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? →

Am I A Grown-Up Now?

Now that I'm 40 and half my life has gone by, it seems about time to do the big girl thing and commit. To property. I almost bought a townhouse back in January and then I didn't...and then, a week ago, I bought the same townhouse I passed on before. Well, not the exact same … Continue reading Am I A Grown-Up Now? →

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 →

Well I Would Hike 500 Miles

My two year unofficial hiking project is complete. Yeah, I missed my mark by a few weeks (February 19, 2017 to March 9, 2019) but close enough. In just about two years, I've completed 100 distinct hikes. I use word "hike" loosely in this context to mean anything from a two mile stroll up a … Continue reading Well I Would Hike 500 Miles →