Nature's Peace

I've always considered mountains sacred but today that was re-enforced on my climb to the summit of Mt. Audubon, a 13,223' summit in the Indian Peaks near my home In Boulder. I've climbed it countless times and was climbing it solo today in an attmept to get in condition for some 14'er climbs I'm doing in a few weeks.

A beautiful, cloudless day. Perfect for getting out of the 95 degree heat of town into the alpine glory above treeline. I love spending time on mountaintops and have been privy to some private, life changing moments in the lives of others. I've overheard marriage proposals and breakups.

Today when I reached the summit, there were two other parties at the top. I usually go up to the other parties, say "hello", offer to take their photos, ask where they are from, etc. Today I didn't do that. For some reason, I took the first rock "nest", had a brief snack and enjoyed looking at the surrounding summits, revelling in the fact that I had stood on most of them and remembering the good times on those climbs.

As I was watching the three people about 25 yards from me along the ridge, they went to the ridgeline. The woman in the group opened a bag and emptied ashes into the light wind. She then turned around and kneeled to the ground where she was comforted by the two men she was with. The scene brought tears to my eyes. I assumed that she was elderly, but when they passed me on the way down, I saw that they were probably in their 30's. A beautiful, solemn, sacred occasion. I felt blessed to have shared it.

I got to spend yesterday bear babysitting, one of my favorite volunteer jobs. Read more.

Wonderful 16-mile hike yesterday along the Continental Divide in the Indian Peaks Wilderness. Read More.

An early snow caught me unprepared for a climb of S. Arapaho Peak. Didn't reach the summit, but had a wonderful day in the Indian Peaks Wilderness. Read More.

In August of 2011, the "Gnarly Girls" ventured to Lake City to take on two more 14'ers. Read More

I just returned from an amazing backpack in the Paria Canyon of Utah-Arizona. Read More.

Mary Price, Ann and I took advantage of this spring-like day to travel 40-something miles east of Boulder to the Wild Animal Sanctuary where animals are rescued from gas stations, movie lots, etc. and given  a home on the eastern plains of Colorado. They have almost 300 carnivores there, many lions, tigers, bears and wolves. They do really great work and it was interesting to watch the animals and learn their stories. I will return for future visits.

I went back to Peru for the third time to trek in the Cordillera Blanca, just before it was closed due to terrorists. Read More.

My first time using an ice axe, crampons, and crevass rescue on Mt. Rainier. Fun but difficult for an Atlanta girl. Read More.

I did the towers of Paine circuit before many people had discovered that route. Found it to be wild and remote. Read More.

Remembering a trip to Alaska in 1991 where I met my good friends in Boulder Dave and Elaine. Backpacking, kayaking, grizzly bears and even a wolverine. Read More.

Great figure-8 snowshoe around West and East Glacier Knobs with Trail Trekkers from Estes Park in Rocky Mountain Park today. Deep snow, sliding down frozen waterfalls, ice skating, Read More.

Yesterday good friends Genie and Gregg Burch called me up to their cabin near Ward to view a deer killed by a mountain lion that they discovered in the morning when they were snowshoeing a few hundred yards from their home. When we returned in the late afternoon, it had been significantly eaten since the morning. Gregg has a vivid description of their find in his blog.

Just returned from celebrating my 60th birthday backcountry skiing in Yellowstone with good friends. Read More

I was one of the first parties of trekkers that traveled into the Dhaulagiri region of Nepal when it opened to trekkers. What a magnificent area. Read More.

Wonderful day to snowshoe nine miles with good friends Mary and Tom to Sky Pond in Rocky Mountain Park. As is usual with Tom, we followed no trail and did a loop that took us to Ameoba Lake, Serendipty Lake, U Be1 and U Be 2 Lakes in addition to the usual Loch, Timberline Falls, Lake of Glass and Sky Pond. Lots of glissading and plunge stepping!

"What? You meant to go to Ecuador?" How I ended up climbing Bolivian mountains by mistake. Read More

Reviewing slides from a great trip to the Cordillera Hauyhuash in northern Peru, the site of Simpson's "Touching the Void"... Read More

An essay written after the Restorative Justice conference by five teenage boys and the mother who allowed the kids to take guns to a cabin for a weekend of unsupervised shooting in a mountain community. I hope they have learned to be more responsible leaders in the future. Read more.

Twenty-two years ago I left balmy Atlanta to help my friends in Alaska train their sled dogs for the Iditarod for my birthday. Read More.

Fifteen years ago I celebrated my birthday by attempting to climb Aconcagua, the highest mountain in the Western Hemisphere at 22,841'. Read More.

Fourteen years ago I spent my February birthday chasing mountain lions in the snows of Idaho. But for a good cause. Read more.