The Bastille Crack in El Dorado Canyon, Colorado is a bonafide classic Colorado climb. Climbing it today–guided by Adam Fisher of Colorado Mountain School–was an absolute pleasure. Five pitches of crack climbing, funky moves, great exposure.
Tag Archives: Colorado
Long’s Peak Ascent Via Cables Route
Long’s Peak summit via Cables Route, July 8th. I began climbing last year; this made for a great beginner’s route. Elementary climbing for a few pitches (max 5.4), 6-mile approach (especially hard when you are half asleep), some funky scrambling on our descent through the Keyhole Route, and 5000 feet of vertical gain all addedContinue reading “Long’s Peak Ascent Via Cables Route”
The Decalibron Loop
A great little loop hike around four Colorado Fourteeners: Mt. Democrat, Mt. Cameron, Mt. Lincoln, and Mt. Bross.
Mt. Evans Summit
Mt. Evans summit (14,130 feet ASL, Colorado), 9AM Mountain Time. A great little hike, off at 7, up top at 9 at a leisurely pace.
A Conversation On Religious Experience
A couple of summers ago, a friend and I waited at a parking lot by Cottonwood Pass in Colorado for a ride back to Buena Vista. Bad weather had forced us off the Colorado Trail, and we now needed transportation to the nearest lodging venue. A pair of daytrippers, a middle-aged couple, appeared, walking backContinue reading “A Conversation On Religious Experience”
States To Feds On Weed Policy: Cash Me Outside How Bow Dah?
‘Tis true, Jeff Sessions is a serious downer, a buzz killer for the ages. As long feared, Attorney General Jeff Sessions is revoking an Obama-era directive–the so-called ‘Cole memo’–that restrained enforcement of federal marijuana laws in states that had legalized it. But things are not going to be so easy for this dastardly ve-haf-ways-to-make-you-stop-smoking Sessions brigade;Continue reading “States To Feds On Weed Policy: Cash Me Outside How Bow Dah?”
On Being In A Quandary On Quandary Peak
On July 19th, my wife, my daughter (aged four and a half years), and I set off to hike Quandary Peak in Colorado–one of the state’s fifty-three fourteeners. We awoke at four a.m., left at five a.m. and after a longer-than-expected drive, were on the trail at 7:50AM. By Colorado standards this was a tad bitContinue reading “On Being In A Quandary On Quandary Peak”
Colorado Notes – IV: The Outdoor Act That Dare Not Speak Its Name
Apparently bears shit in the woods.¹ What about hikers? Forget about ‘going’ in outer space. How do you ‘go’ in the great outdoors? The answer to this question scares many off from overnight camping, sending them back to the safety of the trailhead, the car, and then, onwards to modern civilization’s greatest achievement: the indoorContinue reading “Colorado Notes – IV: The Outdoor Act That Dare Not Speak Its Name”
Colorado Notes – III: Solo Hiking As Novelty
I’ve always struggled to understand the solo hiker. Walking alone in the wilderness suggested a journey suffused with equal parts boredom and fear: no one to point to a sight seen along the way, no one to seek refuge with in case of danger. (These considerations apply to travel in general in my case: I’veContinue reading “Colorado Notes – III: Solo Hiking As Novelty”
Colorado Notes – II: The Kindness Of Strangers
Before my recent trip to Colorado, I had not hitchiked in many years. There was no need to. And it seemed like a bad idea in most cases. (As in anywhere in New York City.) But over the past week or so, I racked up an impressive number of hitched rides. All thanks to theContinue reading “Colorado Notes – II: The Kindness Of Strangers”
Samir Chopra 