Hiking,
climbing, backpacking, and nature in general is my
life,
I would have
to
say I
married Jen because she was a hiker. I climbed Mt.
Washington and Mt.
Katahdin three times each before leaving the East Coast.
I also hiked throughout the New
England
states and large portions of Pennsylvania long before turning to
climbing.
I
am now well on my
way to having
hiked or climbed around 100 peaks in Colorado and have climbed my first
peak outside of the United States - Pisco Oeste, 18,886 feet,
Cordillera Blanca, Peru. Recently my
primary
interest has shifted to technical snow and rock climbs and I
began moving into ice and mixed climbing routes
during the
winter of
2007. I still enjoy hiking though and get out on a lot of
sub
4th class routes quite often.
My
goal used to be to
hike each of the 54 14ers in Colorado but exploring them has made me
want to keep
climbing any and all peaks I can find. I have found that list
ticking is not, for me, a satisfactory way to determine what I will or
won't climb. Since this site originated as one dedicated to
climbing the Colorado 14ers I will leave the trip reports dedicated to
those peaks on their own page. Everything else will go on my
'Other Mountains' page. My 'Other Mountains'
page is
expanding and will ultimately outstrip my 14ers page. I recently
finished the list of 59 14ers with San Luis Peak on July 12th, 2008.
My wife and my friend Brian Morsony accompanied me. It was
an interesting journey.
I have also
begun (as of 2006) to include the hikes/climbs I do in chronological
order at the bottom of this page along with a what's new section which
documents my most recent trip. These reports can also be
found in
my "Other Mountains' and '14ers' pages.
One thing I have found to be very true about mountaineering is that it
becomes an evolutionary experience for climbers who continue to push
what they will climb. Many of my old reports contain opinions which I
either no longer hold or have changed substantially as time passed.
Like everything else in life I have found that the more I
climb
the more I realize I have to learn. If you find something you don't
agree with, like, etc. please skip emailing me about it.
This site is primarily a personal journal which I use to
recall
my past adventures, friends, and experiences. As such I leave
everything as it was originally written to remind me of the person I
was and how I have changed. Some of the things I have
written in
these reports amuse me, some I am embarrassed by but they all reflect
who I was at the time of their writing. If you don't like
something you come across then don't read it. If I have made any
factual errors please let me know or if you want further information on
a peak I have hiked or climbed or are just looking to get out into the
mountains feel free to contact me.
UPDATE 2009 - I have recently been focusing on backcountry skiing, kayaking, and
mountain biking so will be updating this page less frequently. I
may create a skiing/biking page at some point.
UPDATE 2010 - I have moved to Spencerport, New York for a two to three
year post-doctorate so this page will not be updated much until I get
back to the west.
UPDATE 2011 - I have returned to Colorado and taken a position as an
assistant professor at Colorado Mesa University. I plan on doing
a lot of climbing, kayaking, and slot canyoneering.
UPDATE 2013 - I have taken up canyoneering and kayaking in
ernest. I just got back into mountains and climbed and hiked 15
this year including finally getting up the Grand Teton.
