- Part 32

Mt. Lincoln

by Brandon Chalk | Apr 8, 2013 | Colorado 14ers

Our good friends Jamie Buckley & Eileen Clerig came to visit us this past weekend from Chicago. It was an absolute treat for Kristine & I to host these two and its always a special bonus when you find couples that you so enjoy hanging out and adventuring with both halves of the couple. Jamie is a fraternity brother and pledge brother of mine from W&L and has been a long time great friend. Jamie also climbed Kilimanjaro with Kristine, myself, and others in 2011 and I believe has a newfound interest in this whole mountain climbing bit. Jamie had climbed a few Colorado 14ers in preparation for the climb of Kilimanjaro and he definitely wanted to attempt another one on this short but sweet trip back to Colorado. As always, Kristine & I are up for any kind of adventure and I thought the nearby Mt. Lincoln would be a good 14er for all of us to attempt as it is relatively short (5 miles or so roundtrip with less than 3,000′ vertical gain). We have come to know Eileen well over the past two years and we absolutely love this gal! She is so upbeat and positive and has a glowing personality. She and Buckley make a wonderful couple – so wonderful in fact that they are engaged and are getting married in Florida this June 15! I truly cannot wait to attend the festivities and I believe most of my fraternity brothers feel the same way.

Mt. Lincoln (14,286′) from Colorado Highway 9

My only other Colorado fraternity & pledge brother, Chris Sutton, who is a good friend and lawyer in Colorado Springs joined us as well with his girlfriend, Alison. Additionally, our good friend and partner in crime, Lauren McKeone, who teaches with Kristine in Vail, expressed interest in coming along with her German Shepherd, Scout. Last but not least, of course, Rainie & Kona rounded out the crew.

Bucks, Sutton, & Alison snowshoeing Lincoln’s lower slopes

Buckley climbing the first steep snow slope

Kristine, Rainie, Kona, & I had been up Lincoln a few times and its always good to go back. This time we started the climb from the eastern Quartzville trailhead as the more standard and higher (in elevation) Kite Lake trailhead from the west was likely not accessible via car because of the snowpack. The last half mile to the Quartzville 4WD trailhead parking was deep snow so we had to park on the road, which added a bit more length to the hike but completely manageable. Kristine & I went sans snowshoes and besides the initial half mile up the road, there was very little post-holing as most of the east ridge route was firm snow or barren rock/grass. The weather forecast, however, was far from ideal. With a 40% chance of snow, I honestly didn’t know what to expect. But, with only one day for a 14er attempt for Buckley & Eileen, we had to at least give it an attempt. The snow really never came, which was absolutely fine with us. But what did come was the wind and lots of it! The forecast had only called for 15-20mph winds, but I estimated the winds were likely 40mph up higher on the east ridge with gusts perhaps at even higher wind speeds. Fortunately, the air temperature was fairly warm, which made the wind chill temperature manageable.

Lauren & Scout in good form at about 12,800′ on the east ridge

Definitely a scewed picture I took here of Lauren & Scout, but sort of cool in a strange way

We really didn’t start snowshoeing/hiking until about 9:45am because of the slow drive over from Vail on icy/snowy roads. The sun kept poking through the intermittent clouds, which was definitely a reprieve from the high winds. Eileen let all of us know early on that she was really just wanting to have a nice, leisurely day in the Colorado high country but she knew that Buckley really wanted to summit if at all possible. Kristine then remained with Eileen and they both proceeded at Eileen’s pace and enjoyed the day. It actually worked out for the best as Kristine & Eileen got to have some great “gal time” together. Sutton & Alison made it to about 13,000’ on the east ridge before turning around due to the high winds. At that point, Buckley, Lauren, the dogs, & I had reached the base of the final summit cone at about 13,800’. Now, I never want to push my friends to do anything they are uncomfortable with or do not want to do. I kept turning around and asking Lauren & Buckley if they would like to continue. Their perseverance & resolve were incredible. They always wanted to forge ahead despite the very taxing high winds. We were never in a dangerous situation, though I know it likely felt a bit dangerous to them because of the high winds. I then broke trail up the final summit cone in hopes that the footsteps would help Buckley & Lauren.

Lauren & Scout climbing the final summit cone to Lincoln’s summit

It was a hard fought battle, but Bucks persevered

Buckley reaching Lincoln’s summit

I like this one of Buckley reaching Lincoln’s summit

We all topped out around 1pm, I believe, and enjoyed a good 20 minutes on the summit taking in the views and snapping pictures. Amazingly, the winds up top were not nearly as strong as the winds hammering us pretty much the entire ascent. My hat is off to Buckley on really staying strong to the end, as he normally does, and pushing through to the summit, especially since he had just come from Chicago (elevation 579’) two days before! He’s one tough son of a gun. And, Lauren did so fantastic in putting aside any doubt and disbelief to make a successful 14er ascent in tough conditions. Lauren has really been getting out with Kristine & myself on our backcountry and mountain climbing excursions and her efforts are really paying off! Chalk up another 14er summit for Buckley & Lauren and a new one at that!

Lauren & Scout on Mt. Lincoln’s summit (14,286′)

Me, Rainie, & Kona on Lincoln’s summit

Jamie Buckley on Mt. Lincoln’s summit (14,286′)

Pikes on another summit together

Group summit shot on Mt. Lincoln (14,286′)

I cleaned the ice and snow out of the dogs’ paws, but they were really cold, especially Kona with blowing ice freezing to her fur, so we descended pretty fast.

Lauren, Scout, & Buckley descending Lincoln’s summit cone

Buckley on the descent

The almost Buckleys back at the car with Mt. Lincoln behind to top off an awesome day in the Colorado high country

We eventually made it back down to the basin far below and met up with Kristine & Eileen. We had learned that they had made it all the way to 13,500’ on the east ridge where they could see us climbing up the final snow summit cone. Eileen did such a stellar job and I think she really felt good about herself. Kristine is amazing at coaching friends along and setting minor goals along the way. They had had a great few hours together, which is what it was all about anyway. Sutton & Alison had descended back down to their car and the rest of us made it back down to the cars at around 3pm but not without some good ole spring post-holing on the half mile stretch of road down from the 4WD trailhead parking. But, what’s a spring 14er climb without some post-holing, right? We all headed to the Breckenridge Brewery for some beers, food, and NCAA Final Four basketball and toasted to a great day up on the mountain. I think Buckley & Eileen had a great visit back to Colorado, however short it was, and a wonderful breath of fresh air before heading back to the Windy City. Kristine & I truly loved having them. I think Eileen said it best when she said, “Ya Know, even though it was a short visit, I feel it was very rich & hearty with friendship and good times.” I couldn’t agree more.

Silverton Mountain & the Ouray Ice Park

by Brandon Chalk | Mar 25, 2013 | Ice Climbing, Skiing

This past weekend just reminded me yet again for the thousandth time how much I love the San Juans. I had never skied the infamous Silverton Mountain before and when an invitation from our friend Gavin Chapman who works at the Trane Company in Denver asked a few of us engineers if we wanted to go this year, I, of course, had to go. I feel like we’re a pretty fun group of engineers and not your stereotypical, unpersonable engineer types. I think Gavin seems to think so and feel lucky that he invited us for a pretty cheap weekend as most everything was comped by the Trane Company. Silverton Mountain is my kind of ski mountain. One lift, no crowds, hike-to terrain, and steep powder runs in a backcountry ski setting. There are a few times during the season when you are allowed to go unguided, but for the most part everyone must go with a guide, which is absolutely fine as they really know the mountain like the back of their hand are are great folks. Fellow friends & engineers Jake Blevins, Zac Wurth, Mike Santoro, and our CAD wizard, Trevor Cochran, all joined in on the great weekend. Trevor doesn’t ski so he provided great moral support and drank enough beer for us while we were skiing on the mountain. Kristine also went as well after we all pitched in for her lift ticket on Saturday (Kristine & I have a hard time paying for lift serviced terrain, but this was a worthwhile exception). Gavin’s fiance, Kelly, also came with their lab puppy Bela and it was so awesome hanging out and skiing with such great people. Gavin really was the man of the weekend in hooking us all up with the lodging at the White Wolf Haus, the meals, and the lift tickets. Our guide was Josh “Bruce” Lee and a nice fellow named Yon from Ward, CO, rounded out our crew. I even ran into a fellow classmate of mine at W&L, Brannon Cook, at the Silverton Mountain warming tent whom I have not seen since our 10th year reunion in 2010 back in Lexington, VA. It was great to see him and hear that he and his wife are living it up as much as possible with trips to the Himalaya, a successful Kilimanjaro trek, and ski trips all over the country like this one to Silverton. We had a great time at Silverton Mountain and I cannot wait to go back someday when we have clearer weather for better views. Some pics of the day are as follows:

Left to right: Kelly, Jake, Kristine, & Gavin

Left to right: Mike, Yon, Zac, & Bruce Lee about to drop in

Bruce Lee heading out on our second run

Gavin about to drop in on our second run

Mikey loving life

Jake dropping the knee

Kelly in good tele form in the trees

The crew hiking in not so ideal conditions for our third run

Zac loving the alpine

Left to right: Gavin, Kelly, Zac, Kristine, & Jake on our third run

Jake getting low

Mikey effortlessley sliding downhill on our third run

Kristine, Gavin, Kelly, & I took the run directly below Mikey in this picture and enjoyed steep untracked powder for about 1,200′

Mikey in the white room on our fourth run

Mikey laying back

Sometimes I do wish I snowboarded for days like this as it is just a tad less work than telemarking in deep powder. Can you smell the sarcasm there?

Jake on our fourth run

Mikey’s snowboard wake

Kelly making some nice turns

Magnificient terrain

Kristine & I at the White Wolf Haus in Silverton, our awesome lodging for the weekend

After some eggs, biscuits & gravy, coffee, and NCAA Tournament basketball at the White Wolf Haus on Sunday morning, Mike, Kristine, Trevor, & I headed to the Ouray Ice Park for a little ice climbing while Gavin, Kelly, Jake, & Zac skied a second day at Silverton. I honestly was a bit envious of the ski crew as it was a bluebird day, but didn’t have the urge to pay $140 to ski the mountain again (we had one day of comped lift tickets) and we had planned on doing a little ice climbing and hitting up the Orvis Hot Springs anyway. Mike had never ice climbed before so this was a special day for him. I had yet to climb at the Ouray Ice Park this year, so it was great to get back on that awesome ice. Unfortunately, we forgot Kristine’s boot liners so she basked in the sun with Trevor and took some great pics of us. And, there isn’t much better than an hour dip at the Orvis Hot Springs in Ridgeway after some cold ice climbing to top off a great weekend. A few Ouray Ice pics are below (thanks to Trevor & Kristine):

Me starting up the fun ice climb I set up for myself & Mike

Me topping out

Mike on his first ice climb ever!

Mike belaying me up a a more vertical ice section for my second lap

I just love the Ouray ice

Me traversing to the more vertical ice pillar

Me topping out again

Me belaying Mike from above and talking to Trevor

A good few hours at the Ouray Ice Park followed by a good hippy dippin’ hour at the Orvis Hot Springs

Shelf Road Winter Cragging

by Brandon Chalk | Mar 19, 2013 | 7 Summits News, Rock Climbing

Kristine wanted to write the trip report for our 16 day Aconcagua climb this past December/January and so she went with it and I think she did a great job. Its a tad lengthy (mostly due to all the pics I added – I just love pics), but for those that do read it I hope you enjoy. The trip report is under our “Expeditions” tab on our site or just click Aconcagua 2013.

Now, onto last weekend’s activities. We spent a mid-March winter weekend down in the relative warmth of the high desert near Canon City at the rock climbing mecca that is known as Shelf Road. Good friends Mike Santoro, Kaitlin Preston, Reid & Tara Jennings, Nico & Celeste Cizik, Matt & Kari Reigner, and of course the one and only, Jesse Hill all joined in on the fun. Our usual dog pack accompanied us comprising Rainier, Kona, Piton, Sterling, Purna, & Snyder. Shelf offers world class sport climbing with a trad crack thrown in here and there with great camping and moderate winter temperatures. Saturday turned to be a mostly overcast and chilly climbing day while Sunday definitely warmed up. We did get about an hour of rain Saturday evening in which we all scurried for the mess tent, indiviual tents, and cars, but its nothing that a roaring campfire and Jesse’s awesome jambalaya couldn’t fix. All in all, it was a great weekend in which we pretty much completely spent ourselves, our forearms, and especially our fingers on the sharp limestone rock both days. I still feel like I was in an all day long bare-knuckle fight. I think we all do. A few pics of the fun are as follows:

Our crew at the Bank area on Saturday. Photo by Tara Jennings

Kona, Snyder, & Rainier are good belayers. Photo by Tara Jennings

Kristine & I checking out Jesse's sport route in which he made into a mixed sprt/trad route as is typical Jesse Hill fashion

Kristine & I checking out Jesse’s sport route in which he made into a mixed sport/trad route as is typical Jesse Hill fashion. Photo by Tara Jennings

Celeste in the thick of it on Ripped (5.10b), a trad crack in which Jesse & Matt led

Then, to the Cactus Cliff area in the sun on Sunday

Then, to the Cactus Cliff area on a sunny Sunday

Jesse leading the lower part of Red Eclipse (5.10c)

Jesse leading Red Eclipse (5.10c)

Kristine on Black Slabbeth (5.10a)

Kristine in the heat of the 5.9 delayered to her t-shirt

Kristine in the heat of Black Slabbeth (5.10a) delayered to her t-shirt

Mike on the fun arete called Beef Cake Formula (5.8)

Reid flying high on You Show Me Your Heavy Weapon, I’ll Show you Mine (5.7)

Me leading the really fun Candy for Big Kids (5.10d)

Me in the dihedral of Candy for Big Kids (5.10d)

Rainie relaxing

Me having pulled the mini-roof on Candy for Big Kids (5.10d)

Me at the anchors for Candy for Big Kids (5.10d)

Kristine at the crux of Red Eclipse (5.10c)

CCDS 2013 Cum Laude Induction Ceremony

by Brandon Chalk | Feb 19, 2013 | Miscellaneous

Last Friday, February 15, I had the privilege of being the guest speaker for the Cum Laude Induction ceremony at my high school in Charlotte, NC, Charlotte Country Day School. It was so fantastic to be back on campus again after 17 years and see new and familiar faces alike. Stephanie Harner (class of 1991, Upper School Latin Teacher, Varsity Girls Golf Coach) was instrumental in getting me back to CCDS for this wonderful ceremony and I cannot thank her enough. Special thanks to Jonsie Evans (class of 1995 and Director of Alumni Relations) for being very helpful to my family as well as showing us around campus after the ceremony. It was awesome to see Jonsie again after having gone to high school together. The new fine arts center and gymnasium complex are truly out of this world. CCDS definitely now reminds me of a small liberal arts college such as a W&L or a Davidson. Congratulations to all of the new Cum Laude inductees! Check out CCDS’ News on the Cum Laude Induction Ceremony here.

The 2013 Cum Laude Induction Ceremony at CCDS was short and sweet. I had never spoken in front of 600 students, family members, and faculty members before, but I think it went just fine. Whenever I am talking about mountains and goals, I always just seem to get fired up and enjoy the moment. Stephanie did a great introduction of me and I spoke for about 20 minutes. My presentation consisted of a brief slideshow of the 7 summits Kristine & I have climbed together thus far combined with lessons we have learned from these peaks and bringing it all together at the end by addressing the inductees to pursue their passion(s) and never give up on their goal(s). I think it went over well with everyone and believe it was a bit different than the normal guest speakers they typically hear and I remember hearing when I was being inducted into the CCDS Cum Laude Society back in 1996. It was absolutely fantastic having a big “movie-sized” screen for the pictures as I think it allowed the pictures to jump out at the audience a bit more than the other slideshows Kristine & I have done in the past. Mark Reed (Head of School) and Matt Less (Head of Upper School) then called the names of the 23 new inductees up to the podium to receive their certificates. A reception ensued after the ceremony outside where it was great to chat with students and their family members, faculty members, and my family about everything from engineering to mountains. Thanks to CCDS for having me back after all of these years. It was an honor to be the guest speaker for such a wonderful occasion! Below are a few pictures from the event (all photos courtesy of Jonsie Evans):

Left to right: Me, Mark Reed (CCDS Head of School), and my dad, John Chalk, in the theater before the presentation. A picture of Kristine on Everest is on the screen in the background

Me on the far right with the 2013 Cum Laude inductees after the ceremony

The Chalk Family after the ceremony. Left to right: Ann Chalk (my mom), Logan Foose (my sister), John Chalk (my dad), me, Chuck Wimbrow (my grandfather), and Jean Wimbrow (my grandmother)

My First Gold Medal

by Brandon Chalk | Feb 11, 2013 | Races

The Eddie Bauer Mountain Winter Games landed in Vail last weekend and was a great time as expected. Kristine & I always look forward to this weekend in the winter as well as its sister weekend in the summer, the Teva Mountain Summer Games. As a friend described to me, these games are in a way the “Hippy Olympics”. I thought that was hilarious. While these games are not riddled with dreadlocks and burlap shirts and shrouded in marijuana smoke much like a Widespread Panic show in Athens, GA, they are not your typical events. With events like ice climbing, telemark big air competitons, nordic skiing, and running/skinning up the ski mountain as fast as humanly possible, the games attract the heartiest and fittest athletes in the area. People who attend and compete in these events are all very fit and have a love for the outdoors and mountain sports. Though Teva is no longer the headlining sponsor for the summer games, GoPro stepped up and took the reigns. We entered the Vail Uphill race last year and did pretty well in the Heavy Metal category for our 30-39 age group, i.e. we both got 3rd and the bronze medals. The Vail Uphill essentially races straight up Vail Mountain mostly on the blue Simba ski run from the bottom of the gondola to the top of the gondola gaining 2,475 vertical feet in just over 2 miles.

The Vail Uphill race course

There are two categories in terms of mode of transportation up the course – the Open category on foot (yaktrax, microspikes, or snowshoes) and the Heavy Metal category on skis (telemark, AT, or splitboard gear). Now, on foot is always faster since you have so much less weight on your feet. I’ve read that every additional pound on your feet is like an extra 5 lbs on your back. Meaning that if my telemark setup (boots, skis, & bindings) weighs 15 lbs overall and someone’s else’s AT race ski setup weighs 10 lbs, then that’s like me carrying an equivalent 25 lb pack on my back in addition. Now, that’s quite a difference. However, with more people entering the Open category last year, Kristine & I entered the Heavy Metal category with our backcountry telemark setups. As stated before, we placed 3rd in our respective male & female age divisions and were pleased with the results. However, the folks that beat us had the extreme lightweight randonee race AT setups, which are much lighter even than our telemark setups. I didn’t understand that the randonee race gear was in the “Heavy Metal” category, but it was. My understanding was that “Heavy Metal” meant a ski setup on which you would use in the resorts and in the backcountry. Not one on which you could barely ski down an inbounds resort ski run. However, the race folks didn’t see it my way. Cest la vie, I guess. Its all about personal satisfaction and knowing what you can do with what you got. I’m not about to invest in a randonee race AT setup just to do these uphill races.

My good friend Megan Gilman, wife of J, then asked me “Buddy, why not use the old Denali skis? Might as well make it a bit more even rather than having your setup so much heavier than others.” She had a great point. She’s one smart cookie. I don’t know why we all didn’t think of this option sooner. While its honestly not a huge deal to me whether I do well in a race in relation to others (for me, its just about doing well for myself and in relation to what I personally can do), it would be nice to have a lighter setup to be a bit more competitive with others. So, the old Denali setup came out of retirement. Its a combination of a lightweight K2 AT ski with an antique mid 1990s Silvretta 404 AT binding that can accommodate a mountaineering boot, specifically my Koflachs. We used these on Denali as our mode of transportation up to 14,000′ camp. While I can’t ski them downhill more than I can fly to the moon, they are light on the uphill and allow me to use my Koflach mountaineering boots, which are significantly lighter than my Scarpa T1 telemark boots. J can ski these skis with his Koflachs exceptionally well. In fact, he just skied this setup the weekend before on Culebra Peak. Then again, he is an exceptional skier and I am not. Skiing this setup in Koflach mountaineering boots is like skiing in tennis shoes – absolutely no calf support like a ski boot gives. Booster straps do help around the top of the mountaineering boots yet it is still very tough. J makes it look easy though. J still has and uses his old Denali K2 ski/Silvretta binding setup though I sold mine years ago, which was a Solomon Pocket Rocket ski with the same Silvretta 404 bindings.

Me leaving 7,200′ Denali Base Camp in June 2007 on my Solomon ski/Silvretta binding setup wearing my Koflach mountaineering boots

J leaving 7,200′ Denali Base Camp in June 2007 on his K2 ski/Silvretta binding setup wearing his Koflach mountaineering boots – the same setup I used for the 2013 Vail Uphill race

Kristine decided to enter the Open category on foot with her microspikes while my plan was to enter the Heavy Metal category with J’s old Denali setup. My good buddy Joel Gratz, owner and founder of the wonderful and very successful powder forecasting website called OpenSnow, sponsored me in a way by paying my entry fee. Joel joked that I was Open Snow’s 1st sponsored athlete. It was a gracious gesture on Joel’s part that I really appreciated. I tested J’s old Denali setup on Saturday evening with Kristine & the dogs up Arrowhead just to make sure I had the balance down on these skis since I had not been on them in 7 years. I did actually ski them down Arrowhead which was probably like watching a beginner skier on the bunny hill. I’m sure it was a bit humorous for Kristine and the dogs. The setup worked well and would be much lighter than my telemark boots and telemark skis, though not nearly as light as the randonee race AT setups on the market.

The Vail Uphill race started at 7am on Sunday morning in cold temperatures and a snowy atmosphere. We had other friends in the race as well all on foot in the Open category. The race went fast and the temperature felt good. I was sweating, but not too much as I do when its warmer. I knew there were a few Heavy Metal folks in front of me, all of whom had the lightweight randonee race AT setups complete with spandex speedsuits. Everytime I saw a racer with the spandex speedsuits, it made me compete harder. I just find it funny, that’s all, as does Kristine and most of our friends. J’s old Denali setup did allow me to go faster for sure. With less weight on my feet, my legs could move faster and my body exerted less energy in each stride. Our good friend Chuck Pratt, who was there cheering on his fiance, Jennifer Lowry, was there to run with me the last hundred yards to the finish line. I definitely felt that I was faster than last year’s time of 50-51 minutes and I ended up finishing in 46 minutes and 3 seconds. I was pretty pleased. This time landed me 1st place in the male age 30-39 Heavy Metal category. Better yet, I took home the gold (of the Hippy Olympics, that is), which, I believe, is my first gold medal ever. I guess its as close as I will get to receiving a real gold medal. There were a few really fast Heavy Metalers in front of me, however. One young guy in the age 20-29 division and two older fellows in the age 50-59 division all of whom were amazingly fast. Of course, the Open category had so many fast guys in the 32.5 minute to 40 minute range, which is incredible. Maybe next year, I will enter the Open foot category and see where things land. All in good fun, though. Kristine came in at a dazzling 48 minutes and 7 seconds, much faster than her 2012 time, and placed 5th in the tougher female age 30-39 Open category. We all drank hot chocolate and ate muffins during the awards ceremony and had a great morning. We ran into Joel on the way out with our other friends Jesse, Jenn, and Tania as they were all going to ski the mountain, and he was ecstatic with my gold medal. He even wanted pictures with me. Joel said “Well, let’s do it again next year and make it two in a row!” Ha. I told him that it sounded good to me and I will try. Maybe Kristine & I will do the coed ski-mountaineering competition as well. Kristine & I were back home at 11am to play with the dogs and enjoy a much needed nap. Anyway, not that Kristine and I are big race people at all, these races are fun to do with good swag bags and we both look forward to the GoPro Summer Games come June. A big thanks to Joel & OpenSnow!