"Sea Green"
As always, click on images to view in large size.
► Skiing recap of the week:
With Independence Pass less than 2 weeks from it's June 5th opening, I decided to make the trip down to Aspen along with Bernardo and Hans. The elevation of the summit is slightly over 12,000 feet and is roughly 15-20 minutes east of Aspen and another 20 or so minutes west of Leadville. With the road permanently closed during the winter time, the area offers a wide range of late spring and early summer skiing with plenty of snow-covered faces in all directions.
We got into town late Friday night and stayed with Mike who's been a local to the area for just over five months. Unfortunately for us, it was "Food & Wine" weekend in Aspen which is their busiest weekend of the year. For $1,500 a ticket, you get to endulge in the most expensive spirits known to man, including unlimited glasses of the always afordable $1,200-a-bottle Louis XIII de Rémy Martin. It was unfortunate for us since we decided to spend Saturday and Sunday morning waking up at 4 AM thus preventing us from taking any part of the festivities. Let it be known that the entire town is hammered filthy drunk by six in the evening.
On to the skiing ....
These are some mountains to the north of the pass standing over 13,000 feet:
We got to the summit around 6:15 AM and were shortly on our way up what is called Mountain Boy which has an elevation of 12,812 feet. The hike up was just under 2 miles but probably only took us 45 minutes to complete.
Two pictures of the first lap:
We skied down 1,300 vertical feet before hitching a ride up and hiking back in a similar direction towards 4th of July Bowl which is directly west of the summit of Independence Pass. Again, we would be looking at 1,300 vertical down a north-facing mellow line. After a half hour of waiting, we finally made our way down.
Here's the group moments before descending:
Tyler in the first picture. Bernardo in the second. And Hans in the third.
To get back to the road, we had to cross a four-foot wide creek with relatively fast-moving water working its way through. Of course, we got a bit soaked, but it was barely 10:30 and we had already skied a half mile of vert, so we called it a day and headed back into town for a very appropriate serving of burgers, beers, and a long walk around town be better acquaint ourselves with the non-locals visiting.
Day 2 started just before 4 AM and were shortly on our way to La Plata trailhead. La Plata Peak is the 5th tallest mountain in Colorado standing just over 14,336 feet. This wasn't in the original plans, and so, I came ill-prepared without proper hiking shoes. The trip would be about 9.5 miles. I tried my best to make it all the way in my alpine boots, but 2.5 miles into the hike and 2,400 below the summit, I had to turn around. Bernardo and Hans successfully reached the summit followed by a 1,800 vertical foot descent before reaching for the hiking shoes and beginning the bushwack out for several miles. Their total time was a shade over eight hours.
The picture below shows the peak from the start of the trail:
Below is Sayres Peak that stands just over 13,700 feet and will be a strong ski consideration for next weekend:
► Pogo stick video of the week:
Yes, pogo sticks are back in style, and this will show you why ...
► Wall-painted animation of the week:
► Most awesomest picture of the week:
This is Jordan's dog Hudson who not only was super excited to get out on the snow less than a week from the start of summer, but he also gave me a split second to capture his determination:
► Quote of the week:
"Every man has his own courage, and is betrayed because he seeks in himself the courage of other people."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
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