With my first three summits in the Sangre de Cristos, my 14er season in Colorado comes to an end. I've been on top of the world ten times this year and tackled tougher summits than in years past. I love the feeling when I get to the summit. I love the feeling when I pass … Continue reading Colorado Peak Sweep (Parts 36-38)
Tag: Colorado
Colorado Peak Sweep (Parts 33 – 35)
I'm a little behind on my peak plans for the summer. After Longs and Meeker, I had planned to hike another that Saturday, but my body was still pretty wrecked and I was running a 10k at 10,000 feet on Sunday, so I opted for a rest day. The following weekend, it rained and rained … Continue reading Colorado Peak Sweep (Parts 33 – 35)
Colorado Peak Sweep (Parts 29 – 32)
My 2022 mountains started with Mt. Rundle in Banff, which while not a 14er, had more gain and was more challenging than anything I plan to do in Colorado this summer. It was terrifying and difficult, but when I had completed it, I knew that I was Colorado ready. I have seven weekends in Colorado … Continue reading Colorado Peak Sweep (Parts 29 – 32)
Peaks Twenty-Four Through Twenty-Eight
Even though I wanted to get out of Colorado for so long and finally did with my new nomad life, I had to come back for a month in the summer to reach the summit of more 14ers. My target was the San Juan Mountains, nearly the most beautiful mountains on earth. So I booked … Continue reading Peaks Twenty-Four Through Twenty-Eight
And I Would Hike 500 More
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
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
The Final Days
Yes, I know that summer technically ends September 22, but considering that it already snowed in Boulder yesterday, I'm going to say we're well into the final days. And that wasn't even the first time I got snowed on during this summer. This obscenely early snowstorm, coupled with the record-setting storm we had in April … Continue reading The Final Days
Mountains, Mountains, Mountains!
July has been a mountainous month for me. Colorado is a popular state in any season and mountain rentals are expensive, so when friends have one, you don't pass up the opportunity. After coming back from Glacier, I spent three weekends in a row rallying down to the geographical center of this state for all … Continue reading Mountains, Mountains, Mountains!
Pushing the Limits
Last year, I started really pushing the limits of what I can do physically. Between the Harvard/Columbia hike and the Devil On the Divide race, I began to understand what I was capable of, and, naturally, this year, wanted to push myself to do more. So I signed up for seven races between St. Patrick's … Continue reading Pushing the Limits
What Fresh Hell Is This?
Earlier this year, I ran a mountain relay race and it did something to my brain. It made me want to up my running game. I mean, distance? Yeah that's kind of cool. Maybe someday I'll run a marathon. But running uphill at 12,000 or 13,000 feet where you're struggling for oxygen and then being … Continue reading What Fresh Hell Is This?
Jennifer A Swallow 