Hidden Gems

View from Mctech Arete 

Dan and I decided to skip our end of August plans and shoot straight for Alaska but being the climbers that we are, we couldn’t resist the opportunity to climb the Bugaboos in British Columbia. The Bugaboos are a world class climbing destination guarded by a multi-hour drive and a strenuous 3.6 mile hike with a crazy elevation gain. When you arrive in the parking lot after an hour long, 35 mile stretch of dirt road, you must wrap the bottom of your car in chicken wire otherwise the porcupines will mutilate any exposed rubber. The hike alone is worth the cost of admission (long drive) and is definitely on the top 3 list of my life. When I think of exploring the mountains, the Bugaboos are what I think of. Gigantic glaciers guard all the peaks; waterfalls run the whole length of peaks. For $10 Canadian, you can camp at Applebee Dome which is the most scenic campground I have ever stayed at and the perfect jumping off point to all the climbing.

Bertha Explosion

Emerging from the forest

The first glacier on the hike in

Dan leading first pitch of Mctech Arete

Yours truly on the 5th pitch of Mctech Arete

View on Mctech Arete

Vowell Glacier

Northeast Ridge of Bugaboo Spire

Contemplating the weather

The weather that needed contemplating

We spent 3 days in the Bugs but I could spend multiple seasons there. This is serious alpine climbing where glacial navigation and an understanding of the weather is a must. We purchased ice axes and crampons and hit it head first. We ended up only conquering one route: Mctech Arête which is a 6 pitch 5.10 classic. We originally had our eye set on the Beckey-Chouinard (15 pitch 5.10) but it quickly became apparent that we were biting off more than we could chew. We shifted our focus to the Northeast Ridge of the Bugaboo spire, a 13 pitch 5.7, but Mother Nature would prevent us from even giving it a shot. At the end of the day, I have a new found respect for the planet we live on and I am grateful that I had the opportunity to experience a place as beautiful as the Bugaboos.

We are currently in Edmonton and are now focused on getting to Anchorage. The only thing stopping us is about 2000 miles…see you there!

Check out this link for more pictures full size http://s2.photobucket.com/user/njt1rider/library/Epic%20Journey%202014/August/Bugaboos

Memories for a Lifetime

Spit off like bubble gum on Unsubstantiated Propaganda

What I have been enjoying the most about this journey is meeting incredible people, sharing my life with them, learning from them, and making friendships that I hope will last a lifetime. I have learned that there truly are some remarkable human beings out there who make this world an amazing place to live in. I am unsure how to even try to convey my thoughts and feelings of this past month. It seems that every day on the road just gets better and better. I feel like a years’ worth of memories have been compressed into the last 30 days.

Ye Olde Faithful

Dan and I basically did a second round trip of Wyoming and revisited all of our favorite places we hit the first time around. We had various new friends meet us along the way and enrich our journey in a way that has put me on top of the world. The highlights:

-Climbed  the off-width mecca Vedauwoo, and left bleeding profusely

-Revisited Ten Sleep and ticked off all the classic 5.11s, missing only 2 because of rain.

-Enjoyed the Jerry Garcia Symphonic Celebration at Red Rocks with Warren playing “Wolf”, one of Jerry’s most iconic guitars

-Revisited the Grand Teton and lived in a cave for 2 days while waiting for the weather to break in order to make a summit attempt

-Worked at the Targhee Bluegrass Festival while enjoying the music

-Watching the sunset in Idaho and the full moon rise behind the Grand Teton

-Drove 2500 miles in 14 days doing all of the above with some of the most incredible people I have ever met

There are too many stories to tell. I believe the saying is a picture is worth 1000 words....

I'm still trying to process everything that we did; it may take awhile to digest. Dan hitched out to Grand Junction to meet up with his Uncle and I followed a few days later. When I pulled up into the driveway, I noticed a horrible squealing noise. So yesterday turned from a day of relaxation to a Bertha Maintenance day. I had to change the water pump which also turned into an oil change and timing belt replacement. The upside of the maintenance day is that Bertha is solid for the Journey to Anchorage! September 1st will begin our 5000+ mile voyage up to Alaska. But first there is some climbing to be done in Colorado, Utah, and Idaho...