When I started tracking my unique hikes a few years ago, Trotsky and I took 107 weeks to do 100 of them. This time, we really put ourselves to the task and crushed the goal in 91 weeks. And that's despite a six-month period when we did almost none. I reached a kind of hiking … Continue reading And I Would Hike 500 More
Category: United States and Canada
Time to Move On
For more than a decade, I tried to leave Colorado. When I arrived in August 2008, I planned to get my graduate degree and immediately head back overseas to work in international development. Yet somehow, that never happened. Jobs, romantic relationships, friends, the writing community, athletic aspirations, and financial goals all conspired against my inner … Continue reading Time to Move On
Wild, Wild West, How I Love You
Although I've been saying I want to move back to the east coast for about five years now, and although I now have a full time remote job that enables me to pack up and move back tomorrow if I want to, I'm quite glad to have been in Colorado through the Covid-19 shutdowns. And … Continue reading Wild, Wild West, How I Love You
The Vacation Non-Race
Last week, I returned from a much needed vacation to Glacier National Park. This was supposed to be our annual girls' trip to run a half marathon with Vacation Races, but, unsurprisingly, the race was canceled. We sat tight for awhile, watching to see what would happen with the state and park. On June 1, … Continue reading The Vacation Non-Race
The 14,000 Foot Summits of 2019
Despite the late start to 14er season this year, due to the massive amounts of snow over the winter, my friends and I managed to get in just as many peaks as in other years. Dedication to the cause! Not that I ever plan to hike them all—Class 4s with full climbing gear are definitely … Continue reading The 14,000 Foot Summits of 2019
What I Did On My End of Summer Vacation
Saturday: Spent seven hours in the car Sunday: Went grocery shopping Monday: Called into an all-hands at my full time job Tuesday: Did half an hour of work for a freelance client Wednesday: Got my oil changed Thursday: Groomed the dog Friday: Woke up to a 6:30 AM alarm Saturday: Cleaned up the house Sunday: … Continue reading What I Did On My End of Summer Vacation
Flora Versus Fauna
On March 3 this year, I was one of the featured storytellers at the Truth Be Told season finale, featuring all the first and second place winners from 2018. I didn't win in the finale, but I told a damn fine story. I hope you think so too! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l70k1uOmfUc And if my story didn't convince … Continue reading Flora Versus Fauna
Ghosts of Colorado Past
At the end of June, I flew my dad out from Buffalo for a little visit. The last time he was here, four years ago, I lived in downtown Denver, by Union Station, so we did a lot of city activities. This time, I'm a Boulder gal and much more outdoorsy, so the itinerary was … Continue reading Ghosts of Colorado Past
Chi-Town, Take Two
Despite my love of big cities, I somehow didn't make it to Chicago until I was 35 and then never made it back. So when Solar had a week long conference there—giving me a free place to stay right on the river—I decided to join. Why not? And when he suggested we extend the stay … Continue reading Chi-Town, Take Two
Faster Every Year
After basically not running all winter, I ran three races in four weeks and hit some exciting personal bests. But doing well makes me want to do even better, so I've signed up for the 14 mile Devil on the Divide race on September 7. It features 3,300 ft of elevation gain with a summit … Continue reading Faster Every Year