Many of us in the hiking and climbing community knew of and/or shared a day in the hills with the late Jim DiNapoli (aka “Dancesatmoonrise”) during his time here on Earth. You could say he really made the rounds when it came to pursuing friendships forged from time in the mountains. Among many things, Jim was known for his uniquely colorful photos and creative articulation in documenting his mountain adventures. Keep reading…
This past spring I was granted an opportunity to test and review a lineup of ski touring/mountaineering backpacks on behalf of the Gear Institute. The spring ski season here in Colorado provided a perfect venue to give each pack a test run and develop a good sense of what works and what doesn’t in the realm of touring packs. A few days ago the results were published in the form of a head-to-head style review for those looking to purchase a new pack for the upcoming spring season. Read more…
I talked to Steve last week and he indicated he was ready for another alpine adventure of some kind. With Christmas and New Years around the corner I figured it’d most likely have to wait until January, but as it turned out we were both able to get Monday off from work, which happened to be the winter solstice. Although I haven’t summited many peaks on the solstice, there’s something unique about being out there on the shortest day of the year. Read more…
Two weeks ago I said goodbye to summer by participating in the Rim Rock Marathon out in Grand Junction. This was my first marathon and I can honestly say I enjoyed the experience. I’m not sure exactly what spurred me on to deviate from my normal regiment of hiking peaks through summer’s end, but it probably had something to do with Anna-Lisa making me run with her as she trained for her own half marathon in August. As I got out there more and more I seemed to gain a genuine appreciation for running, and after stumbling across the Rim Rock race website, I decided to sign up. A three month training regiment of running 20 to 30 miles a week tapered off into race day on November 7th. After staying in a hotel in Fruita, Anna-Lisa drove me over to the community center where I was shuttled down to the starting line in Grand Junction. A brisk 8am start had 140 of us beginning the route up and over the Colorado National Monument. Keep reading…