Introduction
This is just a simple log to keep track of our 2012 trips.See the 2012 Trip Log for 2012.
See the 2011 Trip Log for 2011.
See the 2010 Trip Log for 2010.
See the 2009 Trip Log for 2009.
See also the 2008 Trip Log for 2008.
JUNE
June 12: Cedar Mountain (Colorado)The scouts climbed Cedar Mountain this evening and I joined them. Kessler is now a scout as well and this was his first scout meeting. We all climbed Cedar Mountain and did a few side trips so the scouts could count a five mile hike.
June 11: Sand BM (Colorado)
Alone, I climbed the Sand Bm in the evening. I saw several deer.
June 9: Cedar Mountain (Colorado)
Kimberly and I went for an evening climb of Cedar Mountain. The caterpillars and cicadas were really out, in fact the cicadas kept flying into our faces! We saw one deer as well. We completed the long loop.
June 8: Fish Creek Falls/Long Lake (Colorado)
Justin Kuhn, Shaylee, and I went to hike Upper Fish Creek Falls. We made the falls quicker than expected (there was no snow on the trail up to the Upper Falls) and ate lunch at the falls. Shaylee spotted a marmot and showed it to us.
After lunch we decided to push on towards Long Lake. We passed many other small waterfalls, but decided to turn back after hitting quite a bit of snow at 9500 feet.
June 5: Cedar Mountain (Colorado)
Today after work, Kessler and Shaylee joined me for a climb of Cedar Mountain. We watched the cicadas which were out and all over the bushes. There were also several caterpillars all over the place as well. Lots of wildflowers were out as well. We completed the long loop finishing not long after sunset.
June 2: Emerald Mountain (Colorado)
Shaylee, Kessler and I went for a climb of Emerald Mountain. We got a fairly late start so moved fairly quickly. We took the main trail up before switching to the Blair Witch Trail. We followed this a short distance and then turned onto the longer Quarry Mountain Trail which we followed to the top of the ridge. From the ridge we followed it south and west over the summit and then descended to the old quarry via an indistinct trail.
It was a good climb.
June 1: Sand BM (Colorado)
Alone, I did an evening climb of the Sand BM.
MAY
May 31: Cedar Mountain (Colorado)Shaylee, Kessler, and I made an afternoon climb of Cedar Mountain.
May 25-27: Pikes Peak (Colorado)
May 25
Today Kessler, Shaylee, Kimberly and I hiked up to Barr Camp. The worst part was finding a place to park! The parking lots in Manitou Springs where they have a free shuttle don’t allow overnight parking. All the lots near the trailhead were full. We ended up parking at the Rodeway Inn at the east side of town and walking all the way to the nearest shuttle stop.
The trail was in good conditions, but with lots of runners to dodge. The crowds thinned out after the junction with the top of the Incline.
Along the way to Barr Camp, there was a nice looking rock peak that I just had to climb. The rest of the family waited behind while I climbed it. After the short side climb, it wasn’t far to Barr Camp.
We spent the rest of the afternoon playing horseshoes and other games.
May 26
The plan was for us all to climb Pikes Peak and have a nice lunch on top, but Kessler said that he didn't feel well in the morning. Because her brother wasn't going to go Shaylee didn't either.
I would climb the peak alone. Unfortunately, I hung around for breakfast at Barr Camp which would make the snow softer without an early start.
I climbed up the mountain and there wasn't much snow until timberline. After that there was a lot of snow and some postholing. Because the night before was a warm 46F, the snow was really soft and wet. Most people on the mountain turned back, but several made it including a 7 year old girl.
On top I had a nice lunch bought some presents for the rest of the family whom were waiting down at Barr Camp. After that it was soon good glissading down the mountain and a routine walk back. We all played games and cards in the afternoon and evening.
May 27
Today we packed up and headed down the mountain. We climbed a minor subpeak on the way down in order to have a good view of Pikes, but it was just a short side trip and an unranked peak.
Again, once we got to the top of the Incline, there were many joggers to dodge. Near the end we witnessed a rescue on the Incline.
At the bottom we walked to the shuttle stop and took the shuttle into town. The walk to the Rodeway Inn seemed a lot longer going back than it did on the way up.
May 21: Castor Ridge (Colorado)
I took an afternoon and evening hike alone to the peak on the Castor Ridge. It was a beautiful spring hike and wildflowers were all over the place. I wished I had brought my camera.
May 19: Devils Canyon Overlook (Colorado)
Kessler, Shaylee, Kimberly and I took a hike in the Devils Canyon area. We hiked to a high point above the canyon in order to look into it, passing Cowboy Hat Tower along the way.
After that, we gave Kessler the map so he could navigate back to the trail for us, using a different route. He did fine and it was a good hike.
May 18: Dinosaur Hill (Colorado)
Kessler, Shaylee, Kimberly and I took a hike to the top of Dinosaur Hill in the dark. We had spent the day at Mike the Headless Chicken Days.
May 16: Yampa River Trail (Colorado)
Shaylee and I did a hike along the Yampa River Trail in order to look for beavers. We saw some old chewed trees, but no really fresh sign of beavers. We did see lots of birds though.
May 15: Sand BM (Colorado)
Alone, I made an evening climb of the Sand BM.
May 11: Nohog (Utah)
Julie, Kessler and I went for an attempt of Hog Canyon in Dinosaur National Monument. I had wanted to complete the canyon since we only did the left fork last year due to being cliffed out on the approach.
With high hopes we set off up the south face of South Split Mountain for our 2000 feet/700 meters) approach climb. At first the going was easier than last year's route. The route was solid class 3, then class 4 and then had two hairy, but short 5th class pitches thrown in. We were stopped at a lateral crack that we could cross.
We were probably 2/3 up the mountain, but we decided to bail on this approach. We came down the canyon to the east and named it Nohog.
We also found a very dark slot that was so narrow that you needed a headlamp to get through. We also discovered a fine double arch and one other huge arch (the longest I know of in northern Utah.
The canyon had several tricky downclimbs, but we were able to get through and only did one big rappel.
In the late afternoon we explored Hog Canyon from the bottom in order to view the final rappel.
We weren't successful in reaching our intended goal, but it was still a good trip.
May 5: Riggs Hill (Colorado)
Shaylee picked Riggs Hill as the place to go today because she wanted to see where a Brachiosaurus was once found because it is one of her favorite dinosaurs. The Brachiosaurus is long gone, but there were some nice views from up there.
May 4: Shaylee’s Birthday Canyon/Hippo Frog (Colorado)
Shaylee wanted to spend her 9th birthday in Grand Junction. We went to places such as Bananas Fun Park (miniature golf, laser tag, etc.), birthday shopping, etc, but we also did some technical canyons so Shaylee would be able to name them on her birthday.
Several years ago (before Shaylee was even born), I had found some slot canyons around Grand Junction, but they were pretty short. There were a few hidden side canyons in the Rough Canyon Complex that looked promising and Shaylee, Kessler, Kimberly and I went to check them out.
The first canyon we completed was what Shaylee wanted to name Shaylee’s Birthday Canyon. It's well hidden an not obvious from anywhere in the main canyon. It was definitely technical and had a nice slot. It had some good downclimbing too. Shaylee named the first drop the lizard drop because there were lizards climbing the wall all over the place. We weren’t quite lizards, so we had to resort to rappelling to access the canyon.
The canyon soon slotted up and had a spring at the top, which made the slot slippery in places. We made our way downcanyon and through the slot, using a rope in some sections.
After Shaylee’s Birthday Canyon, we did another slot canyon and Shaylee named it Hippo Frog. There were some frogs in some of the pools and we enjoyed going through the canyon. It was a nice little slot, but too short.
After completing the slots, we walked back up Rough Canyon and left for some birthday shopping!
APRIL
April 30: Sand BM (Colorado)I did a quick climb of the Sand BM in the evening.
April 26-29: Mt Helen/Crystal Lakes (Colorado)
April 26
Kessler, Shaylee, Kimberly and I set off for Francies Cabin (11,360 feet) along Crystal Creek in the Tenmile Range. We got a later start than hoped for and didn’t leave until 8:10 PM, which is after sunset. Because it was after sunset and because we thought that we had forgotten our lights, we quickly snowshoed up the trail as quickly as possible.
We chose to take the shorter, but much steeper route. The second half of the route was completed by starlight. We were afraid that finding the cabin would be difficult, but luckily we found it without any problems. We had made the route in one hour, half of what the guidebook said it would take.
After getting to the cabin, we found out that we had actually had our lights stashed in Kessler’s backpack all along! There were several other people in the cabin as well.
April 27
We awoke to 14F (-10C) outside, which made for good climbing conditions. No one else wanted to climb a peak, so I set off alone towards Mt Helen (13,164 feet). With the recent storms, I chose Mt Helen because I thought Peak 10 (which was the original plan) would carry less risk. The snow was now the deepest of the season and much deeper than it was in the mostly dry winter.
I chose to climb up the rock ribs in order to reach the ridge because I thought the snow would be shallow and not risky. The rock ribs actually turned out to be quite difficult and I had to use my iceaxe on the slope between the rocks. I probably should have taken the standard route. There was a little unstable snow, but most of it was more stable than expected.
Once on the ridge, the snow was stable and it was a direct climb straight to the summit. It was a bit windy, but otherwise the weather was great.
I took a rest on the summit in order to take several photographs. I was the first to sign the summit register since November 8 2012, but wondering how many ascents of the peak there were over the past winter season. Probably not too many.
I took the about the same route down, but had a nice glissade next to the trees. Because it was still fairly early, the snow was pretty stable, but I wouldn’t want to do it in the afternoon. The climb had taken 2 hours 20 minutes up and 40 minutes down.
After some games and other fun in the cabin, I explored some of the upper basin in the evening.
April 28
In the morning, Kessler, Shaylee, Kimberly and I went to go snowshoe up to Lower Crystal Lake. It was a beautiful and sunny day and we had a nice break at the cabin ruins located at 12,020 feet. After enjoying the views, we returned to Francies Cabin, packed up and headed down the trail. It took us 35 minutes after leaving the cabin to reach the cabin, again about half of what the guidebook said it would take.
It was a really great trip.
April 21: Cedar Mountain (Colorado)
I did an evening climb of Cedar Mountain. There was more (wet) snow than expected up there and it was pretty mushy. Some areas had mud. I completed the short loop.
April 20: Sand BM (Colorado)
The weather was stormy today, the lower elevations were saturated, and the higher elevations had extreme avalanche danger. Because of this I just did an evening climb of the Sand BM.
April 13-14: Little Death Hollow/Horse Canyon/Wolverine Canyon (Utah)
The original plan was for all of us (Kim, Kessler, Shaylee and me) to go and do the Little Death Hollow Loop, but Kim had to stay home since one of our guinea pigs needed some medicine. I had been through much of Little Death Hollow several years ago, but it was full of water and we stopped short of much of the best parts, so it was time to complete the loop.
Rather than doing the entire loop in one day, which is what most people do, we were to take two days in order to explore all the side canyons and to hike all the way down to the Escalante River.
April 13
From the trailhead, we hiked down Little Death Hollow. In the Hollow, we met SP member gjagiels who was running the canyon. He recognized my name in the summit register. We chatted for a bit until we reached a side canyon, but the kids and I set off to explore the side canyon.
We explored another technical side canyon farther down Little Death Hollow as well. This one had some technical scrambling up the slot and around potholes.
Once the side canyons were explored, we continued down Little Death Hollow. Little Death Hollow certainly lived up to its name as there were many bones scattered throughout the canyon, one dead cow and a fresh dead deer.
The rumored obstacles in the canyon have either changed or have been highly exaggerated because it was more or less a stroll through. There were several chockstones to scramble over and under, but it was easy as slot canyons go. We could keep our feet dry as well. We found ourselves out of the canyon faster than expected and we kept expecting it to get more difficult.
We made it through Little Death Hollow in four hours, even with exploring all the side canyons. From there we dropped our packs and headed down Horse Canyon to the Escalante River. It was a pretty walk and the kids like to play in the cold river, which was running clear (rather unusual for this time of year).
After enjoying the river, we headed back up to the confluence of Little Death Hollow/Horse Canyon, but there was a group camped there with six big dogs. We decided to hike farther up Horse Canyon to camp and camped near the line camp.
After camp was set up we hiked up to the spring high on the canyon wall for good water. We thought about sleeping in the Line Cabin (it was windy), but some ranchers came down and were going to sleep in the cabin. They were looking for a lost cow and we told them we only saw a herd of cows farther down canyon. When we described the herd, they quickly went down canyon with their horses because it was a cow herd that was lost for quite a while now.
The evening was quite windy, but later that night the stars came out and it became calmer. We had hiked 12.5 miles (~20 kms) today.
April 14
Today we hiked up Horse Canyon and out Wolverine. It was a pretty walk, but quite easy although there were some boulders to pass. At the upper end of Wolverine, there are some huge petrified logs and we spent some time observing and exploring them. After that it was a walk across the colorful hills to the vehicle. It was a good trip, but since it was a long drive, I wished that we could have stayed longer.
April 7: San Rafael Knob (Utah)
Fred Genske joined me for a climb of the San Rafael Knob. We didn’t drive all the way to the standard trailhead so road walked to the ATV track which we hiked. We started off on the wrong track, so we had to do some backtracking and traversing, but once on the right track, we quickly made our way to the Knob.
The San Rafael Knob was a beautiful scramble to the top of a spectacular summit. Interestingly, there was still some snow on the north side. I was going to climb the Northeast Ridge directly, but Fred found an easier way up on the south side.
After enjoying the great views, we descended the knob and made our way quickly back to the vehicle. It was a good climb.
April 6: Eagle Canyon/Forgotten (Secret Mesa) Canyon (Utah)
Fred Genske, Justin Kuhn, Kessler and I went for a big loop between Eagle and Forgotten Canyons. Forgotten has been in the back of my mind for a long time and I hadn’t been there yet.
We started near the bridge and hiked down the wide section of Eagle Canyon to the Kayenta Narrows. Slots in the Kayenta formation are rare, but Eagle Canyon has a pretty good one.
After noticing that the pool at the end was dry except for ice, we dropped into the slot. We traversed the slot with minimal problems. It was a good slot, but it would have been nice if it were a lot longer.
After two rappels and some downclimbs, we headed down canyon. We met another couple at the falls and they were traversing around it. It was the last we saw of them.
Just down canyon was another nice slot. Not far below that, we ascended Forgotten Canyon (a.k.a. Secret Mesa Canyon). It was better than expected and was actually quite nice. There were several nice climbing obstacles to negotiate as well. We also explored several really good side slots with some great 5th class climbing and also found the large arch in a side canyon.
Interestingly, there was a little snow in the canyon (It was quite warm outside) and the pool in the final slot probably had ice one foot thick.
After doing an exciting ledge traverse on the north side of the slot (later we found that the standard route is on the south side) we reentered the canyon before it faded away onto the mesa. From there it was a nice and scenic walk past some impressive rock buttes and towers back to the trailhead.
It was a pretty long day, but only because we spent much time exploring all the side slots and some other side trips.
MARCH
March 31: Iowa Gulch (Colorado)I had originally planned to climb Dyer and West Dyer Mountains, but did not make the summits. After snowshoeing up Iowa Gulch and having climbed two 13ers on two consecutive days, breaking trail alone up the Dyer Amphitheater just wasn’t appealing, especially since I missed the family who was back home.
After taking photos from upper Iowa Gulch, I turned around and snowshoed back to the trailhead.
March 30: Lackawanna Peak (Colorado)
Five 14ers.com members and I climbed Lackawanna Peak today. We climbed the south couloir.
With the current conditions, Lackawanna was much, much easier than Bull Hill (which was climbed the day before). After ~100 yards of postholing with snowshoes, the couloir was in perfect condition. The route was pretty fast, very direct, and fairly easy.
We had some pretty good conditions for glissading, but we would punch through in places, so you couldn't do a continuous glissade. Still, it was a quick trip down.
It was a good climb.
March 29: Bull Hill (Colorado)
At 13,761 feet (4195 meters), Bull Hill is the highest named “hill” in the United States. It is still one of the higher mountains in the lower 48 States and much bigger than many mountains.
I met Ben, Bethany, Brian and two dogs at the trailhead and we headed up the mountain. There was some confusion about finding the beginning of the route and once we did, the going wasn’t that easy. There was lots of postholing, even with snowshoes and lots of tricky side stepping. It was a bit of a struggle to reach timberline.
One we hit the timberline, the climbing was faster, but it was windy and cold. The weather really had an identity crisis today and the weather would turn anywhere from breaks of sunshine to blizzard in a matter of less than a minute. We had a mix of views and clouds, but got some peekaboo views of some of the surrounding mountains.
After enjoying the summit, we headed back down the mountain. It was a much faster trip down than it was up.
March 24: Cedar Mountain (Utah)
I ran up Cedar Mountain starting at sunset so I could see the sunset and the nearly full moon. Since the sun was the opposite direction as the moon, and since cloud cover was sporadic, it made for some beautiful scenes. I completed the short loop.
March 16-17: Lower Muley Twist Canyon (Utah)
March 16
After a fairly late start, Kimberly, Kessler, Shaylee and I started up the Cutoff Trail on our way to Muley Twist Canyon. We found some descriptions of the Cutoff Trail to be over exaggerated as far as difficulty goes. It was a beautiful route.
Near where the trail traverses over to the saddle, Kessler, Shaylee and I decided to take a detour and to climb one of the high fins for the views and for a little fun. We found a challenging route up one of the big fins, but Shaylee stopped about seven feet from the summit.
After climbing the big fin, we made our way back to the standard route and then it was up and over the saddle and down into Muley Twist Canyon. We found water at the junction of the Cutoff Trail and Muley Twist Canyon, which was a good sign.
We continued down canyon enjoying the scenery and overhangs. It was mostly cloudy and rained a bit, but began to clear late afternoon.
We reached Cowboy Camp at around 4:30 pm and since there was some clear water available there, we decided to set up camp and explore around. We saw many old signatures including one we found, which was possibly from 1895 (it was hard to read). We found two others from 1896 and the others were mostly from the 1920’s, but some were from 1914 and some others were from 1936.
March 17
The next morning, after packing up camp, we headed down Muley Twist through the Fold and back up Halls Creek to the trailhead. We didn’t stop or poke around too much so we completed the 7 miles in three hours.
Overall, Lower Muley Twist is pretty average scenery wise, when in comparison to the nearby canyons, but with the big undercuts and signatures, it’s pleasant enough.
The weather was really good and nearly idea, temperature wise, but the drive home was windy and with dust storms. We were glad that we completed the hike before the wind hit.
March 9-10: New York Mountain (Colorado)
March 9
After debating whether or not we should go or not, Kessler and I finally decided to head off towards the trailhead for the Polar Star Hut and New York Mountain. It was already snowing hard and winter storm warnings were out.
We had a reservation for the hut, but I wasn’t sure if I wanted to make the drive through the snowstorm. We decided to try it, but to turn back if things got bad. I also loaded up the vehicle with lots of emergency supplies before heading off.
The drive down to the trailhead was indeed dicey and unpleasant, but we made it. We set off towards the cabin in the snowstorm. Because it was snowing hard and much of the trail was covered, we had to pay close attention as to where the trail was.
We actually made pretty good time to the cabin (especially considering that we had to break trail part of the way), reaching it in four and a half hours. We didn’t want to risk getting caught in the dark during the storm, so we really booked it. We didn’t even break for lunch, though we did stop briefly to wolf down some donuts.
March 10
We awoke to cloudy skies and -2F. It was snowing lightly, but we set off for New York Mountain and as we climbed higher, the sky began to clear. Once we hit timberline, the sky was mostly clear except for some beautiful swirling clouds on the mountains. The chill factor was way below zero on the ridge, but it was very beautiful.
Kessler wasn’t feeling well the night before and wasn’t feeling well today, so we decided to turn back before reaching the top. We took a break to take some photographs and enjoy the spectacular views, but we didn’t stay that long because it was cold.
We headed back down the mountain before taking a long rest and heading back to the trailhead. It was a good trip, but was the first failure of the year. We’ll be back to finish the climb of New York Mountain!
March 2-3: Confluence Overlook/Powell Route/Red Lake Canyon (Utah)
March 2
Kessler, Shaylee, Kimberly and I set off to do a loop in the Needles of Canyonlands National Park. We were to attempt the difficult Powell Route down to the Colorado River; which was the main objective. We then planned on exiting Red Lake Canyon.
At first we had a little trouble obtaining a permit because the park rangers said that our route was impossible. After some explaining that I had scouted the route, they gave us a permit, but told us to report back when we completed (or failed on) the route.
From Elephant Hill we hiked (the road wasn’t open for the season until right when we began the hike) rather quickly to the Confluence Overlook. After enjoying the fine views, we descended the canyon that led to the Powell Route. Although much of it was dry, there were some icy spots and the going was very slow.
We found the correct benches and ledges along the Powell Route, but it was very steep, difficult and exposed and some areas were loose. It took several hours to reach the Colorado River. The final portion to the river was the worst and I don’t know if we were on route or not.
We had hoped to make it down to Red Lake Canyon, but we only made 0.6 miles along the Colorado River before it was getting dark. We found a place to camp and had a good dinner before heading off to bed. We had completed 11 miles this day, which was actually very god considering that the route was so rugged.
March 3
Because we had a 12 mile hike, and a long drive home, we woke up early and started hiking down river. The route was fairly easy for the 3.0 miles along the river, but there were some areas that were brushy and a few areas where scrambling over boulders was required.
Once we were at Red Lake Canyon, we took the Red Lake Route back to Elephant Hill. The route has a reputation of being very strenuous, but it was actually a welcome relief from the route we did the day before. It went rather smoothly except for the upper portion of Lower Red Lake Canyon where the route was covered in ice and snow. Other than this, the route was pretty well marked.
We were all glad to complete the route, but we were very tired. We should have taken three days for the trip Because of the ruggedness, 23 miles made a really long two day trip.
Unfortunately, the camera was left home for this trip. This was very sad because I don’t think I’d do the route again. It was an interesting route, but once is enough.
FEBRUARY
February 24 Delicate Arch/Un-named Butte (Utah)
While the rest of the group went off to explore Sevenmile Canyon, Justin Kuhn, Shaylee, Kessler, Kimberly and I hiked to Delicate Arch. It had snowed the night before, so I wanted to get photos of arches in the snow. The route was a bit slippery and the photos didn't turn out quite as well as hoped because of the lighting.
We also climbed the highest butte around Delicate Arch. It was a really fun scramble.
February 23 Rock of Ages (Utah)
A group of us, led by Shane Burrows, completed the Rock of Ages Scrambling/Canyoneering Route. Kessler, Shaylee, Kimberly and I had fun and the route went smoothly. It was actually easier than expected because the slot was not filled with water as it usually is.
At the end of the route, Justin, Kimberly, the kids, I and others did an alternate route around the big drop.
February 18: Morocco Canyon (Utah)
Matt, Kessler, Shaylee, and I decided to do a loop through Morocco Canyon. My dad decided to hike the non-technical section of Hog Springs Canyon instead. The entrance route was an exciting approach along a ledge that was followed to near the head of the canyon. Once in the canyon, it was a beautiful, but fairly short slot. There were several challenging downclimbs and a few rappels. The only mishap was that Shaylee scraped her hand on a rock, but other than that, everything went well and it was a good time.
An event worth mentioning is that the night before was extremely windy. The tent would collapse in the wind at night. One of the camp chairs also blew into the fire and burned.
February 17: Maidenwater Canyon/Trail Canyon/Turkey Knob (Utah)
February 17: Maidenwater Canyon/Trail Canyon/Turkey Knob (Utah)
In the morning we (Matt Lemke, Kessler, Shaylee, my dad, and I) decided to do the Maidenwater/Trail Canyon Loop. We had also thought of doing the Jilted Fork/Blushing Bride, but when we got there, there was running water coming out of it (which isn't ideal for February)! Maidenwater was very pretty, but there was lots of knee to waist deep wading. I carried Shaylee across all the pools, but Kessler had to resort to wading. The falls and chockstone that is usually in the canyon was gone! Flash floods had filled it in with gravel.
After a beautiful, but cold (with the water) hike to Trachyte Creek, we followed the creek down canyon to Trail Canyon which we exited. Trail Canyon isn't quite as scenic as Maidenwater, but it is mostly dry and you don't have to wade, so it was a pleasant hike out.
After exiting Trail Canyon, we explored a little up into the lower end of the South Fork of Maidenwater Canyon, but a pothole and dryfall stopped us after not too long. The dryfall is climbable with dry shoes, but our feet were covered with greasy mud, so we couldn't climb the drop.
After exploring the canyons Matt and I climbed Turkey Knob for the fine views. My dad didn't climb the final ledges. After enjoying the fine views we descended the peak and headed back to camp.
February 16: Merry Piglet (Utah)
After exploring the canyons Matt and I climbed Turkey Knob for the fine views. My dad didn't climb the final ledges. After enjoying the fine views we descended the peak and headed back to camp.
February 16: Merry Piglet (Utah)
Matt Lemke, Kessler, Shaylee, my dad, and I decided to explore Merry Piglet Canyon in North Wash. We got a late start because we stayed in Grand Junction and I picked up Matt there and picked up my dad in Green River.
After starting just before lunch we made our way into the canyon and descended on down. Most of the canyon was dry, but there was a very cold pool about four feet deep in the canyon. By using small ledges on the side of the pool, it was only two feet deep, but I had to wade the pool three times, including the deep part twice to carry Kessler and Shaylee across. Other than that it was a nice and routine trip through a slot canyon.
Kessler and I made an afternoon/evening climb of Cedar Mountain. It was actually warmer on the mountain than it was down in Craig. We did the full loop and got back not to long after sunset.
January 19: Mount Sherman (Colorado)
Kessler, me and some Summitpost friends climbed Mt. Sherman, Colorado 14er. It is probable that several other 10 year olds have climbed the mountain, but I'm guessing that few of them have done so in January. We headed up Friday night and spent the night at 12,000 feet. It was hard to sleep because the winds were strong. The next morning we climbed the peak and everyone summitted. It was a beautiful sunny day, but the winds were really strong and it was cold. The minimum wild chill factor was -33F to -54F.
January 13: Sand BM (Colorado)
Shaylee, Kessler and I made an afternoon climb of the Sand BM. It was more challenging than usually because of the deep snow. It was a cold afternoon as well.
January 12: Cedar Mountain (Colorado)
I made an late afternoon/evening climb of Cedar Mountain in order to watch the sunset. I did the full loop on snowshoes. The misty and cold air deformed the shape of the sun as seen in the photo. After the sunset was over, I quickly descended the mountain as it was already below zero Fahrenheit.
Days that I went hiking or climbing: 52
Summits Climbed: 32
Summits Attempted: 34
Rock Towers: 0
Rock Towers Attempted: 0
Technical Canyons: 10
Technical Canyons Attempted: 11
Overseas Climbs: 0
Goals for 2013:
Days spent hiking or climbing: 130
Summits: 75
Summits with the kids: As many as possible!
Rock Towers: 5
Technical Canyons: 20
February 10: Cedar Mountain (Colorado)
Bad weather kept us close to home all weekend, so I did an afternoon climb of Cedar Mountain. I saw many deer on Cedar Mountain and many elk on the drive back.
February 3: Cedar Mountain (Colorado)
Shaylee, Kessler, and I made an afternoon and evening climb of Cedar Mountain. We completed the short loop. Snow conditions were really good.
February 1-2: Fletcher's Cabin and Un-named Peak (Colorado)
February 1
I went with the scouts to snowshoe to a cabin north of Steamboat Lake. We started north and on track, but soon it began to snow hard and visibility dropped. Trail-breaking was really difficult and strenuous. It got dark as well. Once we hit the forest, we veered off track and it took a while to find the cabin in the dark and in the snow. After about five hours from leaving the car we found the cabin. I slept outside so I wouldn't be bothered by the snoring.
February 2
It cleared last night, so the temperature really dropped. My thermometer indicated that the low was -12.6F.
In the morning, several of us hiked to a small peak in order to go sledding and snowboarding. I climbed up to the summit while everyone else played on the slopes. The views were really great and it was a nice day.
The trip back was much easier and less strenuous than the trip in.
JANUARY
January 20: Cedar Mountain (Colorado)Kessler and I made an afternoon/evening climb of Cedar Mountain. It was actually warmer on the mountain than it was down in Craig. We did the full loop and got back not to long after sunset.
January 19: Mount Sherman (Colorado)
Kessler, me and some Summitpost friends climbed Mt. Sherman, Colorado 14er. It is probable that several other 10 year olds have climbed the mountain, but I'm guessing that few of them have done so in January. We headed up Friday night and spent the night at 12,000 feet. It was hard to sleep because the winds were strong. The next morning we climbed the peak and everyone summitted. It was a beautiful sunny day, but the winds were really strong and it was cold. The minimum wild chill factor was -33F to -54F.
January 13: Sand BM (Colorado)
Shaylee, Kessler and I made an afternoon climb of the Sand BM. It was more challenging than usually because of the deep snow. It was a cold afternoon as well.
January 12: Cedar Mountain (Colorado)
I made an late afternoon/evening climb of Cedar Mountain in order to watch the sunset. I did the full loop on snowshoes. The misty and cold air deformed the shape of the sun as seen in the photo. After the sunset was over, I quickly descended the mountain as it was already below zero Fahrenheit.
Accumulated Totals and Goals
Accumulated Totals for 2013:Days that I went hiking or climbing: 52
Summits Climbed: 32
Summits Attempted: 34
Rock Towers: 0
Rock Towers Attempted: 0
Technical Canyons: 10
Technical Canyons Attempted: 11
Overseas Climbs: 0
Goals for 2013:
Days spent hiking or climbing: 130
Summits: 75
Summits with the kids: As many as possible!
Rock Towers: 5
Technical Canyons: 20
Personal Records Set
January 18-19Highest January camp/sleeping altitude in Colorado; 12,000 feet (3658 meters) at Fourmile Creek. Previous January record was 11,750 feet (3581 meters) at Pacific Creek on January 7-8 2011.
