Why not have a reason to party, right? Come celebrate our hopeful (fingers-crossed) 7th Summit with Kristine & I at The Minturn Saloon on Saturday evening, December 7, at around 7pm. It will be a very casual send-off party as we depart for Antarctica a week later to climb Mt. Vinson, the highest peak on the continent. Should be a fun evening. Hope to see some of you there!
My parents visited Kristine, Rainier, Kona, & myself this past weekend and we all had a truly wonderful time together. They had not been to the Vail Valley & Edwards since summer 2010, so this was a special visit. Usually, we head down to Telluride to visit with Mom & Dad when they come out from North Carolina, but now with the Chalk condo sold in Telluride, hopefully that means more future visits to the Vail Valley. We had some terrific meals including a night out in Lionshead at the Vail Chophouse located within the Arrabelle.
Kristine & my Mom in the Arrabelle square
Mom, Dad, & I before dinner at the Vail Chophouse
Mom & Dad enjoying the cold, crisp Colorado night
But, Kristine’s good ole cooking Saturday night sure gave the Vail Chophouse a run for its money. I believe we were all in agreement that Kristine took the cake for best meal. On Saturday, we took Mom & Dad up into Mayflower Gulch just south of Fremont Pass between Copper & Leadville for a nice, moderate hike to the old mining camp at around 11,500′. It was fun showing Mom & Dad some of our favorite stomping grounds back in Mayflower Gulch including the several 13ers and ridges that surround the basin. It was a beauty of a day and we sure enjoyed our time outdoors with them. Mom & Dad did so well hiking in regard to the altitude since they had just come from 700′ above sea level only 36 hours prior.
The four of us at the head of Mayflower Gulch with the high 13er, Drift Peak (13,900′), behind
Mom, Rainie, & I with the high 13er, Fletcher Mountain (13,951′), behind
The Chalks on a gorgeous day in Mayflower Gulch
Mom, Kristine, & Kona with the gnarly ridge connecting Fletcher Mountain (13,951′) & Atlantic Peak (13,841′). J and I traversed this awesome ridge two summers ago
Dad & I enjoying our time in the mountains together
All of the Chalks and another party of two at the old mining cabins
Mom, Dad, & I
Until next time, Mayflower Gulch
Sunday, my Dad & I hit the gym, Kristine ran with Kona, and Mom did a bit of Edwards shopping before we all watched the Broncos edge the Chargers and then walked to dinner for the 2nd time of the weekend at the yummy Gore Range Brewery. It was fantastic and meant so much to be with Mom & Dad again and we’re so lucky they were able to travel out to Colorado to visit with us, especially since we will not see them for either Thanksgiving or Christmas. We certainly look forward to our next time with them in February for some Telluride family ski fun.
Kristine & I are back from the wedding celebration of our good friends Rob Schnare & Hanna Boone. The festivities took place in Hood River, OR and up at the Gorge Crest Vineyards on the Washington State side of the Columbia River. It was an awesome weekend of great friends, gorgeous scenery, and maybe one too many Dark & Stormy’s all in the names of Rob & Hanna. The Schnares & Boones sure put on an amazing weekend for us all and for that we are so appreciative & grateful to be included. Rob & Hanna leave for Europe tomorrow for their honeymoon and then back to Portland, OR to continue their rockstar lives as a married couple. Rob is a longtime best friend of Kristine & myself who I met almost a decade ago through work and has since been on many amazing trips with us such as Aconcagua in 2006 & Mt. Elbrus in 2008. Hanna is an amazing gal who turns out to be a distant relative of mine with her being a direct descendant of Daniel Boone and me being a direct descendant of Daniel Boone’s wife, Rebecca Bryan. Some pictures I took of the wonderful weekend are as follows:
Mt. Hood (Oregon’s highest peak at 11,249′) looming above all else as seen from the wedding site
Rob and the rehearsal party
Our awesome groomsmen accomodations
Hood River & the Columbia River from our groomsmen pad
Mary, Rob, & Kristine at the groomsmen pad
Hanna & Kristine at the rehearsal dinner cocktail party
Rehearsal dinner in Hood River
Brother & sister on wedding day
Rob & his ladies
Rob & Hanna among the vineyards
Cornhole before the wedding ceremony – thank you, Mr. Tyler Holland
Not too shabby of a wedding site
The Chalks
Roberto and me
The Scribners, the Woodys, and Roberto
Suspencer & Lindsey
The Chalks
Best man, Evan, & Melissa
Bozeman, MT, rockstars Travis & Mary
Robbie dipping the bride
Yale Jallos, Mike Horst, & Suspencer Watkins
Evan & Chad
The Horst family – Mike, Cathy, & Cassidy
Kristine & I stopped at Multnomah Falls on the way back to Portland to stretch the legs and do a quick hike
Looking down from the top of the falls
Oregon sure does have some awsome natural wonders. It was good to get back here after a few years
Last Thursday/Friday, Colorado received its first big snow storm of the fall. Steamboat reported 14″ at mid-mountain, but a friend of ours who lives in Steamboat hiked up and skied a good 2 feet at the top of the resort. Quite impressive especially for October 4. I don’t remember the snow falling so much so early in the 10 years I’ve been in the Vail Valley. While I absolutely love Indian summers and late fall climbing/scrambling, maybe this all points to a good winter. We shall see. With the Aspens peaking in their brilliant gold colors last week and the new snow on the ground and on the spruce trees, the combination of these colors was absolutely amazing on Friday driving to work. So, the dogs and I hiked up Arrowhead in the late afternoon and got some pictures of the Lake Creek Valley landscape and our favorite A10 trail aspen trees.
Amazing colors looking back into the Lake Creek Valley & A10 trail
On Sunday we all decided to take advantage of the wonderful fall weather and hike up the relatively short and dog-friendly 13er Whitney Peak in the Holy Cross Wilderness very near Notch Mountain, which Kristine & I had traversed the previous Sunday. After passing the Missouri Lakes & Fancy Lake trailheads, we drove to around 10,320′ and parked at the French Creek trailhead right before the gnarly Holy Cross City Road, one of Colorado’s toughest 4WD roads. J joined Kristine, Rainier, Kona, & myself as well as Billy Larson and his dog, Buddy. We hiked up the Holy Cross City 4WD road about a mile or so and then took off east bushwhacking through the forest, across a boulder field, and up the steep grassy slopes to Whitney Peak’s mellow south ridge.
Very dry south-facing meadows on Whitney Peak’s south ridge
Savage Peak (13,139′)
I had noticed from pictures and the map that there seemed to be a shallow southwestern facing gully mostly filled in with grass and some rocks. I’m always looking for grassy routes for ole Rainier as the boulder hopping really give her legs a hard time these days. Turns out this gully was just what the doctor ordered and was mostly grass up until the last few hundred vertical feet before the ridge.
J, Kristine, & Billy on the ascent up the southwestern gully
Buddy having so much fun
Kristine enjoying this gorgeous fall day up high
There was a bit of snow at the top of the ridge, but we all veered left and within 10 minutes we were at the summit boulder of Whitney Peak. Now, Whitney Peak’s summit plateau is very large and long. There are actually two highpoints along this plateau and we could see the other highpoint on the far western end of the plateau. The Whitney Peak USGS benchmark (13,271′) is indeed on this western highpoint, but the large 5 ft tall summit boulder on the eastern highpoint where we stood is the highest point on the mountain at 13,276′. So, we called this summit boulder our summit as it is the true summit of Whitney Peak. In fact, surmounting the summit boulder requires a 5.6 move or two which was pretty fun.
J & I on top of Whitney Peak’s summit boulder (13,276′)
Billy & J on Whitney Peak’s summit boulder (13,276′)
The eastern highpoint of Whitney Peak
Whitney Peak summit (13,271′)
Mt. of the Holy Cross (14,005′) at left and Notch Mountain (13,237′) at right
Notch Mountain (13,237′) at left with the Gore Range behind. Can you spot the Notch Mountain Shelter on Notch Mountain’s right shoulder?
Pyramid Peak and the Maroon Bells to the southwest
Looking down Whitney Peak’s steep east face to Whitney Lake below
We then took a group photo just below the summit boulder, took in the views of the Northern Sawatch Range and local 14er Mt. of the Holy Cross, and then headed down arriving back at the cars around 2pm for a roundtrip time of about 4 1/2 hours. We sped back to Sarah & Keith’s house in Edwards to try and make the beginning of the Denver Broncos game. It was a fun-filled afternoon of friends, burgers, beer, and the Broncos squeaking out a victory against the Dallas Cowboys to go to 5-0. You just can’t beat the Broncos nor can you beat bluebird fall days in the Colorado highcountry.
May 29, 2013 was a very sad day for my sister, Logan, and the entire Chalk family. Logan had to do one of the hardest things imaginable – say goodbye to her loving companion of 10 years, Bailey.
Bailey goofing around at Chalk Hill during Thanksgiving 2011
I hesitated to post anything on our blog here about Bailey and her passing, but I figured it would be a great way to honor her with a few words and some pictures of the wonderful times we all had with her, especially my sister.
Kristine, me, Harper, Logan, & Bailey at Chalk Hill duing Thanksgiving 2011
Bailey and her family at Chalk Hill during Thanksgiving 2011
In the end, it was a tumor around Bailey’s heart that was shutting down her organs and weakening her heart. There was really nothing to be done and Logan made the right call in putting Bailey to sleep in order to save her from further pain. Bailey was the sweetest, most beautiful, most loving & lovable, and most loyal companion a dog owner could ever ask for. She was a distant relative of my golden retriever, Rainier, and I remember the first day Rainier, Logan, my mom, & I went out to visit Bailey. We figured if Rainier approved, she was a keeper. Bailey was a show girl, aka show dog, the first year of her life, and so entering the real world of everyday life (getting in and out of cars, going on hikes, etc) was a bit of a transition for her.
Me, Bailey, & Logan atop Crowder’s Mountain, NC, on a beautiful winter day in 2007 with our family
Logan & Bailey on Crowder’s Mountain, NC
Bailey really was the sweetest dog I have ever known – well, maybe equal with Rainier. She never, ever left my sister’s side – a testament to her loyalty.
Bailey never left my sister’s side
She seemed to be always looking out for my sister and her family.
Bailey standing guard over young Harper
Every time I traveled back home to Charlotte, a highlight of my trip was seeing Bailey and spending time with her. I think Logan & my only wish was that Rainier and Bailey were not separated by 2000 miles and we could have gotten them together more. Bailey loved going to Bald Head Island, NC and playing on the beach and in the surf.
Logan & Bailey at Bald Head Island, NC
Bailey the sand crab at Bald Head Island, NC
I think Bailey & Rainier both really taught my sister & I how to care for and love something much more than ourselves. They were both our first loves and will always hold a special place inside our hearts. We all will miss you so much, Bailey, especially my sister, but know you are in a wonderful doggie-heaven waiting for the rest of us. You are truly the best of all of us and while we tear up at not having you physically beside us anymore, we know you are always with us in spirit and looking down upon us. Its truly a time now to celebrate your wonderful 10 years of life. You will always be the best dog and canine companion my sister has ever and will ever have by her side. We all love you so much. Rest in peace, sweet Bailey, and we will see you again.
Logan & her best friend
Love you, Bailey!!!
This past Saturday, J & I did a little fun adventuring up a couloir near Minturn that we had been wanting to get on for some time now. It’s the prominent “S” shaped couloir up the center of a fairly steep face at the “S” bend in Highway 24 just south of Minturn.
The widest part of the couloir can be seen here from Minturn
The Minturn Couloir
Its always fun for us to head out into something we really don’t know much about (or anything at all) and hope for the best in that we get to the top or find a way through. Ice axes & crampons were definitely a necessity as was my 30m rope, harnesses, and a few cams, but in hindsight we should have brought the ice tools and a few ice screws. There are three near vertical pitches or cruxes in the lower half of the couloir that really justify roped technical climbing.
The Minturn Couloir with the three cruxes identified
The 1st crux is probably 20 vertical feet tall and consists of some near vertical ice and snow-covered rock on both sides. The ice would have been fun to climb if we had our ice tools and a screw or two. C’est la vie. We found a rock/dirt scrambling alternative to looker’s left around this crux and entered the snow-filled couloir again above it.
The lower section of the couloir – avalanche debris everywhere
The 1st crux – we bypassed this section to the left via rock ledges
The 2nd crux is a vertical icefall with a rock climbing alternative to looker’s right of the icefall. Its probably only about 15 vertical feet and we chose the rock climbing option because again we did not bring our ice gear. J got up on a small ledge and we both then realized we should rope up for the 5.4 or so traverse across the small ledge and back into the couloir above the icefall. I handed J my rack and we both harnessed up. J placed a few cams, made the traverse moves in his crampons, and set up an anchor once back in the couloir and brought me up. It was a fun little pitch of technical climbing.
J with the 2nd & 3rd cruxes visible ahead
Looking down the couloir to the 1st crux below
J on the 5th class rock to the right of the icefall at the 2nd crux
J leading the 2nd crux rock band
J rounding the corner back into the couloir at the 2nd crux
The 3rd crux is just above the 2nd crux and involves about 35’ of technical ice, though not completely vertical. It would have been a fun lead for sure on good waterfall ice with 2-3 ice screws. However, we ventured on steep ground to our left around on a steep ledge and did some exposed 4th class rock scrambling up and around the icefall. We re-entered the couloir above the 3rd crux after some fairly exposed moves on a snow-covered ledge system with decent hand holds on rock.
The icefall of the 3rd crux was the largest – maybe 35′ in height.
Looking down at the 2nd crux from exposed ledges
J working his way back into the couloir proper above the 3rd crux
The next 800’ or so was great snow-filled couloir climbing. The angle probably never exceeded 40 degrees until we got to the top 200’ or so where the couloir choked and got steeper, likely 45-50 degrees or so. A second axe could have been useful in a few really steep spots but the snow was soft enough where J & I could just put a fist in the snow for support and stability. When the very narrow couloir seemed to peter out, we traversed to the right around a cliff wall and then climbed steep snow straight up for about 50 vertical feet to level ground and the top of the couloir.
J doing some fine couloir climbing above the 3rd crux
Looking down the couloir and Highway 24
J in the Minturn Couloir
Steep snow climbing ensued as the couloir constricted towards the top
The couloir petering out towards the top at which point we traversed to the right
J finishing off the Minturn Couloir with more steep snow climbing
The 2nd & 3rd cruxes as well as the upper narrow portion of the couloir can be seen here
We eventually topped out, drank a bit of water, and ventured through the trees for a hundred yards or so to pick up an old snow-covered road bed originally constructed for the natural gas pipeline serving the town of Red Cliff from Minturn. After 30 minutes of walking down the road sans snowshoes and a bit of post-holing, we came to an alcove where the road hugged the edge of the steeper northwest facing wall in which the couloir was inset. This point was where we thought we could climb down dirt and rock ledges back to the car for about 1,000’. We could have taken the road all the way to the Two Elk trailhead and Minturn rifle range but that would have put us a ways from my truck at the “S” turn on Highway 24. The descent worked out well and we were back at my car about 3 hours after leaving it.
All in all, a really fun few hours with J in a neat little couloir that involves some pretty cool climbing. It would be fun to go back and climb the two ice pitches we bypassed to the left. I’m happy we finally got in this couloir, which we have dubbed the Minturn Couloir, since J’s Active Energies office is in Minturn and he looks up at it about every day. We got this climb in just in the nick of time before the Vail Valley received 13” of new snow that evening for Sunday’s closing day at Vail & Beaver Creek plus an additional 24” on Monday! J’s wife, Megan, the dogs, & I skinned up Arrowhead Monday evening for the deepest run down Arrowhead I’ve ever had in the heaviest of snow conditions I’ve ever experienced. I have never straight-lined that ski run before, but did so Monday night. It took all my effort to lean back as far as possible in order to keep my ski tips up on the surface. Thankfully, this huge storm will help with Colorado’s water supply and decrease the potential for forest fire outbreaks this summer.
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