CUZ – LIM – MIA – DEN

I have finally gotten to the last post of my Peru trip that happened over two years ago. This post is the reason it took me so long to finish this series. This post will also probably be a bit shorter since my mind doesn’t care to think of it.

The last morning of our Trek we woke up pretty early in the morning and were on the trail long before dawn broke. We gathered up our belongings that we wanted to take with us to Machu Picchu, and headed down the trail a little ways. Then we were stopped by line of people that were all waiting to finish hiking the rest of the way. After about a half an hour of sitting there in the dark, the line started moving, and soon enough we were on our way through the last checkpoint and on our way to the end of our adventure.

Hiking along in the pre-dawn my stomach started aching some. It seemed like I had some bloating and mild pain in my stomach. We kept on moving and I just ended up trying to adjust my backpack so my stomach wouldn’t hurt so much. Right about when the sun was coming up over the mountains, we reached Intipunku (Sun’s Gate), the first real good look of Machu Picchu. We stopped here for a break and some picture taking, and I ended up rushing off into the bushes to start my own adventure of the Peruvian stomach flu.

As we arrived at Machu Picchu, our guide led us around the site and showed us some of the intricate stonework and told us some of the history of the place. During this time most the people were all trying to get in the shade, and I couldn’t get warm enough standing in the sun. I knew something was seriously not right with me. After only spending an hour or so at Machu Pichu, I told my family I had to head down to the hostel and beg to let me in one of the rooms. They decided they had enough with the crowds and realized they enjoyed all of the other magnificent ruins along the way better than they did Machu Picchu (Probably because the lack of people at the other sites). After yet another pitstop to the restrooms, we boarded a bus and headed down the very long winding road with several hairpin turns and steep drop off’s. It looks like a road that would barely be able to fit one bus .. let alone two passing each other at times.

Luckily when we got to the bus stop, it was only a short walk to Hostel Viajeros. After telling them what I was going through, they got a room ready for me and let us check in early. My room was a very cramped double bed room that had no windows to the outside and was very stuffy. Luckily there was at least a bathroom attached to the room. I curled up on the bed and took turns napping and spending more time on the pot. That afternoon I woke up and thought I was feeling a little bit better, and was feeling hungry since I hadn’t eaten anything all day and had either thrown everything up or it had come out the other end. So I decided to be a little brave and head out and try to find some Gatorade and something easy to eat. I wandered through a really neat market that had all sorts of fresh fruit and veggies. They also had whole animals butchered and hung up, ready to be cut to whatever you wanted.

It wasn’t long or far from the motel that my stomach started hurting again and feeling queasy, then light headed. I headed back to the Hostel, but didn’t quite make it. All I wanted to do at this point was to curl up in the shower and take a hot shower. But all that would come out was cold water (It’s nearly impossible to get a hot shower in Peru). The rest of the night I spent with a nasty flu that would leave me shivering cold one moment, then dripping with sweat the next.
The next morning everyone by myself headed up to hike Huayna Picchu which is the mountain that looms over Machu Picchu. From what they tell me it was an amazing hike with spectacular views, but some scary parts on the trails. This seems to be some of their most memorable moments of the trip, so if you make your way down there, opt to do the hike up Huayna Picchu. That afternoon, after they got back from their hike, we made our way down to the train station. We took a train from Aguas Caliente back to Ollantaytambo. The train ride was nice with some great views, and even included dancers in costumes, and, a fashion show in which Mandy was one of the fabulous models.

From Ollantaytambo we took a bus the rest of the way back to Cuzco. The bus ride passed several small villages, farmlands, and stunning landscapes with high mountain peaks looming in the background. Once back at Hotel Marques, I ended up staying the rest of our trip attached to the room, until the next morning when they kicked me out of the room and wouldn’t let me extend my stay even though I was sick. I ended up just sitting in their courtyard and tried to keep warm in the sun, while not venturing too far from their restroom (It was a strange cave like restroom .. but at least it was a regular toilet that flushed). After the family did some bumming around Cuzco and bought more souvenirs, we took another crazy taxi ride through the city to the airport and started our journey back home.

We had another layover in Miami, this time I wasn’t fit to drive so someone else took the wheels as we headed down the Florida Keys. We stopped and did some kayaking in the mangroves where we got to see some crocodiles. Then we stopped at some small joint and then got us some delicious key lime pie before heading back to the airport and back home to Denver.

Peru-Part 3–The Inca Trail

Early in the morning, before dawn even broke, we departed the Apu Lodge and went on a short, but bumping bus ride to Piskacucho, the official start to our Inca Trail adventures. Here we met up with our porters, and made sure our packs were all distributed, then we crossed the bridge and headed down the Urubamba canyon.

Hiking along the Inca trail, you encounter many interesting sights. It’s not just the ruins, vegetation, or towering mountains in the distance. It’s the little things that catch your eye, such as local women packing in or out goods on the trail. There are villages that are still on the trail and they don’t have any road access. So everything has to be carried in on foot or mule (But Mule’s can only go to a certain point). The Porters that carry all of your camping gear, food, plus all their own gear and food, are quite the sight themselves. They are short people (Average height in Peru is 5’ 4”) but carry heavy loads that are packed up taller than themselves. And to top it off, most of them only have sandals for shoes! They happily pass you up and you will occasionally pass them while they are taking a break and drinking chicha and chewing coca leaves (I was chewing those too … as they help with altitude). We also had the pleasure of stopping at a villiage, that had a small outpost like grocery store and where you could pay a sole or two to use a restroom (a hole in the ground with shit all over the walls) I thought this was pretty gross .. but that was before we encountered other ones on the trail later on.…

Our first glimpse of the ruins on the Inca trail were only two hours into the hike when we came upon a lookout that you could see the garden terraces and settlement of Llaqtapata which sits on the bank of the Cusichaca side river. After a short break to take some pictures we climbed a short way up the Cusichaca valley to Huayllabamba, where our porters had already set up camp and started cooking us dinner for the night.

The company we used as our guides was quite nice. Each night, when you would come into camp, they would have the tent all set up with your gear sitting in it. You could lay in it and relax for a little while since trekking at this altitude can be quite tiresome. After a bit of a rest, they would come around with something to drink, and a bowl of warm water to wash up in. After washing up you would make your way into the dining tent where they would bring in a lot of really good food to eat. This wasn’t the kind of food one would expect on a backpacking trip. It was excellent food and each night was very different. We had stews, all sorts of potato’s (Peru is home to thousands of variants of potato), quinoa, ceviche, and different kinds of fruit. Each night you would want to keep eating more and more of the food until you were stuffed and barely able to haul yourself off to bed. In the mornings they would come around with a wash basin full of warm water, and a cup of tea to warm you up. You would make your way groggily out of bed and over to tent for another exquisite meal.

The entire length of the Inca trail is made up of cobbled stones and a whole hell of a lot of stairs strung out over 26 miles. The second day on the trail we made our way way up the steep-sided Llullucha valley and through subtropical woodlands. Crossing the rim of a small plateau, we found ourselves in the pula, the treeless grasslands of the high Andes. After a break to catch our breath, and for Spencer to take advantage of a last chance of getting some alcohol from the locals, we headed up to the first pass and the highest part of our trek, Warmiwañusqa (Dead Woman’s Pass). Our guide tried his hardest to convince us that it looked like a dead woman. Maybe you can see it … but I guess my imagination is just not that great … or could be because I’m gay and have a hard time visualizing a woman laying down… From he top of the pass you get spectacular views of both valleys, plus of snowy peaks of Huayanay. From here we made our way down to the floor of the Pacaymayo valley, where we camped for the night.

The next morning we picked up on the Inca stairway again and ascended past the small Inca site of Runkuracay which was used as an outpost watching for people invaders down the valley. As we reached the second pass, the landscape opened onto spectacular new views of the snowy peaks of the Pumasillo range. We descended to the ruins of Sayacmarca, an intricate labyrinth of houses, plazas, and water channels, all perched on a rocky spur overlooking the Aobamba valley. We continued on and descended into the cloud forest, with it’s abundance of orchids, bromeliads, mosses, and ferns.. This orchid picture is one of my favorites, not for the beauty of the picture, but instead, if you zoom in and look closely you will see an insect hiding in it. Our next stop of ruins was the mist covered complex of Phuyupatamarca (Cloud-Level Town). I didn’t have time to stop there since we were running a little slow as the hike was taking a toll on our joints (Did I mention there were a lot of stairs …) We finally made it down to our final camp by the ruins of Wiñay Wayna (Forever Young).

Once we got at camp, our guide let us know that there was an owner of one of the buildings that, for a price, would let us take a shower in his facilities. It was all hush hush since he apparently wasn’t suppose to be operating any type of business there. But, we were willing to take the risk, and after what felt like a drug deal, Brian and I got our turn. The showers scared the hell out of me. There isn’t a normal water heater like what we have in the US. At this place the water heater was on the shower head itself. The power was hooked up by a few wires dangling right next to the running water and didn’t have any wire nuts or any other insulation on them. (Maybe this is why he wasn’t suppose to be operating ….) The water was very temperamental and I couldn’t get a continuous stream of lukewarm water. Mostly because I was afraid to touch let alone adjust the water control out of fear of being electrocuted to death.

After taking a short break at camp a few of us made our way down to check out the Wiñay Wayna ruins. A few of the members of our group, including the couple from the UK, our youngest member, and a few others stayed behind because they were getting tired or sick. The altitude has a not so pleasant effect on your body. While waiting in our tent later we heard a few people vomiting and groaning. That night we had an all out feast with our guides and stayed up a little later chatting about adventures and cultural differences. A few of the group had a few drinks .. and a few others had a few too many… But I was exhausted, so Brian and I headed to bed. And then things went downhill for me … more to be come.

Peru-Part 2-CUZ-Ollantaytambo

Here we are over 2 years after the fact, I am going to try to finish up the blog about my trip to Peru. I had all the intentions of finishing this blog post two years ago, but I kept putting it off because I was still queasy about parts of the story you will come to find out. Then Life got a hold of me and I never finished it. Now I am two years and several blog posts should have been written about other adventures. I’ll try to make them up …

Facts may be distorted due to mental distress and the effects of time on my memories …

First thing in the morning of day 2, we gathered up our sleeping bags, gear, and personal belongings that we would be taking on our trek, and had the Hotel Marques store the rest of the stuff we didn’t need for the the week. After everyone in our group got their bags packed, we boarded a small van and headed for the Sacred Valley.

We descended 1500 feet to the valley floor of the sacred Urbamba river stopped off at a roadside market where Brian picked up a small stuffed cuy as a souvenir and I got a beanie made from alpaca, as well as a blanket made from alpaca. We also got to go check out some alpaca one of the locals had there ready to be posed with for a small price. After that we headed up to the ruins of Pisac and wandered around for a short tour, then down to the villiage of Pisac to the larger market there.

At this market, several of our group members ended up getting lost, and we enjoyed checking out the local goods, as well as a cute little house filled with squeaking cuy waiting to be killed and cooked.

Once our guide was able to round up the lost members of our group, we continued onto Urubamba where we stopped for lunch at a buffet style resturant. This is where I first tried ceviche and loved it. Luckily they didn’t try to serve us cuy here. After having lunch we kept heading down the sacred valley to Ollantaytambo. Here we toured more Incan ruins, including a hike up temple hill to the temple of the Sun. It is quite amazing when you see the stones these people hauled from neighboring mountains. From the top you could see some of the stones that were quarried and meant to be drug up to this temple, but never did make it all the way. Across the valley from the ruins you could see even more ruins high on the mountain. It was directly below these that we would be staying the night.

Situated at the foothills of Pinkuylluna, a sacred Inca mountain, was a quint little B&B, the Apu Lodge. For some reason this night was one of my most memorable of the visit. This B&B was not only directly below some very cool looking ruins, but it was also off the regular streets on the outskirts of this village. To get to it you had to walk up a stone path that cut through where all the locals lived, up to the small lodge. We ended up walking past homes with the red garbage bags hanging out front to signal they sold chicha (the local beer) where groups of men would be huddled in the small dirt floored homes drinking away and chatting away in Quechua. We would pass homes that in their small yards they would have cows, chickens, or other smaller animals roaming.

That night we found a restaurant in the town square that for the first time we really had to use some Spanish. The waitress didn’t know any English. Thankfully I had taken some Spanish courses before we went to Peru and they paid off. We were able to somewhat understand what we ordered, and we had an amazing meal. I don’t remember what I ordered now, but I do remember it was pretty good. I do remember Brian ended up ordering lomo saltado, which is a popular, traditional Peruvian dish that combines marinated strips of sirloin with onions, tomatoes, and other ingredients and is served with potato slices.

After this wonderful dinner, and a little roaming around the town center, we made our way back up to the lodge and crashed for the night to get a little needed rest before all the hiking started in the morning.

Peru–Part 1–DEN-MIA-LIM-CUZ

This summer I finally went on my first trip out of the country (Other than when my parents took me across the border into Mexico when I was too young to remember). Back around Thanksgiving of last year my mom, siblings, and I decided to head to Peru to hike the Inca Trail. I got the joys of planning out the whole thing. By February we had our trip booked and by March we had our plane tickets (at $1,700+ each those really hurt). By the time everything was said and done it would be six of us going… my sister Andrea, her girlfriend Mandy, my mom Kim, my brother Spencer, my boyfriend Brian, and myself. Everyone except Brian and myself were originally slated to fly out of SLC but two weeks before the trip their flights all got cancelled. They re-booked to fly out of Denver on the same flight as ours. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

We first start off our trip by flying from DIA to MIA. We have a 10 hour layover so we rent a minivan (First time I’ve ever driven one) and decide to see a little of Miami. First off we go to Little Havana to get some food. We stop off at a highly rated Exquisito Resturant and stroll up and down Calle Ocho. After some delicious Cuban food we headed over to Miami Beach and to the World Erotic Art Museum. Id recommend this to anyone that doesn’t have any serious hang-ups over nudity and sex. It was extremely interesting especially seeing objects of art from so many different time periods and cultures. There were even pieces as old as 400 BC. After that we head a few blocks over for a stroll on Miami beach, then over for some of the biggest fishbowl sangrias ever .. where we were rained out by a crazy storm.

After getting everyone but me drunk we hopped on the plane for an overnight flight to Lima, then a dash through customs to get on board for Cuzco. We get picked up by a van sent to get us from SAS Travel and he zips us through traffic, pedestrians, and dogs to the center of town. We then check in to the Marquees Hotel and enjoy the wonderful courtyard complete with their own Peruvian lady making alpaca scarves and sashes. We then take a nap before heading out for our first adventure into Cuzco. After adjusting a little to the altitude (Twice of what Denver is at 11,152 feet) we walk over to the Plaza de Armas where they are just picking up after the big Inti Ryami celebration. The streets and sidewalks are full of vendors trying to sell you everything from alpaca goods to Inca Cola. They are even as forward enough to put a pin of the Cusco Flag ( a rainbow that resembles the gay pride flag) on your chest telling you it is a gift, then asking for 2 soles (the local currency).

We then get talked into coming into a restaurant on the Plaza that had amazing views, and pretty amazing food. Where I tried both Inca Cola (Which I loved) and some cuy or what Americans know as Guiney pig ( which was an awful chewy mess). We also tried the local favorite liquor drink, the Pisco Sour. Which was very good and reminds me of a margarita. After that Brian and I killed some time by walking through first the markets targeted towards tourists, then down to the local markets where things were quite different. We had to have passed by 20 women cooking up their own version of soup and selling it to the locals.

Then we had to head back to the motel to be briefed on our trekking trip and to rest up for tomorrows adventure.

The Subway–Zion N.P.

I’ve been wanting to hike to the Subway in Zion’s since I found out about it back in 06 while canyoneering down there with a friend. We weren’t able to get permits for the Subway but we did do two other amazing slot canyons, Pine Creek and Keyhole.

My Mom and I lucked out and were able to get two walk up permits for the Subway!!. We headed out to the Left Fork Trailhead in the morning after picking up some caffeine and pop tarts. Packed up our stuff and headed off on the 6 mile round trip hike.

Now I’m not sure if you know what the subway is, but it’s probably one of the most photographed places in Zion N.P. I have seen the pics more than I can remember and they always look soo damn cool. So I was pretty damn excited for this trip.

We had decided to do the Bottom up hike since for one we don’t have any of the gear for the upper technical sections of the canyon. Plus Mom isn’t too keen on heights so I was not sure about the rappels that it requires. So we left the trailhead and headed down to the creek bed. You follow the creek bed for about 2.6 miles up to the Subway itself. It was a gorgeous hike up the creek bed but takes some time since you have to do a considerable amount of boulder hopping, crossing the creek, and hiking up the hillside around boulders too big to climb. Along the way we encountered hundreds of little tiny frogs that would scatter every which way from the trail as you almost stepped on them (I’m sure we had to kill at least one or two of them even though we tried very hard not to)

After stopping to take quite a few pictures of beautiful waterfalls along the way, and playing leapfrog with a couple going up there to photograph as well we reached the Subway. The couple we were playing leapfrog with had 8×10 camera gear, a 35mm film camera, a digital camera, and a big heavy tripod that made me thankful for my Micro 4/3 camera but at the same time made me envious of the quality of photos they would get compared to mine.

On First Impression of the Subway I thought …. This is all? For some reason I was expecting it to be a long tunnel. But Most the pictures you see of the subway is all of the subway. It’s probably under a hundred feet long. It’s still pretty damn cool and quite the sight to see … but even cooler is the pools in there. I swam up the slot canyon as far as I could (To the waterfall) which wasn’t too far back.

We had to fight over space to photograph (not really any fighting …. more just waiting your turn) But I got the pictures I want. I learned a few things from this trip and hopefully I’ll make it back and not only get the photographs I want, but next time I want to do the top down so I can explore the slot canyons leading up to the subway.

Backpacking the West Rim Trail in Zion N.P

I had 8 days of Vacation time built up so I decided I should start taking some of it before I lose it at the end of the year (New GEO company policy). I took off three days not knowing where I was going to go. I knew I would figure something out. It turns out my mom was in the same boat and had a big stretch coming up so we decided to go somewhere together.

At first I was planning on heading up to Yellowstone NP and the Grand Tetons since I haven’t spent much time up there and haven’t done any real hiking around. But after looking at the weather and how cold it was going to get we looked south. High of 87 and low of 50 in Zion NP … GREAT!! So very early Friday morning we headed south.

We got to Zion around Noon after stopping to visit with Grandma in Salem. It was HOT as Hell there!! (Turned out to be 97 that day). Ouch! We got a campsite and went and got our permit to do the West Rim hike and got a campsite up on the rim. We asked about permits for the subway but of course there weren’t any available. After that we were going to go for a hike but it was too damn hot out and I was feeling sick from the heat .. so what did we do … went and got some food and beer Smile

Later that evening once there was some shade and it started to cool down we did go hike up to the upper emerald pools. I was thinking I hadn’t been there before .. but alas I had.

Early Saturday morning we headed up to the Lava Point trailhead (We took a shuttle from Zion Adventure Company) We started on the trail around 8 AM. Well going downhill most the way and only having to hike 7 or so miles .. it didn’t take us long to get to camp. That was even taking our time to take pictures. I think we arrived camp around noon that day. Only 7 or 8 hours to kill till bed time (when the sun goes down). What to do to entertain ourselves? Wait … I broke my kindle last trip so didn’t bring it, forgot to bring a book or magazine, and those cards I had in my pack … they were thrown out since I thought Mom would have brought some (She didn’t). I guess all there is to do is take a 3 hour nap.

I woke up from my long nap drenched in sweat. Yuk. We decided to hike around the rim and see if we could find the springs and fill up on water. While we didn’t get any water we did get to see some pretty damn amazing views.

Up along the rim of Zion Canyon you get a whole new perspective on the park. The land looks surreal and alien like. The tall sloping sandstone cliffs, domes, and cones. Then there are the plateaus. From the ground it looks like there are just the sandstone cliffs with nothing on top of them. But from the top you can see they have a forest of their own. It makes you want to get on top of them and explore them. Also, it makes you wonder if there are any wildlife on top. If there are any squirrels up there.

Sunday morning we got up and headed out early. The trail takes you down to Boy Scout lookout (the lookout on the way up Angels Landing) then down to the Grotto’s trailhead. We made it down just after noon on Sunday and headed straight for the back country office. We wanted a second chance of getting permits to the Subway .. low and behold they actually had some left. Looks like we were going to stay in Zion for another night …

West Rim – Zion N.P.

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Snowmass Lake / Snowmass Mountain

Last week I took off some time to head to Aspen. I wanted to hike to Conundrum Hot Springs Snowmass Lake and summit Snowmass Mountain I arrived in Aspen on Tuesday right after sunset. I had taken the back way up through Leadville and over Independence Pass which I would recommend to anyone.

My Mom and Brother arrived Wednesday night pretty late. After taking some more pictures of the Maroon Bells on Thursday Morning we headed to the Conundrum Hot Springs trailhead. It turns out that dogs (Zip) are not allowed in the upper valley by Conundrum Hot Springs and the campground. So, we headed down to the Ranger station for the Aspen area to get some maps and figure out where to go next (They had previously told me over the phone that the only restrictions for dogs were you had to have them on a leash …. GRRR)

We decided on heading to Snowmass Lake and then summit Snowmass Mountain the second day. So we headed to the Maroon – Snowmass trailhead up above Snowmass Village. After getting our packs ready and getting Zip all geared up we headed out for the lake.

The trail along the way was long (9 Miles) but sure was beautiful. We passed quite a few horse riders and a few hikers but didn’t run into any large animals. It was sort of disappointing to not see any Deer, Elk, or anything else. We crossed over a big log jam and then headed up through some deep woods and after passing a few waterfalls we finally reached camp.

The views at the lake were stunning with the cliffs jutting out of the lake at the far end and some amazing peaks in the rear. We set up camp and hung out until the mosquitos forced us to go in our tents.

Friday Morning we woke up just before sunlight to try and get some decent pictures of the lake and peaks. After grabbing some breakfast we made our way to the summit of Snowmass Mountain. This turned out to be quite the damn hike. The summit raises 3,000+ feet from the lake in under Two Miles. So we were pretty much hiking straight up the mountain .. no switchbacks, no breaks. Zip didn’t quite make it to the top. He freaked out when the boulders got bigger than cars and the cracks between them you couldn’t see the bottom. I had to push him up on a ledge then when I got up there with him he decided to run down where I had just pushed him up and kept wanting to go down. So, I had to tie him up to a boulder and listen to him yelp as we left him for the summit.

Snowmass Mountain

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After reaching the summit at last (Probably the hardest time I have had summiting a peak .. I was wore out) we headed back down to rescue my dog get back to camp. We had tried to take a different route down but after making it part the way across a boulder field with most the boulders the sizes of cars … we decided to head back down the standard route.

That night and the next morning Zip was pretty much beat and dead to the world. When I would try to get him to come out and be social he wouldn’t want to come out of the tent or get up. When I would get him to get up he would sneak back to the tent and onto my sleeping bag as soon as I wasn’t paying attention. I ended up feeling sorry for him and carrying his stuff back out for him.

After getting back to the trailhead we found out that there had been a couple bear incidents over by where I had hiked back on Wednesday to take my pictures of Maroon Bells. Two hikers were bit through their tents though there were no fatalities and both should be able to recover fine.

Trip to Florida to watch Atlantis’s last departure

This past weekend I had an amazing opportunity to go to Florida with my Dad and watch the last NASA Shuttle launch. What an amazing trip it was.

We Left Denver Thursday afternoon and made it to Titusville around 10 or so. We went out and found a place to where we could see the shuttle at night time to try and get a decent picture of it before it launched. But, it turned out to be too hard to get a good picture at night. So, we headed back to our motel room to catch a whopping 2 hours of sleep before we had to wake up at 2 AM to head to the Kennedy Space Center.

We arrived at the KSCVC around 3 am and started the processes of waiting in line after line after line. We finally boarded our bus at 7:30 AM and then proceeded to head out to the Causeway where my dad had gotten tickets to through the lottery system. The causeway is the closest you can get as a civilian to watching the shuttle launch. We sure lucked out.

After waiting in the humid heat for 4 hours while setting up the cameras, chatting about cameras, listening to the latest news of whether it was going to launch or not (a 30% chance) we finally got the word that the launch was a GO. We all waited anxiously in anticipation for the countdown. We made it to T-2 minutes .. and then were delayed. But only for a few minutes…. Then they started the clock again at T-5 minutes and counting… 3… And you could see the engines light up and the smoke billowing out… 2… 1… and we had liftoff. For a moment all you could see was the smoke .. and then you saw the nose of the shuttle peaking out and moving up quickly … then it all happened so fast yet was sort of slow motion… watching the shuttle arc up into the clouds. Then eventually the booming sound of the shuttle hit us (about 30 seconds later).

And a few from the Pro Photographer Dad ….

After the shuttle launch we made our way back to the Hotel for some very much needed rest. That pretty much took up the rest of Friday.

Saturday we headed out to the northern part of Merritt Island to the wildlife refuge to see what birds and other critters we could see. At the visitor center we went on a short walk and ran into some interesting spiders, dung beetles (at least beetles that liked dung), turtles, and a small croc. After that we headed out on the Peacock Pocket Rd loop (one that we would repeat two more times) to check out the birds.

I would like to come back to Merritt island sometime (Maybe in the spring when it’s cooler) and take a kayaking trip around the canals and lagoons. It was a very pretty area and very enjoyable except all the mosquitos that for some reason really love my blood (I’m still itching all over from the trip).

The last part of our major adventure was sitting on the tarmac for over an hour in Orlando, running through Atlanta’s airport from the end of one terminal to the end of another, and then not getting back home till 2 AM. Just in time for a few hours sleep before I had to be to work Monday morning.

Thanks Dad for the GREAT time !!!!

Backpacking to Chicago Basin with the Family

This past weekend I made the trip up to Chicago Basin again, only this time I did it with more of the family (7 of us total).

Thursday night I stayed at Orvis hot springs with my Brother, Mom, and step father. It was a great way to relax and unwind after quite the past few weeks of stressful work packed on top of a 6 hour drive down to Ouray. I would recommend the place to anyone (At least anyone that doesn’t mind a little nudity since it is a clothing optional resort). I did wear clothes as it would probably be a little strange being naked around family.

Friday we met up with Mandy and Andrea in Ouray and picked up a few last minute supplies at a local store. Then we went and checked out Ouray’s Box Cañon Falls where they do the ice climbing in the winter. It’s pretty amazing watching the creek rage through that canyon. After that short hike we headed over to Silverton and met the rest of the family. After having lunch at the local Pickle Barrel, we gathered up our packs and 7 of us boarded the train headed for the Needleton train stop. My Grandma, Sister, and two Nieces boarded another train a half an hour later and headed for Durango to stay the night.

That day we hiked most of the way up to Chicago basin but didn’t quite reach it. Instead we stayed at a cool campsite that overlooked some thundering waterfalls. Saturday we backpacked the rest of the way up to Chicago Basin. That day we explored around the basin and took a look at some of the falls and mines, and got acquainted with the goats. This year the goats seem to be less afraid of people and more addicted to urine. Pretty unfortunate. They almost act like crack addicts do. They get all fidgety when you are around and are super paranoid, yet they will do about anything to just get a lick of those rocks.

Sunday Morning Spencer and I headed out for our attempts at summiting 14ers. The first one we headed for was Mt. Eolus. After hiking up to Twin Lakes we reached the base of some pretty big snowfields. We watched as a group of hikers tried to make it through the snow and it seemed to take them forever just to gain a few feet since they were wading and post holing through the snow. After seeing their struggle we decided to take a route to the right that was still in the shade and the snow was hard. We strapped on our new crampons and made our way up the steep slope. Trying to kick step into the snow I slid a few times since it was so steep, luckily I was able to stop myself with my ice axe. Then I figured out if I side stepped up the hill my crampons held much better.

After reaching the top of the snowfield it was time to cross the catwalk which wasn’t too wide but both sides of it had a pretty extreme drop off on both sides. If you look closely at this photo you can see a group of people crossing the catwalk to gain the upper part of Mt Eolus.

After this it was a fairly easy climb to the top of Mt Eolus where we enjoyed the views while hanging out with a few other climbers and one fat marmot. After that we headed down and did a short hike to the summit of North Eolus.

Then it was time for the fun slide down the snowfields we had climbed earlier. The slope was so steep it made it very difficult to control how fast I was going or where I was going. But luckily I made it down with only a major case of frozen ass. It took us hours to get up and only a half an hour or so to get back down to twin lakes.

After making it down to twin lakes it turns out we had perfect timing and met the rest of our group there who was just doing that as a hike. We sat down and had lunch and chatted for a while before Spencer, Andrea, and I headed up for our attempt of Sunlight Peak. Only to be turned back less than 1/4 of the way up by a nasty storm.

After a nap and hanging out at camp, we heard a helicopter fly up the canyon. We all rushed out into the field to see what was going on. The helicopter circled around the area for nearly 15 minutes trying to find whatever it was looking for and then finally touched down not far from our camp. We all made way to see what was going on.

After finding the helicopter we learned that a 17 year old boy had fallen from a cliff and had been there for several hours since the ranger’s walkie talkie was out of batteries. Luckily they had eventually found someone with a Sat Phone that was able to call for help. Unfortunately the boy had to sit in pain for over 4 hours before the helicopter was actually able to reach him. With the help of many of the hikers up in the basin they were able to get the boy off of the hill and down into the helicopter and off to the hospital. I can’t seem to get those disturbing images out of my mind these days. I just hope he will be able to make a full recovery from his many injuries. Here is a link to the news story that the Durango Herald ran about the accident

The next day we made our way out of the back country and back into civilization. I arrived in Denver with my nephew just in time to watch the fireworks light up the skies of Denver. I made it home after picking up Zip just after midnight. Boy am I ever dragging ass today at work…..

Chicago Basin with the Family

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Windom Peak in the Weminuche Wilderness Area

Over the 4th of July this weekend I went on a backpacking trip with my mom to the San Juan Mountains down by Silverton, CO. I’ve been wanting to do this trip for quite some time now and since she ad some days off work, and I had just finished my last day working at my old job, we decided we should go give it a try.

The trip consisted of riding the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railwayup into the Weminuche Wilderness. They drop you off in the middle of the wilderness area where Needleton Creek flows into the Animas River. From there you pack up 6 miles with an elevation gain of 2,800 feet into Chicago Basin. From there we set up our base camp for the next few days.

When we awoke in the morning we started heading up to hike Windom Peak. Upon setting out at 6 AM to summit our first 14er (14,000 foot peak) we came across probably close to 100 mountain goats. Most of them were hanging around in people’s camps. They sure were curious buggers. According to the forest service, and I witnessed it myself, they are addicted to urine (I know .. gross huh). I guess they have become addicted to the salt in our urine. Since this is the case the forest service asks you to make sure to pee on rocks for reasons that would become apparent to me later on.

We reached the Twin Lakes area where you can split up and go to one of the three 14,000 foot peaks right there in the basin. Due to it being less technical and less exposure than the other two we chose to summit Windom Peak (14,982’). The other two had some pretty damn sketchy places on them and since mom is afraid of heights (Though she did damn good on what we did) we chose not to combine Sunlight or Eolus in our trip.

From there we headed up the standard route to Windom Peak. On the way up we didn’t really pass anyone. Though at the top we did have a young kid come right up behind us. He had previously hiked Sunlight and had far more energy than either of us had. We sat at the Peak and snapped some photos then headed down off the mountain. All in all it took us around 9 hours round trip. Though we weren’t by any means rushing ourselves.

The next morning we slept in till around 9 or 10 AM. After getting up and getting our stuff sorted out a herd of the mountain goats decided to pay us a visit. It turns out that the head of the pack was hoarding the rock I had peed on earlier that morning. Every time another goat would get near it would chase it off. After it got it’s fill of all my salt they became curious of what I was doing. I was down by the creek filling our camelbacks when I looked over my shoulder and one of them was creeping up on me with it’s ever watchful eyes. I stood up and it continued to inch closer until it was probably 5 feet from me. Then after a stare down of a couple minutes it decided to head back up to where the rest of the herd was. I’m not sure if it was just curious what I was doing, threatened by me being there, or if it was just waiting for me to pee so it could get some more!

That day we decided to check out some of the mines in the area and just generally explore the area. We headed up the trail that goes up over Columbine Pass. We passed several camps, herds of goats, and a couple hikers. We also passed one major camp that looked like it was a big base camp for workers on the trail. I bet they had most of their stuff hauled in via helicopter since they were up by treeline and they had several big boxes that wouldn’t be easily hauled any other way. We then came across some really cool mines but didn’t venture into any of them. I’m sure they are very unstable these days. We also had one goat with a radio collar that stalked us down the trail a half a mile or so.

The next day (the 4th of July) we got up early, packed our camp up, and made the hike back down to the railway. The train picked us and 6 other backpackers up around 11:30 AM. After getting back into town on that beautiful ride, we went and grabbed a beer and burger while watching all the interesting folk striding through town.

Quite the trip overall and I would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in a couple day outing to bag a 14er or three!

Windom Peak Backpacking Trip

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Code_Joe

Just a blog of my own adventures

Family

Peru – Part 4 – Machu Picchu / Aguas Caliente / CUZ – LIM – MIA – DEN

Peru-Part 3–The Inca Trail

Peru-Part 2-CUZ-Ollantaytambo

Peru–Part 1–DEN-MIA-LIM-CUZ

The Subway–Zion N.P.

Backpacking the West Rim Trail in Zion N.P

Snowmass Lake / Snowmass Mountain

Trip to Florida to watch Atlantis’s last departure

Backpacking to Chicago Basin with the Family

Windom Peak in the Weminuche Wilderness Area