Day Two of my season went like this...

Day Two: 6:00 a.m.- Parker, Mike, and I all headed up to Alta to get a few turns in. I knew it was going to be good when we were driving down the canyon the night previous at 10 mph in a white out. It was absolutely puking. The snow was coming down so hard that I decided to blow off studying for a test and to get up early and ride. Responsible? Probably not, but it all worked out.

As we pulled into the parking lot and looked up at the hill we realized we wouldn't even come close to being alone up there. It looked like the exodus. A mass of people trudging upward in the snow. I pulled on my boots and started my way up. It felt good to be hiking. The ride down felt even better.

Here are a couple screen shots and the video Parker put together:

And then...

Snow... It came. I actually got in some good turns, good enough to be going again in the morning.

Adventure awaits

Snow has fallen. This happy white layer that now blankets the ground will probably melt off, but looking up and seeing it makes me giddy. The cold air that has now settled in the valley feels good. The season is just around the corner.

My project this winter will consume a lot of my time and hopefully take me to all the places I have been staring at for years. Parker Cross and I hatched the idea of the Wasatch Summit Project. The goal is to climb and ride all the peaks in the Wasatch over 11,000 feet. These 22 peaks have been hanging in the distance during my entire life. Am I naive and overconfident that we can do all 22? Probably. Will avalanche conditions let us reach all the summits? What will this winter hold for us? I don't know. That is what is making me so excited for it.

It has been a long time since I have been this excited for winter. I am always excited for it, but for whatever reason this year I am already jumping out of my skin with anticipation.

Red Pine

Aspens are peaking, temperatures are dropping, and days are growing shorter. The trip I had planned changed as we were en route to the trail head. Lone Peak was the goal, but as the sun sunk itself into the horizon I realized hiking six steep miles in the dark would be a bad idea. My solution: Red Pine Lake.

The lake is nestled in Little Cottonwood Canyon and is a meager three mile hike. The trail is one of the more popular routes in the area during this time of year thanks to the Aspens transformation from green to gold.

The walk in seemed to go quickly. (Hiking alone always makes things seem much farther.) Neena, Jeff, and a new friend named Kyle made camp and cooked up some grub and conversation. Tanner hiked in alone to meet us and we all slept under the stars. The light pollution spilled over the mountain from Salt Lake, but the night was nevertheless breathtaking. Clear, crisp, and still. I was lucky that the wind didn't kick up, I had grabbed a sleeping bag with a broken zipper. I woke up a few times when miscellaneous body parts would sneak out of the bag letting the cold night rush in.

Morning came and we sat and enjoyed what we couldn't see during the hike in. Neena and I went for a hike as the others headed home. I wanted to gain the ridge that was separating us from a view of Pfeifferhorn. That is an incredible peak, and it happens to be on my list this winter. The camera can't quite capture this little peak's majesty.

We took our time on the way out. We snapped photos and just enjoyed the day.

Chipmunks were a little too friendly.

Kyle (left) is a ranger and I learned a lot from him about "leave no trace" principles. I have heard a lot of things but never really thought about the reasons behind them. For every principle he had a story to back up why it is necessary. I now have a greater respect for our wilderness areas and will be more careful in the future to take care of it.

Good morning.

A stary night.

Found it

As I was going though photos in my phone tonight I happened upon this little gem. Wolverine Cirque. Fall is always filled with anticipation and excitement. The holidays are coming, snow is coming, the weather is awesome, and at work we have trainings a couple nights a week on all the new snowboard products that are coming into the store. With school being busy, I savor my time in the outdoors that much more.

When I saw this picture it put a smile on my face. This cirque filled with creamy white powder just struck me as great. See you soon Wolverine Cirque.

A good one

Tonight we went up to climb and it was perfect. Cold fall air has a different scent. It felt good to get out.

Bone Cave

Fun. Sport. Lifestyle. Whatever you want to call it, whatever it is that you do just enjoy it. I have been trying to get up climbing more these past few weeks. As I struggle up climbs that were easy a few months ago I have to keep frustration at bay.

Other than getting out of climbing shape you also get out of mental shape. Your trust in your hands diminishes and you find yourself completely uneasy when you are leading. The only remedy is to climb. Comfort and confidence come back as you take a few falls and realize that the rope will catch you. This is one of the great things about climbing, it is a mental and physical puzzle that you have to work at continually.

My frustration was drown out by fall colors, friends, and cool autumn air.

The Bone Cave

The crew.

Brett Olsen. (Pictured above in a sporty blue brief for all of you lady readers. Sorry he is about to get married) He, along with all the other guys I climb with, seem to get what it is all about. We go up as a group of friends. It is about being up there. We don't compete, we don't feel like we are better than each other because of the number grade we can climb. This is just all about doing what we like.

I think a lot of times we can get so caught up in our hobbies that we feel better than someone else. It doesn't matter what it is, when it comes down to it you are not cooler than anyone else. So what if you can climb a 5.13d with one arm behind your back, who gives a crap if you can do some fancy trick on your laminated piece of wood that you scoot down a snowy hill on. These things don't make you cool. Do it because you enjoy it. The whole process of overcoming an obstacle is what all sport is about. Fun. Not being better than others.

If you want to rollerblade and do some hop skip twirl maneuver in a tutu, by all means, if that is how you have fun go for it. My way is in no way better than yours.

Tyrolean

Tyrol: An Alpine state in western Austria; capital, Innsbruck. The southern part was ceded to Italy after World War I. German name Tirol .

This is a fun little Tyrolean Traverse to get across to Cannabis wall up in American Fork Canyon. Basically it is just a zip line that you pull yourself across. Right now it isn't 100% necessary to access the wall, but in early spring there is no other way to cross the river.

Two great things: Shirtless rider and campus naps

Number 1: Guy riding bike with no shirt. Great? Probably not, but for whatever reason it looked like this guy was enjoying himself out there. I felt like capturing his happy ride on my camera. He is cruising without a care in the world. No shirt, no worries. I salute you my cycling friend, keep riding half naked if that is what works for you.

Number 2: Class was canceled today so I fell asleep in the shade on campus. A choir was practicing in some distance classroom as I drifted off for my nap.

Wal-mart Paint

I am not particularly happy with this painting... But I am happy about buying paint, brushes, and canvas at Wal-Mart all for under $20. The second painting I was working on ended in my poking holes in it with a pencil. Time for another trip to the store.

Operation Beard

The Goal is to let this go until Christmas... Here is my start.