His & Hers Saturday

His:

Today Drew hiked Long's Peak with Hunter and Travis. Long's peak is the only 14er in Rocky Mountain National Park and one of the most well-known mountains in the Rockies. It is also one of the more difficult 14ers, but the boys smoked it. They started their hike at 2:00am, summitted in 6 1/2 hours, and made it back to the car within 12 hours. Thankfully, they also made it home safe and sound, and didn't even smell that bad.

Hers:

I am on call this weekend which means I have to be available to answer phone calls from our patients. I don't have to go in to work but I do have to stay within cell phone range. So instead of climbing a mountain, I painted. About a week ago when I was jogging with Bogey through our neighborhood I spotted a desk on the side of the road. I had been wanting to get a desk for an empty corner in our living room, so it was quite convenient that the universe happened to provide a free one for me. It had a very bad paint job so today I planned a makeover. Those who know me know that I usually tend to like blah, neutral things. Those who know Drew know that he tends to hate blah, neutral things. But since most of our furniture is blah and neutral, Drew and I actually agreed (doesn't happen much in our household when it comes to furnishing/decorating) that the desk should be painted red.

Before:

During:

After:

And then there's Bogey. Dogs aren't allowed in the backcountry of Rocky Mountain National Park so he didn't get to hike with the boys. Instead, he stayed home and did this all day:

Drew's fun fact: A raisin dropped in a glass of fresh champagne will bounce up and down continuously from the bottom of the glass to the top.

Just for the Halibut

It's good to have friends in high places, but it's even better to have friends in Alaska. Two weeks ago Drew and I went on the vacation of a lifetime with our friends Ryan and Lisa to visit Jeremy and Kara. They moved to Alaska last year around the same time that Drew and I moved to Colorado. When we were home for Easter Ryan and Lisa mentioned that they were planning a trip to visit Jeremy and Kara this summer, so we decided to tag along.

Before it even started this was one of the best vacations ever for multiple reasons. The first was that I didn't have to do any planning. We already had a place to stay, a car to use, and lots of amazing excursions planned, all thanks to Jeremy, Kara, and the Rowland family. It is the best thing in the world to show up and have everything already taken care of. That hasn't happened since our honeymoon.

The other reason this vacation was awesome before it even started was the group of people. Drew and I are always missing our friends from home so we were really excited to get to spend a week with some of them. I already knew that the whole week would consist of Ryan and Drew acting like idiots, Jeremy giggling like a school girl, and the girls doing a lot of eye-rolling. I was not wrong.

Our flight arrived in Anchorage at 2:30am, an hour after Ryan and Lisa's landed. Jeremy and Kara had stayed up all night and killed time by going to see Harry Potter. They picked us up, we all went grocery shopping for our camping trip, drove through the night to Whittier, and arrived to a beautiful sunrise over the harbor.

There we met up with Raymond, Brenda, and their son Estevan to go fishing. We had a beautiful morning cruise through Prince William Sound where people come from all over the world to go glacier and whale watching.

Fortunately, I slept on the plane the night before, but I was the only one. Everyone else was operating on zero sleep at that point. But luckily that morning was filled with adrenaline to keep us awake because 30 minutes into our boat ride we saw a whale! At first we just saw a water-spout from far away,

but then it slowly moved closer and closer. It came up for air a couple of times so we got some great views of its hump and tail.

After a few minutes of no action we thought he was gone. Then he came up in front of the boat, did a mini breach move and sprayed the boat’s windshield with water. Really? Sprayed by a whale in Alaska? Yep.

After our real-life Shamu show was over it was time to get to work. We boated to this little island to set up camp and have a hot dog breakfast. Here's a picture of Raymond's boat and our view from camp:

Brenda and Raymond are serious fishermen, I mean fisher-people, and after breakfast they put us on some serious fish. We caught halibut,

silver salmon,

and a bunch of other fish I can't remember the names of. Estevan kindly demonstrated to us how to properly bash the fish on their heads after pulling them into the boat.

After fishing for many, many hours our perfect weather started to deteriorate. We finally headed to camp, snuggled into our sleeping bags, and went straight to sleep. It rained and rained all night with 60mph wind gusts. Luckily Jeremy and Kara had bought a new, heavy duty tent so we all were safe and warm. The next morning the rain and wind continued. We were camping on the beach of an island, and since the water was too stormy to cross in the boat, we were stranded. All 9 of us piled into the tent to wait out the storm. It might sound miserable to be stuck in a tent with a bunch of people for several hours, but it was actually really fun. We told silly stories, watched Drew and Ryan act like goofballs, and caught up on all the sleep we had missed the night before.

Finally, at around 4pm the weather subsided enough for us to make our escape. The storm chased us the whole way back. It was a very wet boat ride.

It took a couple hours to cross back over to Whittier, and when we arrived we were quite happy to be back on dry land and that much closer to coffee and hot showers. We made the 2 hour drive back to Palmer and crashed (into beds, not cars).

The next day we drove to Talkeetna which is a cute little touristy town where a lot of excursions to Mt. Mckinley are based out of. Our friends Beth and Joe, that are also from Palmer but live in Ft. Collins, have a cabin there. We all spent the day drinking Alaskan-brewed beer, checking out the little shops, and acting like obnoxious tourists. We even met some random SEC fans who out-did us on the obnoxious tourist part.

We had a great campfire at the cabin that night and even convinced the boys to jump in the river in their birthday suits. Yes we took pictures, no I will not post them.

Our driving tour of Alaska continued the next day to Denali National Park. Jeremy, Kara, Ryan, Lisa, Drew, and I all piled into Jeremy's pick up truck for the 180 mild drive. Needless to say there were plenty of shenanigans and beautiful scenery. The national park was cloudy that day so we couldn't see Mt. Mckinley, which was disappointing but I had already seen whales up close so I couldn't really complain. We hiked a little, saw some moose, and then headed back to Palmer. On the drive back the clouds cleared a bit and we were able to catch a glimpse of Mt. Mckinley.

The next day Jeremy took us to a couple of his local fishing spots and that night we had a little birthday party for Lisa's 29th birthday. We ate halibut that we had caught a few days earlier and had the best birthday carrot cake I've ever eaten. Ryan and Lisa flew home later that night, again at 2 in the morning.

Drew and I still had two more days after Ryan and Lisa left but Jeremy and Kara had to get back to work. They let us borrow a car so Drew and I went to check out a nearby glacier. We spent a couple hours exploring, going farther and farther up the glacier. It was very slippery and difficulty to maneuver without crampons, and I am clumsy to begin with. And you were surrounded by hard-packed ice so you knew if you fell it was going to hurt. Drew kept stopping to ask "are you sketched out?" I would answer "yes!" and then he would keep going. Typical.

The next day we slept in and then went to an old mining area called Hatcher pass. Then we packed up, went to Anchorage with Jeremy and Kara for dinner and a movie, and then to the airport. Like I said, vacation of a lifetime.

Drew's fun fact: The skeleton of Jeremy Bentham is present at all important meetings of the University of London.

Finally...

The snow has melted, I wasn't on call for work, and we didn't have any plans already made. Finally, we were able to hike a 14er. If you would've told me last year that it was going to take me until the first week of August to hike a 14er I would've said you're crazy. But between an insanely high snowpack, traveling, and Drew's new addiction to climbing, it did take that long.

Today we hiked Mt Huron in the Sawatch range. Not only was it a great hike with awesome views and beautiful weather, we were lucky enough to hike it with some old friends. My friends from college, Steve and Caroline, just moved to Denver from Gainesville. When Drew and I arrived in CO last year the first thing our friends did was haul our butts up a 14er and it was an incredible introduction into what this state has to offer. We figured it was only fair to do the same to Steve and Caroline. They did awesome, especially given their lack of time to acclimatize (they only got to CO four days ago). We also hiked with another friend from college, Josh, who is staying in Colorado Springs for a few weeks doing some training before he moves to Uganda in the fall. Josh is always fun to have around, especially because he freely gives back rubs. Rounding out the group was Brett, my friend since preschool, who is the closest thing I know to a Colorado native because she's lived here for two years. Here's a picture of Brett experiencing Josh's generosity on the summit:

And let's not forget Bogey, the best hiker of them all. He probably hiked the equivalent of three 14ers today for all the running up and down the trail he does. I couldn't even get a good picture of him because he wouldn't stop moving long enough.

Here are a couple pictures of the view from the summit at 14,003 ft, and a group shot at the end of the hike.

Mt Huron was definitely my favorite 14er that I've done so far. It was #4 for me and #6 for Drew and Bogey. I hope to fit in at least a couple more before the summer is over...

Drew's fun fact: Hippo milk is pink.

Family Fun

I've heard "If you build it, they will come." But I say "If you brag enough, they will come." All my ranting and raving about how fun Colorado is convinced my parents to spend the first month-long leg of their summer RV trip in CO. It also convinced my aunt and uncle to come for the weekend (though to be honest my uncle was already in CO on business). They all stayed in Longmont last weekend and we had the best time. We suckered Drew into making us shrimp tacos on Friday night, which is always a treat. Then on Saturday we all went to Lily Lake for some hiking, climbing, and amazing mountain views.

That day we finally had the chance to get my parents to try climbing. Ever since I started climbing this spring I've been thinking how much my parents would like to try it. Drew led a moderate slab route and even though it wasn't the best climb for beginners, my parents did great.

We didn't get to climb much that day because the typical afternoon storm rolled in (lightning is much scarier at 9,000+ ft than at sea-level). So instead we napped, walked around the neighborhood, and went to Oskar Blues.

My aunt and uncle left early Sunday morning so Drew and I took Mom and Dad climbing again in St. Vrain Canyon where Drew and I usually climb after work. Drew set up an easier slab route and Mom and Dad were both able to top out. They also both tried a tougher crack climb and really impressed us with their beginner-50+-aged abilities. Now I know where I get my eagerness to try new things and my tendency to climb with my knees instead of my feet. It's so fun to have parents that like to do fun, adventurous things!

That day we also met up with a friend from college, Josh. He is spending the next 6 weeks in Colorado Springs training for his upcoming move to Uganda. He was staying the weekend in Boulder with friends so they came and found us at our climbing spot. It was so great to catch up with an old friend and meet new friends to climb with.

Last night Drew and I and a couple of friends from Drew's work went back to St. Vrain Canyon (instead of staying home and packing for our Alaska trip like we were supposed to). Drew and I bought a new camera this week for our Alaska trip and I was so excited to take it out and take some climbing pictures, but of course we were half there when I realized I left it at home. Crap! Then, I ended up leading my first climb (clipping into bolts on the rock rather than top-roping, more scary and risky) and had no camera to document. I am going to make up for it though by taking a thousand pictures on our Alaska trip that we leave for tomorrow! Speaking of which, maybe I should go pack...

Drew's fun fact: Your feet can produce a pint of sweat per day.

Two Celebrations

Last week Drew and I celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary. The past two years we had gone on a trip to the Keys to celebrate. But this year our anniversary fell on a Tuesday, and since we've been taking so many weekend trips together lately, we decided to keep it low-key. We went to dinner at Oskar Blues and saw Transformers 3-D. We don't usually give each other gifts for our anniversary (or birthdays or Christmas), but this year we used it as an excuse to get something we've each been wanting. I got new Chacos and Drew got an altimeter watch.

Drew also surprised me with some beautiful Sunflowers when I got home from work. Sunflowers are actually the traditional flower given for the third anniversary. I'd like to give Drew credit for following the tradition, but let's be honest, we all know it was coincidence :)

To celebrate 4th of July weekend we met up with my parents who were camping on Lake Granby on the northwest side of RMNP. We drove up Friday night after work and had the most beautiful sunset drive through the park. We saw Elk, Moose, lots of tourists, and tons and tons of snow. Here's a picture of me standing next to the snowdrift on the side of the road... I'm beginning to think all this snow will never melt.

Saturday we woke up at the crack of dawn to hike Mt. Watanga in the Indian Peaks Wilderness. It was supposed to be a 10 mile round trip hike with a summit at 12,375 ft. We only made it a couple miles up the trail because the 'creeks' that are usually easy to cross had turned into raging rivers from all the snowmelt. We also lost track of the trail because it was buried in snow. We were all pretty disappointed, but we still enjoyed our shortened hike.

That afternoon we went over to our family friends' house on Shadow Mountain Lake. We played games, kayaked on the lake, and enjoyed the beautiful mountain views. Later that night we grilled burgers at our campsite, and Mom and I shared our traditional bottle of anniversary champagne. When Drew and I got engaged my parents had gotten us a bottle of champagne to celebrate. But Drew doesn't really like champagne so my mom drank it with me. Since then it's become a tradition for my mom and I to share a bottle to celebrate my wedding anniversary; she is so kind to make sure I never have to drink champagne alone.

The next day my Dad inflated his Bubba tub so that Drew and I could float the headwaters of the Colorado river. I only agreed to do this because my Mom had a wetsuit for me to wear. We only floated for about a mile, but it was very beautiful and very relaxing. I reclined on the bow while Drew paddled and serenaded me in fake Italian.

After that Drew and Mom spent some time practicing their Mother/Son-in-Law act.

We left later that afternoon because Drew had to work on the 4th of July (I think his boss is a Commie). On the drive home back through the park we saw Mountain goats, and again, lots and lots of tourists. Next weekend we will hopefully be meeting up with my parents again on the Cache La Poudre river where there are less crowds and more fun to be had.

Drew's fun fact: The world’s biggest hot dog was 1,996 feet long.

P.S. My parents gave Drew and I matching T-shirts for our anniversary. Luckily now I can celebrate our anniversary and the 4th of July simultaneously with one outfit. Now if I could only get Drew to wear his at the same as me...

Sweet Surprise

This spring and summer my yard has given me several sweet surprises.

It started with Daffodils in March...

then came Tulips and Irises in April...

Roses in May...

and, saving the best for last, Peonies in June.

I wish I could take credit for these lovely creations, but it was nice to receive the reward without having to put in the work.

Drew's fun fact: The sixth sick sheik's sixth sheep's sick is the toughest tongue twister in the English language.

Hooked on crack

Drew and I just got back from a weekend of camping and climbing in Estes Park. And since my bruised, scraped, exhausted body has fallen onto the sofa and can't get up, I figured I'd go ahead and blog about it.

Friday night we met up with some people from Drew's work at a campground just outside of Estes. It was great to finally meet some of the people Drew works with. One girl I met told me that when she moved to Colorado from Michigan she sold all of her designer high heels and purses on E-bay to buy a mountain bike. My kind of girl.

Saturday we went climbing at a spot called Lily Lake. The area had amazing views of Long's Peak and was full of great sport routes. A group of people showed up and set up a slack line above the top of the routes we were climbing. When it got windy the slack line started vibrating and sounded like a helicopter was landing. Needless to say, it was an amazing thing to witness these guys traverse the high-altitude slack-line.

One of the coolest routes of the day was called "Edge of Time." It's a classic climb for this area (a picture of it is on the cover of the climbing guidebook for Estes Park Valley). Here's a picture of Drew on it with Long's Peak in the background:

After a full day of climbing we went back to camp for an evening of frisbee, hacky sak, Apples to Apples, campfire singalong, and smores. Today we woke up early, broke down camp, and headed back to Estes to a spot called Lumpy Ridge. This area mostly has longer multi-pitch climbs but our friends took us to do a couple of shorter crack routes. I had never climbed real cracks before and had no idea what I was getting myself into. With crack routes, instead of grabbing/stepping onto holds on the face of a rockwall, you jam your feet and hands inside of the crack and then try to go up. I wasn't very good at it. Drew did much better than me, which I attribute to the fact that his hands make bigger fists and he has a much higher threshold for pain. Regardless, we had a great time trying a new type of climbing. Now I see why crack can be so addictive.

We headed back home this afternoon, gorging ourselves on Twizzlers and Pringles, thankful for a weekend of amazing weather, cool people, and incredible new climbing spots.

Drew's fun fact: In the year 2000, Pope John Paul II was named an "Honorary Harlem Globetrotter."