A summer of adventure a lifetime of summits to come

As we approach the last weekend of Summer I’m looking back on all the amazing adventures that I not only had with my adventure wife Dawnelle (#adventuresofnatandd) but with the many other familiar and new faces. July was an epic month which started out with a trip to Crested Butte for the 4^th of July where I had the chance to climb Gothic mountain.

Upon my return I packed my bags and headed for Aspen with D to hike the 26 mile 4 pass loop which has been on my horizon pretty much forever. I’m grateful for Marty Silvernail who let me borrow not only his pack but stove, pots, pans and water purifier which made our lives that much easier on the trail. Neither of us are backpackers and by the end of the trip our shoulders and hips were raw from all the weight.The four pass loop was just as challenging as it was beautiful and we finished in 3 nights and 4 days which was almost too short to take all the beauty in. Next year we’ve already made plans to do the same trip in reverse….

west maroon pass

Frigid air pass

Trail rider pass

Buckskin pass

Into the wild we go to loose our mind and find our soul

The next adventure week Dawnelle and I treated ourselves to well-deserved massages and pedicures. I had a knot the size of a baseball on my back that needed to be worked out and our feet were beyond hopeless and best left in the hands of professionals. The wildflowers were in peak condition mid-July so we spent our next adventure week exploring Herman’s Gulch under the threat of rain. While it felt nice to take a week to relax and recharge there was certainly something nice about reconnecting with nature. It’s harder than you think to acclimate back to a life of technology and noise so the break to the woods was a great reset.

Herman's Gulch

Chad and I also celebrated our 7 year wedding anniversary with a trip to Telluride to hike Wilson Peak and finally make the trek to Ice Lake Basin

peak 44

wilson peak

island lake

looking down on ice lake basin

Finally at the end of July I had time to fly out to visit my sister in Alexandria and meet my new niece Lauren. It was my sister’s last few weeks of maternity leave so Charlotte and I did our best to be good house guests and help out. We spent time at the pool, ordering lots of food to eat in and walks for ice cream.

Before you know it the time to turn the calendar to August came. Dawnelle and I started the month strong with an adventure date to Fierce45 since they have childcare and she had just gotten her son back from the grandparents. We worked muscles we forgot we had and left ready to eat the entire city of Denver. 

Her son was still out of school the next week so we all went to the Boulder Res for a stand up paddle boarding excursion. I can confidently say that’s my least favorite place to SUP. They charge a $40 fee if you want to bring your own (you have to buy their permit which is only good for as long as the season lasts) and so I had to rent a board for the hour. Couple that with the fact there’s boats on the lake making waves and it’s certainly not an ideal spot.

I was leaving the next week for my Telluride Yoga + Hiking retreat so Dawnelle and I met at LoHi steak bar for a quick happy hour and catch up session. My retreat was an amazing experience and it was the biggest group I’ve ever had joining me. For the first time we had two men come – a boyfriend and spouse of two of my guests which added an extra element of fun as many times one or the other would be the only male in the group. We hiked to the hidden Little Hawaii, I enjoyed watching everyone overcome fears on the Via Ferrata and we had a perfect day at Hope Lake. Despite the cooler temps and afternoon rain showers we practiced yoga on the mountain top every day and were only interrupted by a wedding and engagement once…

Home for a few days after Telluride and it was off to Alaska for the ultimate summer experience. Alba, Dawnelle and I had registered for the Lost Lake Run six months prior and were now ready as we’d ever be to run 16 miles. The race sold out in 5 minutes and were a few of the lucky 700 people to gain admission to the event. I must say I’m betting we were also the only ones from out of state. While in Alaska we also hiked Flattop Mountain and drove to Homer for the best fish and chips (just for the Halibut!) I’ve ever had. We arrived home tired, bruised and full of excitement for another race to come in the future….once my toenail isn’t black anymore.

To commemorate all our summer of adventure, fun, friendship and new experiences we cemented our happiness in the ultimate form of expression: a tattoo. I only have an Om symbol and two arrows but I must say the mountains are my new favorite tattoo. Alba and Dawnelle got them on their ribcage whereas I chose my forearm. This was Dawnelle’s first tattoo and perhaps her only one so I felt flattered I was able to convince her to get these beautiful mountains for an adventure day. My mom had arrived in town as well as my brother so they got to witness the event as well before we all had lunch and cocktails afterwards.

My brother arrives in town every year to hike a 14er so for Labor Day we drove down to Westcliff while my mom babysat to hike Crestone Needle. My brother has climbed 6 other 14ers which is pretty good for not living in Colorado but he’d never hiked anything as challenging as the needle. Luckily my friend Randy joined to help guide us to the top of the peak so we didn’t miss the gulley crossover where people frequently die when climbing. We had less than ideal conditions once we started going for the top and nearly every group we saw was turning around on the peak but the fog wasn’t threatening so we pressed on. Our original plans to hike both mountains were thwarted but it’s a good thing we didn’t backpack in because the heavy rains at night would have washed us out. As we lay in our new camper I could only thank the heavens for our well thought out purchase. I’m getting to old to camp in the mud!

After eyeing North Maroon since 2013 when I first saw the bells I finally had my chance to stand on its summit. Dawnelle and I circled the bells the whole time we were hiking the four pass loop and I told myself I’d be back for the mountain. Even though North Maroon isn’t classified as a true 14er it’s one of the 58 and I knew I’d never feel complete until I rang both. Randy was supposed to join our adventure but he messed his ankle up so it was up to myself and my husband to lead the way and get Margaret, Courtney and Kelsie to the top safely.

I have a healthy fear of the mountains and climbing this class 4 peak was no exception. I spent enough time researching and obsessing to know we could make the hike so we camped off Independence Pass and off we went at 5:30am Saturday morning. With a gorgeous day ahead we rightfully encountered plenty of others who were making the climb and several who were coming down from the traverse. Overall I believe North Maroon to be easier than south although the second gulley was just as steep as it looks in photos and there’s lots of potential for rock all every turn. The class 4 crux of the route was a lot worse coming down than going up but thanks to Chad’s spotting we all made it with no issues. I will say the crux of Crestone Needle was harder and the route finding on the needle wasn’t nearly as good as it was on north maroon. However the rock on the needle is more solid and it took us a lot less time climbing up and down over 12 miles than it did for n maroon hiking 9.5

heading up the second gulley

Oh yes and there was also the 2^nd annual Glamping Retreat with my OG bestie Margaret:

What a summer. I may not have flown or taught as much over the past 12 weeks but I can say it was totally worth all the schedule rearranging and hassle. I must thank everyone who subbed for me, picked up my flights, my parents for flying out and babysitting and my husband for picking up the slack. If it wasn’t for my adventure wife Dawnelle I doubt I would have ever gone to Alaska to run 16 miles or taken time out to hike the 4 pass loop. My retreats introduced me to more amazing women who have become my lunch, HH dates and hiking partners and I thank myself every day that I was brave enough to take a chance to do something no one else was doing. It’s never easy to step outside one’s comfort zone and I’m filled with gratitude for everyone that steps out with me and motivates me to push harder and climb higher.

After I came back from Alaska my husband made the remark that my adventure days were coming to a close. He wasn’t putting the kibosh on them he simply thought that after the Lost Lake Run my adventure wife and I couldn’t possibly have more to do. On the contrary, I told him, Dawnelle and I have a lifetime of adventure days ahead. Our goal is to keep creating, keep inspiring, find new hobbies and then pass our passions on to others. Summer may be over but a 

whole new season of expeditions begin….and yes there’s much more to come. 

To go where there are no trails...

Culebra Peak is the only privately owned 14er in Colorado. Once a year for two short months, the Texan who owns the land opens the gates to hikers. There's no set calendar date his website launches for sign up but rather "sometime in May." I took to reading 14ers.com threads for information on when registration for permits would begin. My adventure wife Dawnelle had read the book I'd given her, "Halfway to Heaven," about a guy who hikes all the 14ers in one summer and decided Culebra was the one mountain she'd climb with me. The $150 price tag was her motivation to hike with me, she thought it'd be unique to conquer a mountain with no trails.

You don't turn down an offer like that.

The site was initially hacked and shortly after registration opened the dates for summer showed full. Your only options are Friday - Sunday in June and July so it's a very short window to pick a date. I read rants on 14ers.com about people who were upset they didn't get a chance to get a permit and I felt heartbroken as well. I had been checking the website every day in May and was sure I wasn't going to miss my chance. Then at the bottom of a thread on Culebra was a comment that the website was back up and running and dates were still open. I remember sitting at lunch by myself and nearly choking on my food looking at Cielo Vista Ranch's site - there in June and July a few dates were open. I called Dawnelle and asked if she was still in as quick as my fingers would dial and I booked our Friday spots right away.

We had permits. We were in.

Except there was only one permit left for Friday and 5 left for Saturday. I didn't recognize this when I booked so I had my date secured a day before Dawnelle. I emailed the hotmail address on the website and begged to let us hike together. I heard nothing back. I called a number I found on 14ers.com for the ranch (there's no number on the site) and didn't hear back. I emailed three more times and finally heard back a week later.

Yes it was OK if we showed up together, just show up in the same car and bring our receipts and waiver.

Hiking a private mountain is the most surreal thing I've ever experienced. I'm accustomed to permits and registration fees and following state and federal land laws and treading lightly. I've never paid a private party for the experience of checking a mountain off my list of 58 peaks. We drove almost clear to Taos and showed up at the gates of the ranch the Thursday before the hike. According to instructions the ranch hand would be there at 6am sharp Friday to open the gates and if you weren't there you were left behind. We weren't sure where to camp because beyond the gate was a sign that said, "Camping" and a port-a-potty but there was also a no trespassing sign on the gate. Which one made more sense? There was no cell phone service at the ranch so we drove back into the tiny town of Crestone and checked websites for any clue on where to unpack our tent. After much debate we concluded that we were allowed to camp inside the gate so we drove back and set up our site. 

There were no other cars. There was only a tiny sign on the gate saying Cielo Vista Ranch. Imagine our confusion. I knew the ranch only granted 25 permits a day and since Friday was sold out there had to be more people arriving. We tailgated at my truck, made dinner and hung out until finally a few more cars showed up. No one camped but us and one gentleman even refused our offer of hamburgers and beer at our tailgate. You'd think a small group of people that were all there for the same reason would have more interaction but people were treating it more like the night before the Hunger Games.

#ladieswhocamp

Well game on.

At 5:30am Ron arrived. He's a carhart, cowboy hat and boot wearing ranch hand who's got the fortunate job for working for a bunch of lawyers at Cielo Vista. His job is to let us in, keep dogs out, collect proof of payment and make sure we don't cause him any trouble. We all followed him to a tiny cabin with sparse furniture and crowded around a table while he gave us the lowdown. Dawnelle and I were the only ones who made coffee before we left camp and the others were eyeing us suspiciously. I made friends with Ron in the parking lot though because he was impressed by my huge Ford truck and the fact we were the only ones who camped.

"People who sleep in their cars are dumb" he remarks.

"Make sure you sign out, " he tells us at what feels like an awkward first day of camp. "I've got a lot to do and I don't want to be out looking for you while you're home drinking coffee."

Then he turns us loose.

Let me tell you what it's like to hike a mountain with no trails - it's like watching children being turned loose on a playground. Part of what makes this mountain so special is they only allow 25 people a day for three days a week two months of the year. They prefer no one follow one another because they'd rather not see the mountain be destroyed. It sounds counter productive but it's actually brilliant. You see on regular 14ers a group call the CFI maintains the trails. Over time the trails become bigger because people don't walk in single file lines. Then on the trails rain and water start to flow down these trails making them muddy making people even more likely to go off trail. The more people on a trail the wider it becomes and the more the mountain is impacted. The CFI will then have to go in, reroute the trails and close the old one to let the ground have time to heal which can take years. 

No trails means you're welcome to climb wherever you like. We saw people to the left and right and decided that the most direct route was straight up. It had rained the night before and the fog lingered in the morning. Ron had asked us if we all had GPS because people would regularly follow the wrong drainage down in low visibility putting oneself 13 miles off track. I certainly didn't want to be lost on this private property but I also didn't have a GPS so I did the next best thing - photographing our route up. Other 14ers have cairns built to show the way but on this one all but one is forbidden. At the very top of the climb before you started the ridge walk there was a very large cairn that Ron told us marked the way down towards the parking lot.

"Don't down climb before the cairn, " he said. "You might end up in New Mexico.

Noted. 

Despite starting after everyone else since we parked at the lower lot we started passing people once we reached the ridge. The clouds were coming and going but no threatening thunder so we pushed on. The thing about paying for a mountain climb, one you undertake without a guide, is that there's a part of your brain that tells you to press forward. You can't get a refund for rain so you might as well go as long as you can as far as you can as safe as you can. There wouldn't be a second chance. Once on the rocks the route became more clear because you could clearly see where others feet had pressed the rocks into place making a trail of sorts. We climbed until we were then in the clouds and visibility was gone.

Out of the mist we saw a girl approaching us. "Is this the top?" we asked. 

No, she said, we still had another 20 minutes to go. Onward we climbed into the fog until we determined, via a rock wind shelter, that this was, indeed, the top. Our initial plan was to hike the Centennial Red Mountain via the connecting ridge but the weather wasn't holding out for us. Dawnelle had forgot gloves and was wearing my socks as gloves and her minimalist shoes had become wet so her feet were cold. The wind was howling around us and clouds were moving in and out. When you're not hiking a popular peak there aren't the crowds you'd normally see so you have to consider if you get lost or stuck how long will it be before anyone notices?

at the summit

making our way down

So we climbed down. 

Despite not being a technical peak, Culebra was certainly a challenge. No trails means no solid ground through the tundra and we found ourselves side stepping rocks and marmot holes that one wouldn't normally have to worry about. The grass was slick so I took to walking in a zig-zag pattern on the way down to mimic switch backing. Fortunately the clouds had started to clear enough that the parking lot was in my line of site which took the guesswork on the down climb. It took about 5 hours round-trip for us to climb and though I would have liked to start earlier you really have no choice because the ranch chooses the 6am time. We met a couple on our way down who gave us a ride to our car then we had lunch before packing up and signing out at the cabin. On the sign out sheet is the printed code to unlock the gate which you must manually do yourself on the way out. The wet dirt road we traveled on made me glad I'd brought my truck with 4wd or we would have never made it to the trail head that morning. Driving home took longer than the hike and as afternoon clouds rolled in I looked at the Crestone's driving by and was glad we weren't on a more treacherous peak.

always causing trouble

weather improving slightly on the way down

So was it worth it? To me, absolutely. To have the chance to hike a 14er that could, at any given time be closed off to the public forever was worth the $150. The sense of solitude you have on a peak that only 23 other people are climbing that day, all through their own routes is unlike any other peak I've experienced. If you're going to hike all the 14ers or just want a special experience I'd say the drive, the primitive camping and the cost to get there are all validated. My only regret is the mountain is only open to hunters in the fall because the surrounding aspens on the property would make a beautiful fall colors hike. I'm so thankful I have someone in my life willing to take upon a journey such as Culebra Peak. In truth I would have saved it for close to last out of principal for paying for a hike. But then you realize how many other hikes, gorgeous hikes all over the state are free and it suddenly seems like a small price to pay to have the place to yourself.

Who knows, maybe I'll even do it again...

Why I gave up on my daughter...

I’ve given up on my daughter.

It’s not for lack of trying on my part – I’ve done everything I can do. There just comes a point in every parents’ life when you must admit that it’s time to walk away no matter how much it pains you to do so. I’m sure my daughter will be fine in the end. In fact, she may even be better off without me.

Friends, I’m over potty training.

When my daughter Charlotte was about a year old I had an acquaintance tell me that her daughters were both potty trained by 18 months. This seemed like an amazing alternative to changing diapers and a milestone to look forward too. So when she was a year and a half I went out and I bought a small green potty with a princess crown etched on it that sang songs anytime liquid hit the bowl. I proudly brought it home like a shiny new toy and sat it in the corner of the living room. I swapped diapers for much more expensive pull-ups and even hopefully bought some panties for toddlers.

“We’re potty training!” I announced to my husband and daughter.

As if that were all it would take.

I must say we started off on the right note. My daughter was curious about the potty and she used it here and there. The thing about singing potties is they don’t just play music when they’re used, they like to go off at three in the morning as well much to everyone’s surprise. Still, I thought we were on the fast track to having my daughter ditch the diapers and become the oldest kid in class not in diapers at school.

Then she broke her tibia and fibula.

I don’t know if you’ve ever had the misfortune of having a child with a broken leg and a cast that extends up to her thigh but it’s horrible. The cast isn’t the worst part it’s the fact your child regresses and has to relearn how to walk, sit and sleep. We couldn’t get pants up and down her leg, let alone pull-ups so we switched back to diapers. Charlotte started sleeping in our bed because she had to have her leg propped up on a pillow or the weight of the cast caused immense pain. We went from having a two-year old to what felt like an infant once again. Potty training took a back seat and we all but forgot about the princess potty. I bought a Costco size amount of pull-ups. I waived my white flag and admitted defeat.

When I enrolled Charlotte in a pre-k program at a new school this past May I lied and told the teacher she was potty trained. They encouraged the children to only wear pull-ups at nap time and to bring them to school in underwear. I broke the rules and sent her in pull-ups in favor of being sent home bags of laundry to wash from accidents all day. Then her other childcare center she’s also attending (she’s enrolled in two schools making weekdays nothing short of chaos) sent home a note telling me to send Charlotte in underwear along with several outfit changes because they were working really hard on potty training the classroom as well. My husband lamented that our daughter simply could not be trained to use a toilet. No amount of bribing or fancy potty’s worked and she just did not care if she wet her pants or wet the floor. We thought we might as well stock up on adult diapers because that’s where our lives were headed.

Then I did the unthinkable, I truly gave up. I looked around me at the parents I admired and that seems to be what worked best for all of them. I watched my friends whose child still carried around a bottle or pacifier or sleeps in bed with them – none of them seemed phased. I noted that while our child may not have been ready to give up diapers, it seemed every child around us had a “thing” they clung too. Perhaps it’s partly the parents fault for us not wanting our children to grow up; to enjoy the fact they still needed us. I know potty training is one of the few milestones Charlotte can learn on her own and I had to eventually throw away my timeline and start taking cues from hers. She wasn’t ready to let go of the diapers and that was OK because maybe I wasn’t either.

Incidentally last week I launched operation, “we’re wearing panties and I don’t care what happens to them.” I went to Target and filled my basket with toddler underwear and filled her drawer where the pull-ups and diapers once were. I told my husband from now on Charlotte was wearing underwear and I didn’t care what happened to them or how many outfit changes we went through. I took her on a 3 hour plane ride to visit my sister shortly after and brought only two diapers with me. I knew I was rolling the dice to bring a potty training toddler solo on a plane but I was through worrying.

We ditched the diapers once and for all.

So perhaps your child was wearing underwear before mine – who cares. As parents we need to stop comparing our children to one another and realize our child is unique and special and will outgrow certain habits as they’re ready. My daughter never sucked her thumb, drank a bottle past a year, slept in our bed past infancy (minus the cast incident) or carried a blanket everywhere so refusal to use the potty just happened to be her deal

I’m sure in the future I’ll have many more moments where I’ll have to stick my hands in my pockets and accept the fact she’s better off without my guidance. 

I’ve learned it’s Ok to give up on your child and let them enjoy whatever phase they’re currently in. This was always meant to be her milestone, not mine.

In the meantime I’ll just be stocking up on Clorox wipes and carpet cleaner. 

Kick starting a summer of adventure

#Adventuresofnatandd kicked off two things in May: the welcoming of warmer weather and our QiTopia Summer Adventure Training Camp launch. This meant on Wednesday’s I got to adventure not once but twice every other week with the 9 girls who signed up for our training. Dawnelle took on the Monday night adventure outing and I was fortunate enough to not have to fly one week so I could join our group for my second time biking up Lookout Mountain. I will say, road biking has given me not only a new respect for bikers but for people who road bike up these steep inclines as well. I once saw people biking up Mount Evans and thought they were crazy. Now I wonder how I can make it possible.

Dawnelle likes to say, “Not every week can we climb Everest.” That is to say that not every adventure is going to be some amazing Instagram worthy event. Same is true for any hikes, runs, bike riding, climbing or vacation you take. It doesn’t have to be Bora Bora for you to enjoy your time away even if it’s just for a few hours. Our adventure day is a day when for a few hours we forget our adult lives, we silence our phones and we keep our date no matter what’s going on. Everything, and I mean everything, can be put on hold for adventure day unless one of us is dying or out of town.

For our first adventure we did something that I always said I would never do which was bike up Lookout Mountain. This is a 9 mile roundtrip ride in Golden that’s entirely uphill from the 4.5 mile start. We decided to rent bikes at The Bicycle Dr off Broadway but didn’t want to pay $70 for a road bike…so we rented hybrids for $25. The guy renting us the bikes thought we were insane and me even more so for attempting the ride on a bike that was more appropriate for biking around town. Needless to say I was scared because having driven the road up Lookout Mountain I knew there were many other cars and cyclists. I didn’t want to get hit by a car or put off other riders making their way to the top.

To my surprise everyone along the ride was friendly and encouraging. Sure these men were twice my age and had better bikes and more appropriate attire but they didn’t hesitate to holler a, “amazing job!” our way. The ride itself wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be and going on a Wednesday morning meant not quite so much traffic on the road. I’ll have to say going down was worse than biking up and I’m pretty sure I burned out the brakes on that rental bike.

I wanted to test out a hike I was eyeing for our Adventure Training Camp so the next week we drove to Mount Falcon. I had recently received a hammock for Mother’s Day so I brought it along to test out. Our original goal was to trail run but we ended up just walking part of the loop, finding a spot for the hammock and enjoying the view. We both determined this hike wasn’t nearly hard enough or with enough elevation gain for the group but it would make a great family friendly hike.

For my birthday the following week I left town and headed for Moab. We were fortunate to have my in-laws arrive in town to watch our daughter so my husband and I could play. Moab has some amazing hiking and though it’s certainly kid friendly the idea of camping and driving all over the place for 5 nights with a child seemed a little much. We did it all from Arches to Canyonlands, Island in the Sky and Needles District. My friends Jessica, Nick and Randy came to join and I think we all agreed or favorite part was hiking the Fiery Furnace District in Arches. You have to get a permit from the Visitor’s Center and they only grant 50 a day of which we were lucky enough to snag one for each of us. It was a four hour adventure I’ll never forget climbing through slot canyons, dead ending on slick rock and climbing up and through terrain I’d never experienced before. What makes the furnace so special is there is no trails and you can hike wherever you like save for the dunes and crust formations inside. I would highly recommend the experience to anyone daring enough to blaze their own trail.

When I returned the following week for Adventure day, Dawnelle and I decided to hit up the Boulder Movement Collective Gym. We were two of 4 women there and the rest were men who were stronger and leaner and more agile than I had ever seen. The instructor was fantastic and we spent our time learning how to move in various ways that challenged and invigorated us. I can see why Dawnelle is so inspired for her classes after coming here to move. Afterwards we went for lunch and prepared for our evening bike ride up Lookout Mountain. Dawnelle and I had to switch our adventure training camp days so I had taken the Monday group out hiking and she took Wednesday for our first ride up Lookout Mountain. I have to say all the ladies who joined us that evening made it to the top and we had an amazing ride together.

May’s adventures kick started summer and allowed me to be afraid yet open to new experiences. I honestly do not think I could have explored the Fiery Furnace or started this adventure training if I hadn’t been prepared to go into the unknown like I had been doing through our weekly adventure dates. I think as adults we stop going to new gyms and classes and trying to learn new skills because we’re afraid to suck at something. Most of the people I see in classes or on these trails are younger than I am probably because they aren’t afraid to try. Worst case scenario I know I never have to see people I may embarrass myself in front of again and best case is that I DO like it and want to explore further. Five months of adventures and I already feel myself growing stronger, happier and braver each week. It’s certainly become an incentive to become more creative on adventures to follow…