A Quick Picture Summary

It has been way to long since Alan or I have updated the blog... So I have taken the initiative to try to update what has happened in the past two months. So here is a real quick synopsis (in pictures and quick blurbs) of the end of our summer and the beginning of a hectic semester.

Alan takes trip to Thailand (hopefully he'll tell you more about it)

Ruthie comes to visit and we hike Greys and Torreys

Trip home to see the family

Lopi triples in size

I acquire a road bike (follow Alan on Strava!)

and then school started and all fun ended.... until our next adventure.

 -Naomi

Democrat and Cameron

What a wonderful day to take a hike, well... at least in the morning. Our day on Sunday June 17th started out early. We woke at 3 am and hit the road towards Breckenridge by 3:30 am. It was a very early start but by the time we got some coffee and food in us we were wide awake. The drive took a little under two and a half hours. The road approaching the trail had was pretty gnarly but nothing that fazed the Taco (Alan's Tacoma). Lopi was a bright eyed by the time we approached the dirt rocky road and to keep from getting bumped around made his way slowly and stealthily on to my lap (he's not a light puppy anymore at 60 pounds).

Before the sun had risen

As we arrived at the trail head around 5:40 about 5 or 6 cars of people had already started up the mountain, and we knew that the mountain would be packed come 9 am. We quickly got ready and started up the trail. Starting at 5:50 am. The sky was light but the sun hadn't peaked into the valley yet which made for a chilly start at 12,000 feet. The weather had called for wind but the day looked beautiful. We hiked fast across rock fields and summitted Democrat around 7:15 am. The sun was up but the day was young, finishing the decalibron loop was looking promising. We quickly grabbed a snack and headed down Democrat to make our way up Cameron. When reached about 14,000 feet the winds that were just annoying, turned into winds that made you hunker down and stop walking. We passed a few hikers coming down Cameron who warned us of the dangerous winds and little coverage at the top of Cameron. However, we were so close and I was determined to at least summit Cameron. The last couple of feet of climbing were the hardest. When we reached the top of Cameron the winds were gusting at 70 or 80 mph. I got low to the ground and grabbed Lopi. Alan got behind and we got a quick photo and ran for coverage.

At the Summit of Cameron

At the Summit of Democrat

Some might say it wasn't worth it and I'll never know but what I do know is that I'm not done there, and I plan on attempting the loop again. Hopefully with better weather. The video shows only the summit of Democrat since we didn't get much good footage of Cameron for various reasons.



Until next time,
Naomi

Lopi and Friends

So I decided to make a post dedicated solely to all the dogs that stayed in my house last weekend. The GoPro was piled full of adorable dog footage that I just couldn't let go to waste. So here is what Lopi, Bou, and Gracie did last weekend while we adventured. 

 

-Naomi

Family Fun

The last several days Naomi and I have been had plenty of visitors. My sister Lindsey and several of her friends came to Golden to visit for a couple days. They got in early Friday morning, and stayed through Sunday. Then my parents showed up and are staying through Thursday. A family reunion here in CO. Well anyway, while Lindsey was here, we tried to get busy doing some standard Colorado behavior; rock climbing, tubing, dogs, and of course Coors.

The Three Amigos: Gracie, Lopi, and Bou

Lindsey pulling the crux - Lemons, Limes, Tangerines (5.8)

Jill cruising on hot rock - Killian's Dead (5.7)

Jill belaying Naomi - Holiday Road (5.8)

About half way up on lead - Panama Red (5.10 -)

The gang after enjoying our free-three from Coors Short Tour

-Alan

Long Live Long Rides

There has been little shortage of bike riding these past few weeks. Life on two wheels is how it typically goes during early summer for me. It started off well with the Woody's Cruiser Ride. One of my favorite Golden summertime activities, the Golden Cruise is always fun. Beer, bikes, friends, and usually an impromptu dance party; what more could you ask for? I think it's about time I get the handlebar mount for the GoPro, as this video is a little shaky. Oh well. Enjoy

After all the fun, it was time to get back to training. The Battle of the Bear marathon race was rapidly approaching and I was far from in shape.

Training ride with Josh Murdock

 The rescheduled race (see older post for the first attempt) was Sunday, June 3rd. We arrived at Bear Creek Lake Park around 7 am, with plenty of time to register and warm up for my 8:08 start time. The weather was perfect, the bike was tuned, and I was (more or less) ready for a 60 mile suffer-fest. The first 3 laps went fast and strong. Around mile 40, I hit the wall. The heat set in, and my legs screamed with every pedal stroke. The last lap went a little faster, and after 5 hours and 3 minutes on the bike, I finished my first marathon race. I took second place, behind my friend and co-worker Taylor. A great day of bike racing.

Gnarly Creek Crossing

Finally finishing

Happy to be off the bike

On the Podium!

-Alan

More Bouldering, Good Company

As if we haven't been bouldering enough lately, Naomi and I went out early this morning to hammer out our third day in a row on the rock. This time, we went with some friends; Andrew, Matt, and Emily. We cruised up to the Black Hole above Morrison, and put up some serious effort on the local favorites. Matt crushed Helicopter, V5, in less than 15 attempts. The problem moves through some gnarly crimps and slopers at about 40 degrees overhung. The rest of us worked on linking together Breashear's Crack, V1. Enjoy the videos.





P.s. sorry Matt for botching up your finishing moves... I forgot the GoPro pole in the truck.

Until next time,

Alan

Bouldering, Bouldering, and more Bouldering

What a great way to spend a Friday and Saturday. Bouldering, a more technical climbing sport, has consumed, and will continue to consume most of our Memorial day weekend. We are becoming increasingly better at GoPro-ing, and video editing is now a new one of our hobbies (all we need is a MacBook Pro!). Lopi has also found a new addiction to climbing chalk... we had to punish him multiple times for getting his nose into the chalk bags.

The sharp stone dug deep into our fingers this weekend, but there aren't many signs of slowing. Stay tuned for some more updates.





 -Alan and Naomi