|
|
 Christy follows the route pioneered by Albert Ellingwood, ninety years ago. Often there was only one way to go along the ridge, which meant we were likely following in his exact footsteps. “…perhaps two miles of interminable pinnacles, sheer on both sides. It was worse than it had looked. Many could be circled on the east side, but many must be taken straight on. Up and down, up and down, over rock that was very slow and called for much care. I got liberal samples of about all the varieties of rock-climbing known– smooth faces, cracks, chimneys, ledges, noses, razor edges and what not. Two or three real nasty stretches held me up for from 5 to 10 minutes each. I pushed steadily and as fast as I could, but slowed up from the weariness as I neared the ridge at the head of the Basin.”
-Albert Ellingwood, as recounted in his notes and published in Jeff Arnold’s book, Albert Ellingwood – Scholar of Summits. read more>>>
 North Apostle, Ice Mountain and West Apostle, left to right, frame the valley on the hike in, under cloudy but dry skies. Lake Ann and the west peak were our destination. The wilderness rehabilitation continues and for the second week in a row, we managed to escape the summer crowds and find a little peace and quiet. Well, it was quiet at least with regards to the lack of people, but the regular rolls of thunder and sheets of rain against the wall of the tent were at times pretty loud.
The weather pattern is in a full blown monsoonal pattern right now, which for our area means rain, heavy at times, and nearly every day. Discouraging as it may be, if you’re motivated, you can often sneak in an activity in the morning, before the deluge begins.
So unwilling to spend our days off at home, we had little choice but chance it. Christy and I headed over Independence Pass to Lake Ann, high in Apostle Basin in the Sawatch Range, just west of the popular 14er, Huron Peak. Framing the backdrop of the basin are the namesake “Three Apostles”, two of which are the Centennial 13ers, Ice Mountain and North Apostle, which we climbed back in 2002. It was back then, when on the summit of Ice Mountain, that we first saw Lake Ann out to the west, and set it as a goal to return here some day and explore the area and maybe even try for the third peak of the trio, West Apostle. Finally, eight years later, we finally checked it off our list. read more>>>
 Clicked in atop Capitol but not out of the woods yet. Click any pic to enlarge. So Christy pulled it off, and what a finish it was. And not simply due to the fact that her final peak was Capitol, considered by my many to be the most committing ski descent of all the 14ers, but in the various challenges that presented themselves this past season. It may have appeared as though it all fell right into place, but in reality there were several occasions when it looked like Christy might not wrap it up this year.
During the fall of 2009, with winter right around the corner, Christy and I began to talk about our goals for the next season. Among other things on her extra long list, she was really hoping to wrap up her own “Ski the 14ers” project. She had nine peaks left: Sneffles, San Luis, Holy Cross, Little Bear, Pikes, El Diente, Mt. Wilson, Pyramid and Capitol. A stout list for sure, but also a reasonable number to do in a season. But when we began to consider other things– a two week trip to Greenland planned for spring, another Elk Mountains Grand Traverse in March, Christy’s nordic goals, and both of our work schedules– Christy realized that in order to have the best chances of finishing this season, she should start on her list as soon as was safely possible. At a cost to other activities, (i.e. winter tennis league, sewing projects) she decided to make skiing these peaks a priority, and as her partner through it, I thought I’d share my take on Christy’s Homestretch. read more>>>
|
On May 16, 2010, with a ski descent of Capitol Peak’s east face, I completed my goal of skiing the 54 Colorado 14,000-foot mountains (aka 14ers). While the root of the project can be traced back 10 years when, as a relative novice with a ready smile, I skied my first 14er, Quandary Peak, it eventually evolved into something bigger than I ever could’ve imagined back then. And so somewhere along the way, it occurred to me: I wanted to ski them all — something no woman had ever done, and something I learned more about during my husband (and best friend and best skiing/climbing partner) Ted’s own Ski the 14ers Project, which he completed in April 2008.
The journey surpassed my expectations. I experienced everything from epic, bluebird powder days to bone chilling winds and less than desirable snow conditions. I trekked around the state to trailheads and mountaintops, and sometimes re-trekked those same routes when the actual “mountain top” eluded me. I switched from tele boards to alpine touring gear and once shoveled snow where there was none on a summit in order to ski it — all the while reaffirming my love for the mountains a thousand times over.
Below are some details of my 14ers project with dates, routes, partners and slideshows for each peak. read more>>>
|
Atop Emerald, Italian phrasebook in hand.
The wedding has finally arrived.
In the last free days before family and friends began descending on Aspen for our big weekend, Christy and I headed into the woods to recharge the batteries. A secondary goal of the last minute escape was to tag the summit of [...]
“…and you can do more than you think you can.”- Ken Chlouber, Leadville 100 Race Director
 A once-a-year scene, at 4am the headlamps from 509 starters head down 6th street. 46% didn't make it back within the 30 hour cutoff. [Christy here] That was just one of the many over-used motivational quotes that Chlouber repeated during the somewhat evangelistic pre-race meeting the morning before the 2009 Leadville 100 trail run. In the time leading up to the race I had some skepticism, I wasn’t so sure what Leadville 100 had in store for me, but in the end I was in awe of the incredible beauty and excitement it had to offer. read more>>>
|
|
Recent Comments