Fire on the Mountain

The first big fire of the season came to Missoula and it was a little close for comfort. Wednesday evening it became apparent that there was a large amount of smoke coming from the east side of town. It looked very controllable when first noticed, but within a half hour the fire was raging up the side of Mt. Sentinel, the mountain that borders the UM campus. When approaching the base there were crowds of onlookers on every corner and the fire crews were just arriving as the blaze reached halfway up the mountain. The fire started behind a small park next to one of the married student housing complexes so it was no surprise when the culprits turned out to be two seven-year-olds who got a hold of some post Fourth of July matches. A combination of July heat and strong wind from the west pushed the flames up marring the hillside, but fortunately leaving the residential areas untouched. By the next morning most of the fire was contained with minimal damage, but a great deal of excitement.

Back from Colorado: Continued

Seeing so many relatives in one place was the main reason for my trip to Colorado. The reunion was organized to celebrate my grandmother's 80th birthday. When my aunt's and uncles heard that one of my friends from Fort Collins was going to be arriving later in the evening so we could get an early start on a climb the next day the scheming started. Rumors that Jason, my friend from Colorado, was actually a male stripper or a long lost illegitimate grandchild were spread. There was a momentary look of surprise on my grandmother's face when Jason knocked on the door, but the buildup was a bit much for his arrival.
Our plans were to attack a route up the Crestone Needle called the Ellingwood Arete. Thousands of feet of class five scrambling with a three pitch technical climb right at the top. All of this set in the middle of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The next day was more of a struggle for the truck then for us. Even with improvements the road out of Westcliffe should only be tackled with a 4x4. We were fortunate enough to push Jason's rear wheel Sonoma to the first big creek crossing. After that we walked the next five miles up to South Colony Lakes.
During the walk Jason started to feel worse due to a developing cold. I felt bad pushing on, but the beauty of our surroundings made the hike seem short. Upon reaching our destination doubt started to creep into our minds as to whether the climb would be possible. Snow from a harsh winter still encrusted much of the peak. I wasn't too concerned about the climb so much as the descent. At 4:30am when Jason announced that he hadn't slept, probably a combination of the cold and the altitude, I was still ready to try. Yet that early in the morning I was soon convinced that we could wait. In place of the Needle I summited Humbolt Peak. Jason accompanying me to the high saddle and no further. A few days after our trip a 49-year-old woman out a party of six was killed trying to climb the route that we would have descended. I think I'll try again maybe in the early Autumn.
This summer is starting to look very much like the last one. I'm back in the same house I lived in last summer and kicking things off I took a brief sabbatical to Colorado like last year. Upon my return I started working for the same kids camp in the same fashion. Hopefully I can break the cycle and make some more money this go around.

Back From Colorado

It's been a while since my last post, but a lot has happened. I was called upon to go down to Colorado for a a family reunion. With gas prices so high I was a bit hesitant yet it's been a long time since I've seen my Mom's side of the family. I also thought about last year when I did a similar trip and had a blast kayaking and catching up with old friends. Unfortunately Maggie Couldn't come due the job search. Unable to persuade her I loaded up the kayaks and the climbing gear and headed down south.
The first stop was my Dad's house North of Fort Collins and a chance to run the Cache La Poudre. The Poudre is a small rocky river the runs at approximately one tenth the size of the Lochsa. Not as ambitious as I was last year I only ran some of the more moderate stretches lower down the scenic canyon.
After leaving Northern Colorado I set my sights on the Arkansas River. I had plans to run the Numbers section, but the timing was off. A difficult run of boulder gardens at low water and a series of stacked holes when high the Numbers were out of the question for me at 1000 cfs above the commercial limit. I did however run Brown's Canyon, a step down from the numbers, both in a raft with my sister and some local friends, and repeated most of the run in my kayak. The water level was a bit intense to say the least. Out of the seven days I was in the area the local paper reported four deaths on various stretches of the river. It may have been for the best that I didn't push myself. Continued...