed like ample time to see the sights. I now know that I’ve seen .001% of the tip of the iceberg that is Patagonia. The high Andes of the north, the pristine beauty of the South and the belly of Fitz Roy – all these things are calling.

Micro plants on Navarino

2. I had the most excellent travel companion I could ask for. Kate and I have spent many a day running and talking and having fun since I meet her 2 years ago in Fort Collins but a trip like this changes a friendship and I’m so thankful for the time and adventures we shared. The experiences we encountered on this trip are of such quality that they will be impossible to erase from my mind. 

3. Time to reflect is the most valuable time of all. Next to the sights I saw and happiness I felt, I equally value the time I was able to spend reading, writing, thinking quietly in our tent: I made a new friend (and developed a huge crush) on John Muir, I set goals that are being fed by the fire of this conference (yep! Still in Grand Junction!), and learned that little bit more about (as cheesy as it sounds) the core of myself.

As the thoughts of adventure funnel back to the excitement of my current location at my reeling mind is slowing. I’ve lived a large portion of my life stuck in the confines on my own mind and this expansion feels refreshing, exhilarating and challenging. I’m letting it all sink in. Making small personal commitments in my mind. I am no more than quietly, contently, happy.

November's Captain Log

It was a busy month:

Me, Jenny, Claire, Gene and Darly

November 7-9th, Moab, UT: I love it when life works out, when the pieces come together, when you don't worry and let life fall into place. My ride to Moab worked out in exactly that fashion as I tagged along with John, Hannah and Hillary to the land of red rocks on mid-day Friday where I met up with Jenny, Gene and Darly (the Teton Valley contingency +2), Claire, Pat and Emily (Denver Run House crew), and Seth (making sure non-runners and Flagstaff, AZ had a good showing).

The DRH Crew : Players Gonna Play

It was super fun to run the Moab Trail Marathon for a second year in a row and get a "visual" representation of what a year of consistent running will do. As this year's running of the race doubled as the USA National Trail Marathon Championships I was very pleased to run the course almost 20min faster than I did last year and score 6th place finish! Even better than the finish was the fact that I was able to look up a bit more this year than last, nearly coming to a complete halt as I took in the fantastic views of the LaSalles framed by slick rocks on the Amasa Back trail. Stunning. Got to get up in those mountains one of these days...

At the finish line Seth was managing the beer cooler with Gene, Pat and Emily who had all finished the Moab Trail 1/2 Marathon in spectacular fashion. I'm pretty sure Gene is already signed up for next year's full marathon... Claire and Jenny (finishing her first trail marathon ever!) came in shortly after and with beers in hand we head back to the house for Dyer special Eggplant Parmesan and then more beers at the Moab Brewery. Super duper day at an event that I'd love to keep as an annual end-of-season tradition - especially in the company of great friends!

Castleton Tower

Moab didn't disappoint on Sunday either as Seth and I head to Castle Valley to climb one of the "Fifty Classic Climbs in North America" - the Kor-Ingalls Route up Castleton Tower. An alpine start was need to beat the crowds with me dragging my feet up the steep approch to the start of the climb. We squeezed our way up chimneys, cursed the calcite and generally clawed our way up 4 pitches to the summit. It was bucking beautiful up there and well worth the struggle!

If climbing Castleton Tower wasn't good enough for a Sunday adventure, throw in a road trip with Pat, Claire and T-Swift (SHAKE IT OFF) and you have yourself one hell of a day.

Nov 10-20th, Fort Collins, CO: After Moab and a solid last few months of adventuring it was time to take a breather from activity and focus on other things, namely reading for pleasure (All the Pretty Horses), sleeping and busting out a serious volume of school work. The school work on tap had been sitting on the back burner for quite sometime though it has been constantly on my mind for sometime now. I really enjoyed spending long hours working on two big projects that proved to be far more enjoyable and interesting than I had worked them up to be in my head.

I first worked to complete a plant collection of flora I collected in Larimer County. It was fascinating and challenging all at once to identify the plants I had found and assemble them in a proper collection fashion but I was quite pleased with the final product. After the plant collection was completed I got to work on writing a first draft of a research project I took on under a professor here at CSU, Dr. Kevin Crooks, that I really respect. I've never written a proper research paper before and the notion was admittedly very daunting. My friend Kate gave me some great advice that got me going however - "just start writing." Ahhhhh.... and it really was that simple. Who knows, I might have to rewrite the whole thing but it felt so good to dig into papers, start developing some ideas and just get something on paper. This is certainly going to be a work in progress for quite sometime but felt great getting the ball rolling!

Photo by Mark - YEAAAAHHHHH! Ski season is here.

Despite my focus on school during this time I did still manage to sneak out to earn my first turns of the season at Cameron Pass with Brad and Mark. Great to do some beacon practice and make sure we start the ski season safe.

Nov 21-30th, Flagstaff, AZ and more: THANKSGIVING BREAK! I booked it out of Fort Collins early Friday morning and off to Flagstaff I went. Started the trip out with a bang on Saturday morning heading to climb Queen Victoria in Sedona, AZ with Seth. We took the adventurous approach to the base of the climb where we surprisingly met several other parties. It was an enjoyable climb that once again provided A+ views AND we even got to watch a man that could have been mistaken for Jackie Chan in action, rappelling kung-fu style off the summit. Classic.

A hike out to Red Mountain the next day to was highlighted by 5 month old Shuggie (a PKC black collie) matching Josey stride for stride up a rung ladder and steep mars-like rocks. Even though Shuggie isn't my dog I couldn't help but admire her spirit - great things to come from the Shuggie monster.

Grand Canyon

Monday Josey and I ran from Locket Meadow up the Inner Basin Trail to the summit of Humphrey's Peak, the tallest point in Arizona overlooking Flagstaff. It was windy and gave that little bit of alpine adventure I was hankering for. Tuesday I headed to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon and ran the South Kaibab Trail down to the Colorado River and back. The last time I was at the Grand Canyon I was ~12 years old and just remember the whole thing looking like a painting - fake. Running it it definitely set the canyon to life though the shock of high volumes of other people on the trail made me realize how spoiled I am to normally have nature to myself. The fun in Flagstaff continued that night with the most delicious dinner cooked by Olivia and plans of hunting next fall... Wednesday I headed down to Sedona with Ryan and met up with Simon, Carrie and Joel for my first taste of real, hard crack climbing at the Waterfalls. Man was it hard and man was it fun.

I opted to head home from there to make it to Whitney's parent's house for Thanksgiving on Thursday. Joes and I stopped in Frisco along the way at the Meadow Creek trailhead and ski-toured up aways filling me with the mountain winter stoke I was needing. There is nothing in the world more fun than chasing Josey down a snowy trail on skis - she has the most manically happy look on her face the entire time! Once I improve my skiing skills I'll take a video... Thanksgiving with Whit and the crew was just what I needed - delicious food, great friends and a tour of the new Peritus Coffee Roasters facility. I'm not a coffee snob by any means but I know when I'm drinking something extra good and their coffee is GOOD.

RIP Bessie - with Katie at top of Bear Peak, 2011

Rounded out the week with Friday up at Cameron Pass with Brad, James and Layla, a great trail run with Claire and Mowgs and a ski tour with K. Nitka at Butler Glutch. Sunday's ski tour was dedicated to Bessie the Brown Dog who left the world too soon. Last time Katie and I toured up Butler Gultch Josey had her friend Bessie in tow. We missed her but know she's probably off digging holes somewhere in doggy heaven right now...

OK: I think that's all for now. Happy adventuring in the mean time!

Salinger got me started on this one...

I just finished a J.D. Salinger book, Raise High the Roof Beam Carpenters and Seymore An Introduction. It was great in a mad sort of way. The kind of book you read and then decide that perhaps your life calling sits in a bottle of whiskey, a poorly lit room and a typewriter. I appreciate the urgency, the chaos, the unfiltered exploratory nature of his writing - and most importantly I imagine little more than wild eyes as I read his words.

Wanting to see Salinger's wild eyes makes me realize I've been missing this same untamed passion in my current place in time...so...as always, let me rewind so I may go forward:

This summer I dreamed bigger than ever and paid the price for it - the price being the most comforting contentment I've ever experienced in my life. I started to believe in myself for the first time in ages. I believed in possibilities, abilities, and fronting little more than the basic facts of life... I accepted my place as a human (and animal) in the world. I felt direction and purpose. 

6 weeks ago I flew to Seattle and ran the Wonderland Trail around Mt Rainer. Claire, Joe and I set out with Keith, Simon and Nick to run 93 miles in 3 days. I'm selling the experience sort by summarizing it but maybe the fact is that life's great moments can't be tainted by words - the days on that trail were perfect.

After getting 4hrs of sleep the night before we started - eating a breakfast of nothing more than poptarts - and the proceeded to get rained on for 10hrs straight the first day. The rain and low light under the shelter of old growth redwood forests set the contrast of a million hues of green on fire. Add a sleepy fog and mild exhaustion to the mind bending colors and I guarantee you would have been running along wondering if it was all a dream as well.

Claire and I on one of many bridges.

The second day we saw our first glimpse of the mountain with meadows that were equally, if not more so, impressive. As the John Muir quote blazoned into the steps of Rainer's Paridise Visitor Center read: "...the most luxuriant and the most extravagantly beautiful of all the alpine gardens I even beheld in all my mountain-top wanderings." As Claire and I sat at the top of the pass on our final big climb of the day we spotted a far away meadow that quite frankly the most perfect meadow I've ever laid eyes on. We agreed not to take a picture of it for obvious reasons and next discovered a heard of mountain goats cresting a nearby ridge. I'll remember that panorama for quite sometime.

Joe riding imaginary horse down the trial.

The third day led to some of the most spectacular scenery of all as we climbed up to Summerland and  Pan Handle Gap. We took a group shot up there and all began the most delightful descent down, down, down to Box Canyon - Joe alternating between grape-vining down the trail and riding an imaginary horse. Just past Box Canyon with about 13miles to go we came across a mama black bear and her cubs, who had unbeknownst to us been sticking their dirty little paws in the honey pot. The bees were pissed and they promptly took it out on us - leaving everyone but Joe with stings that sent Claire and I literally sprinting down the remainder of the trail.

Pan Handle Gap: Me, Claire, Joe, Nick. Awesome.

Wonderland was indeed wonderful. The conversation was great and the support was incredible thanks to Joe and Nick's families - they made the experience outstanding in every way possible and with out their smiling faces and delicious food awaiting us each day, its likely Claire and I might have gnawed an arm off at some point. In short: the days were full and filling. I felt confident. I felt at ease. I felt IT. 

I went to Flagstaff a couple weeks later only to feel the inkling of a cold coming on as I drove to the airport. I fought it with everything I had and toed the line on Saturday for the Flagstaff Sky Race. I felt crappy from the gun but I stayed mentally strong. I pushed through the fatigue and congestion. I gave it my all until my body simply said stop. After a nap in an aspen grove I limped to the most convenient place to pull out. Greeted by the exceptionally friendly faces of people I had met only 48 and 24 hours before, I was happy to stop - Its not everyday you randomly meet wonderful people. 

Since Flagstaff I've been limping however; I haven't feel whole. I've been tired and unmotivated. Not unmotivated to be outside doing the things I love, but rather unmotivated to try and find my place in the conventional word.  I know its just the cycle of how life goes. While I'm favorable of the more manically happy stretches of life it is good to remember that sometimes down time, times of less enthusiasm per say, are important to patiently sit through, quietly...with a book...waiting for those wild eyes to return.

And because that seems like an entirely too contrived way to end a blog post I will instead quite with this random factoid of joy: I'm going to Moab on Friday. Running the Moab Trail Marathon and super psyched about it for lots of reasons. Happy. Yay. 

The Rut (plus a bonus track)

I sort of trailed off... the Dolomites had me fully and when I returned to the US, wham bam, "real" life (sort of) hit. Before I backtrack too far however I must acknowledge my present emotions of genuine happiness as I realize possibilities. This brings me to: THE RUT

On Saturday morning I woke up in the parking lot of Big Sky Resort near Bozeman, MT. Josey was confused with our 4:30 alarm but I lay there instantly awake staring at the ceiling of my Subaru. Somehow there is dog hair up there.

After waking up to 20 degree temps and snow the previous morning at rest stop parking lot near Sheridan, WY this morning's crisp 35 seemed balmy. Still, I fully changed into my running clothes within the warm confines of my sleeping bag before exiting. Josey stayed huddled under her blanket for a few moments longer, making sure my rousal wasn't merely a midnight pee break.

Joes ran a couple hot laps of the parking lot to warm up while I got things organized for the days big event - the biggest, most competitive race I'd ever competed in - a 50km running race up, down and around Lone Peak called The Rut.

Coffee, hot water and a heated room to eat in was generously offered to me by people that had been complete strangers just a day prior. So thankful to Rob, Erika, David and Ana for welcoming me into their hotel room to share warmth and pre-race excitement.

Before I know it I was at the start line, off and running. With a 6am start it was pitch dark the first 30-45min so you really had no idea where you were or what was going on. The intial uphill was a bit of a slog attempting to physically wake up but by the time we hit the first descent the sun began to rise and I heard the first hoots and hollers of the day as people began to have fun going down.

Stole this from the @iRunFar Twitter Feed - Lone Peak

Still not knowing a thing about positioning in the race, I was just happy running along. I knew I was fit and ready for the race but with some of the best female ultra runners in the world on the start list I didn't set any expectations for my self; my goal was to enjoy the trip up Headwater Ridge and Lone Peak - scrambling up scree and loose earth on all fours and then bombing the descents like a maniac. So, with these expectations in mind you can imagine my surprise when I realized I was in 4th place after the decent off Headwater Ridge.

I can't really go into the details and blow by blow of the race because the experience was mine and that's about all I can make of it right now. But let me say this: it was awesome. I was so incredibly psyched to be running well and the technical secitions of the course were insanely fun. I realized that I live and breathe mountain running. Its like a drug to me; the kind that sets the world in slow motion and makes you savor every second. I could go up steep slopes with false summits forever and if I could run down scree fields for all time I imagine I'd find heaven at the bottom.

Lone Peak - from The Rut website

My stomach was a bit iffy after the Lone Peak descent and I think I didn't eat enough the final couple hours of the race so as a result I floundered a bit at the end but, meh. I had been swapping out between 4th and 6th postition all day long with two girls named Ellie Greenwood and Hillary Allen and after the last aid station the wheels kind of came off. Another woman, Kristina Pattison passed me at this point as well but whatever, 7th place finish was fine by me especially considering the last time I did a race like this (Standhope 60K in early August - see below) the wheels feel off aproximately 3hrs earlier so I'm pretty darn pleased with the progress. Best of all was Ana was at the finish line with Josey - god do I love that dog.

In short: I had a ball in Montana and mountain running, sky running - whatever you want to call it - its the shit. Yes, the shit. I can't wait to do more of it. The mountains are calling more than ever and I really must go now with out hesitation.

Damn, you know what? You know why I'm so excited? Its because I love sport. I love challenges. I love mountains, being outside, wild animals and wild things and for the first time since I was 18 I feel like sport - my vehicle for all these wonderful things - is truly on my own terms again. Its a beautiful thing. BEAUTIFUL.

Ok, now for a bit of backtracking. Please rewind to August 6th at this juncture:

I got off a plane from Italy and on to a shuttle bus Fort Collins bound. Upon arriving to the final destination of my car parked in the Greely Walmart lot at 1:20am I proceed to pull out my sleeping bag and immediately fall asleep. Home sweet home.

The next morning I picked Joesy up at Mike and Stacey's where Bagel had kindly tollerated Joesy's precense the past 2 weeks. The pup and I hopped in the car and headed north, then west, and then north again to Idaho for one last trip before some semblance responsibility had to set in. We were off to do a race called Standhope 60K in the Pioneer Mountains near Ketchum, ID. I'd never been to the infamous Sun Valley and I was excited to check the area out. Josey and I took our time getting to ID, sleeping somewhere in UT along the way - its amazing how well I sleep in my car. Without sounding like I'm trying to make something mediocere great because of the novelty, my car is really surprisingly cozy and I feel safe as ever with my guard dog curled up in the passenger seat.

The Mug

I arrived in Ketchum and was immediately welcomed to Sun Valley in the best way possible: Standing in line for a coffee at the Starbucks downtown I was fidgeting looking at the array of coffee mugs offered. I've been on a quest for the perfect coffee mug that would keep beverages scalding hot and never leak in my backpack... and didn't cost an arm and a leg. An older gentelman behind me asked me what I was looking for and I explained my deliemma. He told me about a great mug he had gotten at the kitchen store across the street and I took note, thinking maybe I'd check the store out if I remembered.

Anyway, I sat down with my coffee and immediately forgot about mugs as I'd say this mug shopping had been a hobby of mine for a few months now... sometimes I go on such an arduous quest for the perfect specimen of my desired object that I end up never actually buying the item or buy some poor excuse for the ideal on impulse because I can't stand the search anymore. Despite forgetting, what do I know not 15min later the man appeared by my side and handed me a bag from the kitchen store with an exact replica of his perfect mug. Its does not leak, keeps my beverages hot, and is indeed perfect. In fact, I'm drinking coffee from my mug right now.

People are really amazing sometimes (this reminds me - the aforementioned Ana and David of Bozeman, MT were perhaps the nicest people ever - gave me and Josey their guest bed room after The Rut and fed me a delicious dinner along with the best kind of company). Is it possible to be this lucky all the time?

As for the race: Standhope was fun. I was for sure a bit wiped out from travel but it was so cool to run throught the Pioneers and challenge my self with 11,000+ feet of elevation gain in a day - a first for me. Althoght I was basically incapible of running the last ~13miles due to a simple complete physical inability to do so (regardless of will) I enjoyed the crap out of the day - avoiding thunder and lightening, climbing over passes, and again - bombing the downhills. After the race I again met two awesome individuals, Joe and Dan, of Park City, UT. In exchange for a ride to their car they bought me dinner and beers back in Ketchum where we discussed starting a new ultra running event that includes bow hunting. Ultra Mountain Biathalon - or something like that. Stay tuned.

I headed home through Park City, Utah and got to meet the Hillary Nitka, my friend Katie's mom. I'd been wanting to meet Mrs. Nitka for ages after collaborating with her on the beginnings of a former work project in Park City the previous year. From Park City, I slowly made my way home through Vernal and Steamboat, over Cameron Pass and into Fort Collins where I was able to establish a permanent residence once again with Lee and Marie. Love my new basement room.

School has been off to a hectic start getting the TWS Camera Project going at full tilt with our first school visits at Boltz and black-footed ferret release up at Soapstone. Class are fun and I'm working on a cool new coyote behavior study using some fancy software at the National Wildlife Research Center. Its all the awesome kind of stuff that keeps me psyched about getting through school.

Snowmass Lake/Mtn along the 4 Pass Trail.
I didn't take this picture.
You can buy it here:
http://www.mountainphotography.com/photo/snowmass-lake/

Don't worry thought - the chaos of school didn't slow Claire and I down over Labor day as we headed to Aspen to run the Maroon Bells 4 Pass Loop (I set the Fastest Known Time on the loop! whooop!) with our friend Daryl and then meet up with Katie and Erick to do some siiiccckkkkk (whaaaat?!?!) car camping in Buena Vista and hikes/runs up to Cathedral Lakes and Mt Princeton (got one 14er this year... check). Claire was a trooper battleing the flu of sorts - still doing the whole 4 Pass Loop and then making a solid comeback after looking deathly ill for 24hrs or so. Damn.

Ok, thats enough for now. What next you ask? Wednesday night fly to Seattle. Meet up with Claire and some people I don't yet know. Drive to Mt Rainer Thursday morning.

RUN THE WONDERLAND TRAIL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Life sucks.

P.S. I lost my camera. Sorry for the lack of pictures/stolen pictures. I'm working on a solution before Wonderland.

Summer Love

I'm lying under one of those comforters you only find on Germanic beds - fluffed and generally found neatly folded lengthwise so as to expose a perfect boarder of white sheet. The bed places me in the South Tyrol region of Italy and the heart of Dolomite mountains. I'm here on what one might call a proper vacation, visiting my father and step family at their beautiful mountain valley hotel. Hotel Perwanger. There are flowers sprouting from the balconies and I when I look out the front window I'm greeted by the often misty spires of The Schlern. I've been looking at this mountain for years now and have always pondered reaching its top from the door of the hotel. With the mountain rising more than 5700 feet in front of me it's always been a dream  until now.

I woke to a light rain this morning and began to get excited for my planned adventure up and around The Schlern tomorrow. In the wake of this excitement I was overcome with a sense of gratitude not only for this adventure to come but namely for the ability to peruse such dreams, those who share similar motivations, and best of all the most fantastic last month of adventuring in the books. Before diving deeper into my Dolomite frolics it seems only appropriate to take a moment to recall memory of July:

I kicked the month off by returning to running after two month hiatus due to injury. I ran the Northfork 50K in Pine, CO and had a ball. I had a smile my face the whole time and managed to win which was icing on the already delicious cake. It's simply so good to be back running full power at such a wonderful and well organized race. Best of all however, was knowing I was 100% healthy for summer!

First stop of summer adventures was the Tetons with my friend a Claire and our pups. The Tetons are extra special to me as the site of first ever backpacking trip and a wooden framed poster of the Grand and a moose hang above my bed as a constant reminder of their awesomeness. We set up camp in Victor, ID at the home of two amazing people - Jenny and Gene. To give you idea of how awesome these two are, I hope to be like them when I grow up! Their wonderful company (along with that of Steph, Rob, Kim and Steve) and delicious food every night made the best trip ever just that extra bit better. As a horse back trail guide I crossed paths with last week told me: "If life were any better I couldn't stand it!"

Between runs with Jenny and Steph, and mountain bike rides with Gene and Rob, the best two days of Claire's and I's trip came back to back, starting with a bike ride over Jackson Pass and along the park's main road. The ride was quite simply the most beautiful road ride I've ever been on - Jackson Pass was a great climb; the dirt, twists and turns on Wilson-Moose road top any roller coaster I've ever been on; the views of the Grand were stunning; if only the ride towards Signal mountain could have never come to an end... All the while during the ride I couldn't take my eyes off our next day's plan: summiting the Middle Teton! We picked up some rental ice axes and crampons on our way home from the ride and excitedly spent the evening watching Scottish you tube videos on basic self arrest while meticulously packing bags (complete with CO Skratch Labs patch) and laying out our sweet new Denver Run House Trail Team shirts.

The trip up the Middle was incredible. So good that I don't really have words. While awe, stoke and a general feelings of bliss was freely flowing through my veins, my proudest feeling associated with our summit comes from the fact that we made it up the slightly more technical summit (due to lots of snow and melt-age) as a solo team of girls. Not only did we navigate challenges well as a team but we totally annihilated the summit as well, moving quickly and efficiently up the mountain. Not to beat our own drums too hard but we were psyched to make it up and down the mountain (with plenty of time for photos, snack breaks and views) in the estimated amount of time it should take just to reach the summit. It was one of the best days of my life.

As if a trip to the Tetons couldn't get any better, we nailed the grand finale by stopping through the northern unit of the Wind River Range on the way how for a pleasant 3 days backpacking. We hiked in a short ways from the Green Lakes Trailhead and set up camp in a private meadow where the dogs could go wild. From camp the next day we took the most pleasant, mellow run down the Highline Trail, following the Green River (it's really quite green!) to the base of Square Top Mnt. Beautiful once again. And on our way out we saw a badger!

Back in CO it was a quick 3 day turn around that included a trip up Mt Audubon (the mountain my grandparents honeymooned beneath!), watching Germany win the Wold Cup with the perfect goal, a PHENOMENAL Avett Brothers show at Red Rocks that's somehow landed us with VIP seats, a trip to Soapstone Natural Area to lay ground work for a camera project tracking black-footed ferret and bison reintroduction, and completion of the double Shadow Mountain loop with Katie in preparation for her Leadville 100 debut. This was my biggest day EVER on a bike - kind of funny given my history - and damn was it fun!

Next up my BFF Ari rolled into town with good old Homer dog and Mara joined us fresh in from 10 hard days racing in Italia. We packed in the parking lot of REI Denver and hit the road for Durango to commence a 6 day backpacking trip in the Weimenuche Wilderness the following day. The trip was amazing once again. While Mara made the wise choice to turn early and rest her tired body for bike races yet to come, Ari and I ventured forth to complete the most challenging of all our backpacking trips to date. The Weimenuche was stunning. Again - few words can describe an experience like the total stillness and contentment that come along with a life contained in a backpack. Joesy ran the hardest I've ever seen her run and experienced the pains associated with trying to attack a porcupine while Homer showed massive gains in strength from his first trip to the Cloudpeak Wilderness last year; meanwhile,  Ari and I shared laughs and the kind of good times only friends with long histories can.

All this eventually lands me here, under this comforter, giddy as I think of the next two months (and quite honestly a life time) of continued adventures...