www.RogerWendell.com
Roger J. Wendell
Defending 3.8 Billion Years of Organic EvolutionSM
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Hiking Hiking
People usually consider walking on water or in thin air a miracle.
But I think the real miracle is not to walk either on water or in thin
air, but to walk on earth. Every day we are engaged in a miracle
which we don't even recognize: a blue sky, white clouds, green
leaves, the black, curious eyes of a child -- our own two eyes.
All is a miracle.
                            - Thich Nhat Hanh

 

NOTE: LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) was put into use many decades after I started hiking and climbing. LIDAR is a more accurate way of measuring the Earth's surface and, as such, has changed what was believed to be the elevation of many mountains and highpoints. As a result, the "prominence" (at least 300 feet above a connecting saddle) of many mountains has changed along with their elevations. A personal example, for me, is Republican Mountain - a previously "unranked" 12er near Silver Plume that I climbed in 2022 after learning that LIDAR had determined it now had 312 feet of prominence. Peak 8, near Breckenridge is another personal example of change brought on by LIDAR. When I originally climbed Peak 8 I believed it to be a 12er, only to learn later that it's actual elevation is 13,005 feet! So, in summary, many of the elevations you see on my pages may not (yet) be accurate - requiring an update someday in the future as time permits!

 

 

"You can't see anything from a car; you've got to get out of the goddamn contraption and walk, better yet crawl, on hands and knees, over the sandstone and through the thornbrush and cactus. When traces of blood begin to mark your trail, you'll see something, maybe."

"Benedicto: May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds. May your rivers flow without end, meandering through pastoral valleys tinkling with bells, past temples and castles and poets' towers into a dark primeval forest where tigers belch and monkeys howl, through miasmal and mysterious swamps and down into a desert of red rock, blue mesas, domes and pinnacles and grottos of endless stone, and down again into a deep vast ancient unknown chasm where bars of sunlight blaze on profiled cliffs, where deer walk across the white sand beaches, where storms come and go as lightning clangs upon the high crags, where something strange and more beautiful and more full of wonder than your deepest dreams waits for you --- beyond that next turning of the canyon walls."

- Edward Abbey

 

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1,000 Times to the top of Mount Morrison!

A few days before my 66th birthday, after a number of years of continuous effort, I made it to the top of Mount Morrison for the one thousandth time on November 8th, 2021! This amounted to 2 million feet (609,600 metres) of overall elevation gain for a distance of 3,800 miles (6,115.5 kilometres).
 
Mount Morrison is located in Jefferson County, Colorado and overlooks the famous Red Rocks Amphitheatre. Morrison's summit is at 7,881 feet (2,402 metres) with overall elevation gain of about 2,000 feet (609 metres). Mount Morrison has 741 (225.8 metres) feet of prominence with nearby Genesee Mountain as its line parent.
 
At the time I lived within about 10 kilometres of the trailhead so using Mount Morrison for regular exercise was relatively handy. However, in addition to using Mount Morrison for exercise and training, I always found it to be a pleasant escape from Denver's noise, congestion, and smog. But, like everything else on our crowded planet, Mount Morrison became heavily used and eroded, especially during COVID. So, I feel lucky that I was able to complete a thousand climbs (there's some scrambling on the summit block if you follow the original route) before the trail was substantially altered and modified. And, as best that I and a number of "regulars" can tell, I am the first to have completed 1,000 ascents. But, hopefully, future crowding won't be so severe and others will be able to enjoy Mount Morrison as much as I have!*
Roger J. Wendell to the top of Mount Morrison 1,000 Times - 11-08-2021
Me on top (with Green Mountain behind me)
Roger J. Wendell to the top of Mount Morrison 1,000 Times - 11-08-2021
Me and Donna at the trailhead
Roger J. Wendell to the top of Mount Morrison 1,000 Times - 11-08-2021
Handmade card from Amber!
Roger J. Wendell to the top of Mount Morrison 1,000 Times - 11-08-2021
Masterpiece Cakeshop from Donna!
*After completing a thousand hikes to the top I continued
  scaling Mount Morrison albeit less frequently - spending
  some of my other workout days on Mount Falcon, Bergen
  Peak, and other local trails...
 
In May, 2022 Jefferson County Open Space personnel began much needed work on the trail. Because of COVID, the trail became much wider and eroded due to a huge
  increase in users who were trying to "social distance" to avoid contact. I stopped and chatted with the workers, on a couple of occasions, and was assured they were not
  there to "tame" the trail - their work was to stop erosion and destruction of the landscape.

 

Recognition from the Colorado Mountain Club!

Keegan Young and Roge J. Wendell Mt Morrison 1000 times cookie - 11-16-2022 CMC Executive Director Keegan Young presented me with this tasty bit of recognition!

 

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Tenderfoot Scout, Roger J. Wendell - 12-10-1968
Yellow Arrow Pointing Right Click Here for my general notes on Climbing and Mountaineering...

Ten Essentials Click Here for the Ten Essentials - Don't leave home without 'em!

Yellow Arrow Pointing Right Click Here for some info on 14ers...

Yellow Arrow Pointing Right Click Here for my camping page...

 

Hiking — "I don’t like either the word or the thing. People ought to saunter in the mountains — not hike! Do you know the origin of that word ‘saunter?’ It’s a beautiful word. Away back in the Middle Ages people used to go on pilgrimages to the Holy Land, and when people in the villages through which they passed asked where they were going, they would reply, “A la sainte terre,’ ‘To the Holy Land.’ And so they became known as sainte-terre-ers or saunterers. Now these mountains are our Holy Land, and we ought to saunter through them reverently, not 'hike' through them."
 
- John Muir

 

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Hiking Logo  
 
 
"Few people know how to take a walk.
 The qualifications... are endurance,
   plain clothes, old shoes,
 an eye for nature, good humor,
   vast curiosity, good speech,
        good silence
   and nothing too much."        

- Ralph Waldo Emerson
"He who is indeed of the brotherhood does not voyage in quest of the picturesque, but of certain jolly humours--of the hope and spirit with which the march begins at morning, and the peace and spiritual repletion of the evening's rest. He cannot tell whether he puts his knapsack on, or takes it off, with more delight."

- Robert Louis Stevenson

 

Steve Hoffmeyer and Roger Wendell negotiating a creek in the Holy Cross Wilderness - 08-07-2005
Me and Steve Hoffmeyer negotiating a creek in the Holy Cross Wilderness, 2005
Photo by Vic Bradford
Despite all of the climbing, swimming, cycling, flying, and driving I've done hiking remains the one activity that's been with me the longest throughout my life. From about ages 12 through 16 I hiked extensively throughout the San Gabriel Mountains of Southern California - especially exploring Santa Anita Canyon, Mt. Wilson, and all the surrounding camps and trails (always stopping, of course, at Chantry Flats to load up on snacks and refreshments!).
 
Prior to age 12 I hiked, extensively, the creek beds and streams of the Los Angeles foothills area (yes, L.A. had creek beds and streams at one time!) and the rolling fields of eastern Nebraska. From my earliest age I was out walking through Nature every chance I got (ask my mom!). From about age 16 on I did most of my hiking all over Colorado's portion of the Rocky Mountains. This was mixed with travel and extensive hikes in Grand Canyon, Hawai'i, Mexico, Canada, Africa, Argentina, and China. I heartily endorse hiking because it's darn good for your health, has a relatively low impact on the environment, and puts your pretty darn close to nature without requiring too much expensive equipment or clothing.
 
Except for maybe Jean George's book My Side of the Mountain (I read it in 1969 when I was 13), I didn't do much reading about the outdoors until 1974 when I read Colin Fletcher's The Complete Walker. It isn't that I don't recommend you read and learn before getting involved outdoors it's just that I was too darn busy hiking, in my teens, to do much reading myself!

 

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Click on any "Thumbnail" image for a larger view!

Trails!

 

Miscellaneous Trails:

Ute Creek Trailhead, Lost Creek Wilderness, Colorado by Roger J. Wendell - 11-11-2011
Lost Creek Wilderness
Bobby and Doug Bloom on a Grand Canyon Trail - April, 2006
Grand Canyon
Trail to 14,229' Mount Shavano - October 29, 2005
Trail to Mt. Shavano
Trail to Grays and Torreys - 2005
Trail to Torreys
Tami Hiking to Mount Morrison - 2005
Tami on Morrison
Brian Wendell Hiking to Mt. Bierstadt - 2004
Brian to Bierstadt
Steve Farley on the trail to St Mary's Glacier, Colorado - 12-12-2009
St Mary's Glacier

I know it probably sounds goofy to read, on a hiking website, that the author loves trails - nevertheless that's how I feel! I mention my love for trails because I have so much additional experience without them. In addition to having done lots of scrambling or kicking steps and "post-holing" through snow, I've lost a trail or two and got really worried when I couldn't find 'em a day or two later!

To me, trails are lovely little routes that have taken me through all kinds of wonderful terrain with relative confidence about my whereabouts and destination. Plus, even more importantly, they are relatively low-impact in that I'm not crushing flowers or scuffing lichens in my attempt to get from point A to B. Properly maintained trails really do help the landscape by keeping us two-leggeds in a narrow little corridor so the rest of nature can flourish around us unmolested. I recommend we avoid "cross-country" travel, whenever possible, and take full advantage of literally millions of trails throughout our country and around the globe....

- Roger J. Wendell
October 30, 2005

Please stay the trail!

Diamond Head Hiking Certificate Roger Wendell - February 2007
Hiking Certificate
Oh, and one other point about trails - be sure to stay on 'em even when they're muddy or a bit icy. Under some conditions hikers will step to the side of a trail in an effort to avoid getting mud on their boots - these kinds of actions only worsen our impact by unnecessarily widening trails. The cure is to wear good hiking shoes or boots that are resistant to mud and water. Also, gaiters are perfect in keeping snow and other stuff from falling into your boots...

 

Mesa Trail:

Each New Year's Day Larry DeSaules leads a dozen to 15 of us up the Mesa Trail from El Dorado Springs to Chautauqua Park in Boulder, Colorado. Total one-way distance is 11 kilometres (7 miles) so we shuttle vehicles to get us from one end, to the other, usually stopping at Pasta J's or some other Boulder restaurant before heading back to the Denver area. It's always been a great way to bring in the new year!

Photo by Larry

Filming for the Travel Channel

Which way?

Don't forget to call Peggy!

Girl Power!

Maiden and the Thumb

YouTube Logo Click Here for a YouTube video of Larry's Man Bag and a humorous descritpion of a Mt. Everest climb...

 

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Continental Divide National Scenic Trail:


Me and Teresa Martinez
At the time of this posting, 2019, Teresa Martinez had already been Executive Director (and co-founder) of the Continental Divide Trail Coalition since 2012. And, for much of that time, I worked across the building from her (at the American Mountaineering Center in Golden, Colorado) and enjoyed many pleasant encounters with her at events, meetings, and gatherings. Teresa has done a great job for her organization who, in turn, have done a fantastic job on the trail. It's been a pleasure knowing and working with her!
 
Here's some information about the trail from the CDTC website; "The Continental Divide National Scenic Trail (CDNST) was designated by Congress in 1978 as a unit of the National Trails System. The 3,100 mile CDNST traverses the magnificent Continental Divide between Mexico and Canada. It travels through 25 National Forests, 21 Wilderness areas, 3 National Parks, 1 National Monument, 8 BLM resource areas and through the states of Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico. The vision for the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail is to create a primitive and challenging backcountry trail on or near the Continental Divide to provide people with the opportunity to experience the unique and incredibly scenic qualities of the area."

 

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Appalachian Trail:


Me and Scott Jurek
Scott Jurek holds the Appalachian Trail Thru-Hike Speed Record - 3,522.8 kilometres (2,189 miles) in 46 days, 8 hours and 7 minutes! He completed the hike on July 12, 2015. In the photo that's him on my left, just over half a year since the hike and only a month since he had regained his weight back from the ordeal. It's interesting to note that at the time of this photo, in early 2016, he had been a vegan since 1999!

The Appalachian Trail is also known as the Appalachian National Scenic Trail or simply the "A.T." It's a marked hiking trail in the eastern United States extending between Springer Mountain, in the state of Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine. At the time of this photo the trail was 3,522.8 kilometres (2,189 miles) long, though the precise length changes over time as parts are modified or rerouted. The trail passes through the states of Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. At the time of this photo the path was being maintained by 31 trail clubs and multiple partnerships, and managed by the National Park Service, United States Forest Service, and the nonprofit Appalachian Trail Conservancy. The majority of the trail is in forest or wild lands, although some portions traverse towns, roads and farms. The trail conservancy claims that the Appalachian Trail is the longest hiking-only trail in the world...

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy's mission statmen states their purpose as; "...to preserve and manage the Appalachian Trail - ensuring that its vast natural beauty and priceless cultural heritage can be shared and enjoyed today, tomorrow, and for centuries to come."

 

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Colorado Trail:

In 2018, the Colorado Trail Foundation's website described the trail like this; "The Colorado Trail is Colorado's premier long distance trail. Stretching almost 500 miles [804 kilometres] from Denver to Durango, it travels through the spectacular Colorado Rocky Mountains amongst peaks with lakes, creeks and diverse ecosystems. Trail users experience six wilderness areas and eight mountain ranges topping out at 13,271 feet [4,045 metres], just below Coney Summit at 13,334 feet [4,064 metres]. The average elevation is over 10,300 feet [3,139 metres] and it rises and falls dramatically. Users traveling from Denver to Durango will climb 89,354 feet [27,235 metres]."


Me and Gudy Gaskill
[Gudrun "Gudy" Gaskill, 1927 - 2016]
 
I had the pleasure or regularly meeting with Gudy at the Colorado Mountain Club office in Golden. She even did a water color for me, of a guy climbing a peak, but I can't find it after having moved [darn!]. Gudy was a mountaineer who is regarded as the driving force behind the creation of the Colorado Trail. Beginning in the 1970s, Gudy helped plan out the route, solicited donations, and recruited teams of volunteers to work in one-week shifts developing the Trail each summer. Gudy was named executive director of the newly formed Colorado Trail Foundation and was inducted into the Colorado Women's Hall of Fame in 2002.

 


Me and Dona Hildebrand
Retired Air Force Lt Colonel Dona Hildebrand was in the first group of people to hike the entire length of the Colorado Trail. This took place in 1988 when the trail was 477 miles long. The small group of her fellow hikers included the trail's founder, Gudy Gaskill, and other Colorado Mountain Club luminaries. The book she's holding is the Colorado Trail Data Book (6th Edition).

 


Me and Bill Manning
Bill Manning was the long-time director of the Colorado Trail Foundation. Bill and I literally worked within 15 feet of each other from 2013 to 2022! (he started with the CTF well before that but 2013 was when I started work nextdoor to him...) But, of course, my desk is on the Colorado Mountain Club side of the door you see in this picture - the photo was taken in Bill's office. So, I've been fortunate to run into Bill almost every day, over the years, and have always enjoyed my encounters with him and his staff. (at the time of this writing, in 2019, his entire staff consisted of Office Manager Amy Nelson and Field Operations Manager Brent Adams) The Colorado Trail Foundation is a great organization that is directly responsible for maintenance of the world's most beautiful trail!

 

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Cairns:

Cairn on Flat Top Mountain in Rocky Mountain National Park - 2005
Cairn - Flat Top Mountain, CO
A cairn (pronounced as a single syllable!!!) is usually a pile of rocks that marks a trail or boundary. I've seen some cairns that have a stick or pole jutting out of the top to make them more visible - sometimes over 3 metres (10 feet) high. I've also seen cairns that were so small they'd fit in the palm of your hand. These tiny cairns are usually in desert areas, like Grand Canyon, where the trail or route follows a canyon contour or crosses up a series of ledges that are steep and narrow.

I think there's an unwritten "rule" that cairns should be a minimum of three pebbles, stones or rocks piled vertically when possible. This is because it's very unusual, in nature, to find three rocks just sitting on top of each other. But, like I mentioned above, huge piles of rocks serve the purpose as well. In places where the trail is really hard to follow, or it gets covered with snow, the idea is to place the cairns close enough so that the next one can be seen from the previous.

My Friend Doug Bloom and a Grand Canyon Cairn - 04-19-2006
Grand Canyon Cairn!
Another unwritten "rule" is that you should never disturb a cairn - no matter how unimportant it may appear to you somebody's life may be dependent on it! However, it is acceptable to "repair" cairns that have obviously been weathered or knocked over for some reason or another. Again, the idea is to use common sense and not create something that's misleading or dangerous.

In all, I've been saved many times by an "oh my god" cairn - that's a cairn thankfully appearing just when I thought I'd never find the route or trail again! My deepest thanks to all of you who have thoughtfully placed, cared-for and maintained cairns!!!

- Roger J. Wendell
Golden, CO - 2005

 

Snow Cairn on the Mesa Trail, Boulder, Colorado - 01-01-2011
Snow Cairn?
I'm not sure if somebody put this "Snow Cairn" alongside Mesa Trail (Boulder, Colorado) for fun or not but the rule remains; "Don't disturb a cairn!"

 

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Peak One:

On June 26, 2005 CMC leader Terry Chontos
took all five of us to the top of this 12,805' peak located near
Frisco, Colorado. The steep climb took us three hours and twenty
minutes - a bit faster than most! We made the summit during a break
in the weather - enduring some light "corn snow" and rain along
certain portions of the mountain...

Flag on Peak One
Terry took this photo a week earlier on his "scouting" trip - that's Lake Dillon in the background...
Flag on Peak One
Left to Right:
George Kasynski, Chad, Terry Chontos, and "Babs"
Flag on Peak One
Me and the remains of a remote weather station...
Flag on Peak One
Left to Right:
Me, Chad, Terry and Babs at the weather station remains - George took the photo and emailed me most of these pix!

Although this particular flag is pretty beat up I went ahead and posted it
here, and on my 4th of July page anyway. I don't
know who the keeper of the flag is but I'm sure their intentions are good
despite the horrendous winds that frequent this peak daily!!

 

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Miscellaneous Hikes:

Entering North Maine Woods
North Maine Woods -
Amber, Tami and I
drove there from Denver!
Me at Hanging Lake
Me at Hanging Lake, Glenwood Canyon,
3 Weeks to-the-day after foot surgery.
2.5 Miles roundtrip, 1000+ feet gain.
Linda Enroute Hanging Lake
Coworker Linda agreed to
accompany me to Hanging Lake
on that warm Spring day in 2002...
Mount Kenya Hiking Certificate, Roger J. Wendell - 01-14-2007
My Mount Kenya hiking
certificate from a trip
to Africa in 2003...

 

Hiking through the Colorado National Monument

Cryptogamic, or biological soil crusts are formed by living organisms and their by-products, creating a surface crust of soil particles bound together by organic materials. These soil "crusts" are found throughout the arid regions of the American west and can be a combination of cyanobacteria (formerly known as blue-green algae), lichens, and mosses which swell when wet. Cryptogamic soils are very fragile - please do not walk on them!

Hiking through the Colorado National Monument's Liberty Cap Trail - 11-11-2009
Wildwood Drive Trailhead
Hiking through the Colorado National Monument's Liberty Cap Trail - 11-11-2009 Hiking through the Colorado National Monument's Liberty Cap Trail - 11-11-2009
Liberty Cap Prehistoric Sand Dune
Hiking through the Colorado National Monument's Liberty Cap Trail - 11-11-2009
Corkscrew trail
Hiking through the Colorado National Monument's Liberty Cap Trail - 11-11-2009
Cryptogamic Soil [see above]
Hiking through the Colorado National Monument's Liberty Cap Trail - 11-11-2009

YouTube Logo Click Here for a YouTube video of my climb up Liberty Cap in the Colorado National Monument!

 

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Did You Know?

Roger J. Wendell on Bergen Peak photographed by Tom Jagger - 12-10-2009
  • Hiking on the island of Guam is often referred to as "boonie stomping" (Source: Guam Visitors Bureau Adventure Travel Factsheet, 2006)
  • The Colorado Trail (CT) is 479 miles (770 km) long with 74,750 feet of elevation gain and loss...
  • The Appilachean Trail (AT) is 2175 miles long with 471,151 feet of elevation gain - taking approximately 5 million steps to complete the trail's entire length!
  • The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) is 2,650 miles long and runs from Mexico to Canada through California, Oregon and Washington.

 

Hiking Waypoints

Compass For personal safety, and just for the fun of it, I usually take a GPS "reading" on the top of each peak, at the trailhead, or some other interesting point or curiosity along the way. WARNING: I cannot guarantee the accuracy of these waypoints as my own GPS bounces around a lot or I simply take an incorrect reading! Please rely on a more accurate source for your Waypoints! That being said, I still enjoy "cataloging" Waypoints and I keep a bunch of other locations, from around the world, on my 12ers, 13ers, 14ers, Waypoints, and other pages...

Barr Camp (Pikes Peak) N 38° 50.868' W 105° 00.417' 10,004 feet 3,061 metres
Bergen Peak N 39° 39.968' W 105° 23.709' 9,708 feet 2,959 metres
Mt. Falcon, Jefferson County N 39° 37.782' W 105° 13.826' 7,851 feet 2,393 metres
Green Mountain (Lakewood) N 39° 42.062' W 105° 10.666' 6,943 feet 1,839 metres
Frazer Cabin - Golden Gate Canyon State Park, Colorado N 39° 50.957' W 105° 25.719' 8,686 feet 2,647 metres
Mt. Garfield - Mesa County, Colorado N 39° 07.492' W 108° 24.655' 6,637 feet 2,023 metres
Genesee Mountain - Jefferson County, Colorado N 39° 42.182' W 105° 17.612' 8,288 feet 2,526 metres
Grizzly Gulch Trailhead (the one near Handies, Redcloud and Sunshine) N 37° 56.216' W 107° 27.646' 10,411 feet 3,173 metres
Huerfano Trailhead N 37° 37.243' W 105° 28.137' 10,238 feet 3,121 metres
Kite Lake N 39° 19.715' W 106° 07.748' 12,140 feet 3,700 metres
Liberty Cap - Colorado National Monument N 39° 03.390' W 108° 40.064' 5,881 feet 1,792 metres
Margy's Hut N 39° 16.517' W 106° 42.816' 11,312 feet 3,448 metres
Meadow View trailhead at Elk Meadow Park- Jefferson County, Colorado N 39° 39.278' W 105° 21.990' 7,954 feet 2,424 metres
Green Mountain - (Hayden Green Mountain Park) Lakewood, Colorado N 39° 42.059' W 105° 10.664' 6,853 feet 2,089 metres
Mt. Morrison - Jefferson County, CO N 39° 40.154' W 105° 13.183' 7,881 feet 2,402 metres
NCAR - National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado N 39° 58.730' W 105° 16.525' 6,184 feet 1,885 metres
Ole' Barn Knowll Trailhead - Golden Gate Canyon State Park, Colorado N 39° 50.998' W 105° 26.718' 8,675 feet 2,644 metres
Payne Trailhead N 39° 24.320' W 105° 30.485' 8,134 feet 2,479 metres
Pollock Bench Trailhead - Blackridge Canyons Wilderness N 39° 09.343' W 108° 46.714' 4,521 feet 1,378 metres
North Cottonwood Trailhead (for Harvard and Columbia) N 39° 52.258' W 106° 15.961' 9,807 feet 2,989 metres
St Mary's Glacier at its terminus just above the lake N 39° 50.106' W 105° 38.775' 10,888 feet 3,318 metres
Twin Sisters - Rocky Mopuntain National Park (near Estes Park) N 40° 17.313' W 105° 31.047' 11,428 feet 3,483 metres
Unnamed 12,915 ft peak (Near Blanca Peak) N 37° 35.914' W 105° 27.732' 12,915 feet 3,936 metres
Wild Irishman Mine N 39° 33.536' W 105° 53.248' 11,771 feet 3,588 metres
Wildwood Drive Trailhead - Colorado National Monument N 39° 04.083' W 108° 39.613' 4,775 feet 1,455 metres
Wind River Range, Bonny Pass, Wyoming N 43° 09.008' W 109° 38.304' 12,868 feet 3,922 metres
Wind River Range, just above upper Titcomb Lake for the start to Bonny Pass, Wyoming N 43° 08.584' W 109° 38.492' 10,790 feet 3,289 metres
Yankee Boy Basin (Car area for access to Sneffels) N 37° 58.650' W 107° 45.423' 10,571 feet 3,222 metres

 

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Death Valley - Telescope Peak
3,366 metres (11,043 feet)
June 7, 2011

Stove Pipe Wells at Death Valley National Park by Roger J. Wendell - 06-08-2011
1. Stove Pipe Wells
Badwater Basin at Death Valley by Roger J. Wendell - 06-06-2011
2. Badwater Basin - minus 282 feet
Roger Wendell and a Joshua Tree at Death Valley - 06-08-2011
3. Me and a Joshua Tree
An old truck in Death Valley National Park by Roger J. Wendell - 06-08-2011
4. Truck
Roger Wendell at Zabriskie Point in Death Valley National Park - 06-08-2011
5. Me at Zabriskie Point
Mahogony Flat Trailhead to Telescope Peak, Death Valley National Park by Roger J. Wendell - 06-07-2011
6. Mahogony Flat Trailhead
Jeff Wind hiking up to Telescope Peak by Roger J. Wendell - 06-07-2011
7. Jeff going up
Looking up the trail to Telescope Peak at Death Valley National Park by Roger J. Wendell - 06-07-2011
8. Looking up the trail to Telescope
Snow on Telescope Peak in Death Valley National Park by Roger J. Wendell - 06-07-2011
9. Snow on Telescope Peak
Roger Wendell on top of Telescope Peak in Death Valley National Park by Roger J. Wendell - 06-07-2011
10. Me on top
Roger Wendell, Jeff, Anrea, Wes, Ken, and Caroline on top of Telescope Peak in Death Valley National Park by Roger J. Wendell - 06-07-2011
11. All six of us on top!
Ken heading down from Telescope Peak in Death Valley National Park by Roger J. Wendell - 06-07-2011
12. Ken heading down

 

YouTube Logo - Small Click Here for a YouTube video through the cave to the top of Harney Peak...
Yellow Arrow Pointing Right Click Here for, Only the Essential: Pacific Crest Trail Documentary

 

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The Case Against Poles
(Hiking poles that is, not the people of central Europe!)

Hiking Poles Although I read and enjoyed all of Collin Fletcher's books during the late 60s and early 70s (The Complete Walker, The Man Who Walked Through Time, The Thousand-Mile Summer, etc.) I never agreed with him on the use of a walking stick (He called it a walking staff). But, to his credit (p. 37 of "Walker"), Fletcher had admitted that, "...the vast majority of walkers never even think of using a walking staff, I unhesitatingly include it among the foundations of the house that travels on my back." However, I don't think Collin Fletcher or Roger Wendell ever imagined that, two decades later, the European craze of hiking with ski poles would have caught on so soundly not only in Colorado, but around North America and the world as well!
So, here it is in late 2010 as almost everywhere I hike, backpack, or climb I see people using hiking poles. Now, of course, these poles are much more sophisticated than the simple ski poles we saw on Colorado's hiking trails in the late 80s. The modern hiking pole is sleek, light, spring-loaded, collapsible, and very expensive. Obviously I'm not going to dissuade anyone from using hiking poles. Nevertheless, let me list the reasons why I, myself, have never used them (and probably never will):
  1. Generally, but not always, the people who use poles can't keep up the pace or distance anyway - otherwise they probably wouldn't be experimenting with poles in the first place!
  2. The poles strengthen the user's arms but weaken their legs - especially their knees. Often, when users don't have access to their poles they complain about the pain, etc.
  3. The poles make too much noise. In Colorado we don't have too many "duff" covered trails like those in more wooded areas around the globe. So, on a still, quiet day in the backcountry you can usually hear a party's hiking poles clanking and scraping over the hard granite surfaces that usually line our trails.
  4. The poles, at times, poke other people by accident (at least I think those were accidents...).
  5. Poles aren't cheap - I've seen 'em for sale at over $100 - at a time when $100 could still buy 40 gallons of gasoline!
  6. Hiking poles are a packing nuisance (It was required I use a set in Africa but, back then, they didn't fit in my luggage. Thankfully the airlines lost them before we started our hike...).
  7. People can't climb or scramble with poles and always have to pass them along the trail, to other people, over the most difficult parts. On some of Colorado's more difficult 14ers it's not uncommon to find a few sets of hiking poles stashed beneath some rocks along a steep portion of the route - hopefully to be found by their owners when down-climbing...
  8. Poles are an extreme lightning hazard. But, of course, so is an ice axe or anything else that's metallic that you're not careful with...
  9. Not a big deal but poles poke a "ton" of small holes along each side of the trail. I've seen muddy trails lined with thousands of "pock marks" their entire length. Again, not sure what permanent damage this causes other than obviously widening the trail in places where it was simply okay to get your boots a little muddy!
  10. Many, many times I've seen a person's pole get stuck in some rocks or other obstacle requiring the user to, at a minimum, stop their work or even devote considerable effort to yanking the thing back out.
  11. Poles require a lot more effort to control on a glissade than an ice axe. And, I've seen people break poles on glissade many times!
Okay, I've brought my argument up in "public" and have had a few mountaineers come down on me since they're so accustomed to using hiking poles with great success. Admittedly, I'm not going to change anyone's mind, and, obviously, if you need poles for some medical reason, or at the direction of your doctor, don't give 'em up because of something you read on some goofy website (including this one!). Nevertheless, for the record, when the going gets rough I'm going to continue with my ice axe - I just never got "into" hiking poles and my knees still felt pretty darn good at age 55 when I was making this entry!
- Roger J. Wendell
December 2010, Golden, CO

 

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Yosemite Decimal System

The Yosemite Decimal System (YDS) is a three-part system used for rating the difficulty of hikes and climbs. YDS is primarily used by mountaineers in the United States and Canada. However, there are many different rating systems used around the world. Examples include the British trad grade, the French sport grade, and the International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation's (UIAA) alpine grade. As for the YDS, it was first devised by members of the Sierra Club in Southern California in the 1950s. YDS was a refinement of earlier systems, particularly those developed in Yosemite Valley.
Class 1: Hiking on a trail.
 
Class 2: Simple scrambling, with the possibility of occasional use of the hands. Little potential danger is encountered.
 
Class 3: Scrambling with increased exposure. Handholds are necessary. A rope could be carried. Falls could easily be fatal.
 
Class 4: Simple climbing, possibly with exposure. A rope is often used. Falls may well be fatal.
 
Class 5: Is considered technical roped free climbing; belaying is used for safety. Un-roped falls can result in severe injury or death. Class 5 has a range of sub-classes, ranging from 5.0 to 5.15d, to define progressively more difficult free moves.
Classification of climbs can vary quite a bit depending on location and history. Indoor gym ratings tend to be inflated compared to outdoor ratings. Ratings tend to be lower in outdoor areas where climbing routes were developed in earlier years. Guidebooks have often raised the ratings on older climbs to make them more comparable to newer ratings. The YDS grade system also involves an optional Roman numeral grade that indicates the length and seriousness of the route. The grades are:
Grade Duration
I One to two hours of climbing
II Less than half a day
III Half a day climb
IV Full day climb
V A climb lasting 2–3 days
VI A climb lasting 4–6 days
VII A climb lasting a week or longer

 

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Links:

  1. 12ers
  2. 13ers
  3. 14ers
  4. Aconcagua (Argentina)
  5. Africa (Eastern) - Kenya, Tanzania, and my Kilimanjaro climb
  6. Africa (Southern) - Our trip through Botswana, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe
  7. AIARE - The American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education
  8. Alpine Resuce Team - Evergreen, Colorado
  9. AllTrails - Maps
  10. Amazonia and Ecuador
  11. American Avalanche Association
  12. Antarctica
  13. Appalachian Trail Conservancy
  14. Barefoot
  15. Barr trail and Pikes Peak
  16. Bear Safety
  17. Bolivia
  18. BRCS
  19. Cal Topo - maps
  20. Camping
  21. Climbing
  22. Climbing Photos
  23. Colorado Avalanche Information center
  24. Colorado Mountain Club
  25. Colorado Trail
  26. CORSAR - Colorado Outdoor Recreation Search and Rescue Card
  27. Cycling
  28. Ecuador
  1. Exercise
  2. Gear - Stuff for the Backcountry...
  3. Go Hike Colorado
  4. Grand Canyon
  5. High Altitude Medicine Guide
  6. Highpoints
  7. Knots for hikers (animated by Grog)
  8. Leave No trace - Center for Outdoor Ethics
  9. Lightning Safety
  10. LOJ - Lists of John
  11. Low Impact Techniques
  12. New Zealand
  13. ORV - the Off-road Vehicle menace
  14. Peakbagger.com
  15. PCTA - Pacific Crest Trail Association
  16. Russia
  17. Sierra Club
  18. Silk Road
  19. Snow Caves
  20. Summitpost.org
  21. Survival in the backcountry
  22. Ten Essentials - Don't leave home without 'em!
  23. Tibet
  24. Trail Journals
  25. Travel
  26. Travel Two
  27. Waypoints
  28. Wilderness Defense!

 

Warning! Climbing, mountaineering, and backcountry skiing are dangerous and can seriously injure or kill you. By further exploring this website you acknowledge that the information presented here may be out of date or incorrect, and you agree not to hold the author responsible for any damages, injuries, or death arising from any use of this resource. Please thoroughly investigate any mountain before attempting to climb it, and do not substitute this website for experience, training, and recognizing your limitations!

 

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