With just a half day left in the Tucson area Pete and I decided to visit Saguaro National Park, which would be a new National Park for both of us. If we’d had more time available, I’d have loved to do a backpacking trip up into the pine forests of the Rincon Mountains. Instead, we [...]
Archive for March, 2011
Saguaro National Park
Posted in hiking, tagged Cactus Forest Trail, Desert Ecology Trail, Loma Verde Loop, Saguaro National Park on March 30, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Mt Lemmon
Posted in climbing, tagged Green Slabs, Matterhorn, Monkey Business, Mount Lemmon, rock climbing, Standard Route on March 30, 2011 | 5 Comments »
After sleeping off our climb of Baboquivari, Pete and I drove back through Tucson and up to the Mount Lemmon highway. Stopping at Windy Point we investigated the Hitchcock Pinnacle, but decided it was a little too cold to climb just yet. In a possibly foolish move, we continued up the highway and hiked in [...]
Baboquivari Peak
Posted in climbing, tagged Baboquivari Peak, Forbes Route, rock climbing, Southeast Arete on March 30, 2011 | 1 Comment »
Our travel goes smoothly and Pete and I land in Tucson with all our luggage and quickly do a little shopping before fleeing town for the Tohono O’odham Nation, on whose land lies Baboquivari Peak. The permit costs us nothing, and the camping is the same – a great deal for the easy access this [...]
Calypso
Posted in climbing, tagged Calypso, Eldorado Canyon, rock climbing, West Crack, West Dihedral, Whale's Tail, Wind Tower on March 20, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
An early start assured us that we were the first party at Wind Tower, however the morning wind and only-just-now-getting-sun rock had be glad I’d stuffed a hand warmer into my chalk bag and that I hadn’t picked a climb harder than 5.6 to start on. Calypso, our route for the morning, has a reputation [...]
Byers Peak
Posted in backpacking, skiing, tagged Byers Peak, winter camping on March 20, 2011 | 2 Comments »
I’d reached very few summits in the last three months and with calendar winter ending shortly it seemed like a perfect weekend to tackle Byers Peak. By Colorado standards, it’s not particularly lofty at only 12,804 feet, but as a winter climb it was considered classic enough by Dave Cooper to be included in his [...]
Indian Creek
Posted in climbing, tagged Crack Mouth, Indian Creek, rock climbing, Scarface, Twin Cracks, Wavy Gravy on March 15, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Fortified by a burrito and Hefe in Moab I continue south then exit the highway for UT 211 and Indian Creek. I always feel I have to stop at Newspaper Rock (plus, it’s one of the few bathrooms in the canyon). Driving past Bridger Jacks and Davis Canyon I go a little further down than [...]
Devil’s Garden
Posted in hiking, tagged Arches National Park, Dark Angel, Devil's Garden, Landscape Arch, Primitive Trail on March 15, 2011 | 4 Comments »
Mixed emotions rode in the car with me across Colorado as I fled the Front Range Thursday night. I was extremely happy to be taking my first vacation days of the year and spending some time in the desert. However, I wasn’t sure how psyched to climb in Indian Creek I was and the unknowns [...]
Ice Video
Posted in climbing, tagged ice climbing on March 7, 2011 | 2 Comments »
Edited a short (3min) video of Sunday’s ice climbing:
Camping and Secret Ice
Posted in backpacking, climbing, tagged ice climbing, winter camping on March 7, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
After a busy week and several nights of less than optimal sleep it was an effort to pack up and head to the mountains Friday night. I really wanted a night of winter camping as I often sleep better outdoors than in. I returned to the Bakerville exit off I-70 and skied in to near [...]
