Sunday, February 28, 2010

Evans and Bierstadt via the Sawtooth






Luke and Brent ditched class one day (way to spend that tuition: every day costs $100) and climbed Mount Bierstadt, a 14'er. Once on top, they saw the conditions were favorable for traversing the treacherous "sawtooth" and climb another 14'er, Mount Evans. After gaining the final summit, Brent succumbed to mild altitude sickness, and they missed their required ethics course that afternoon, for which they received a slap on the wrist. Not very ethical. One picture has Luke crouching on the summit of Bierstadt holding the tube which holds the summit log. Behind him is Evan's peak, the next destination. The 2 pictures of the sawtooth (the serrated ridge that connects Bierstadt and Evans) they traversed are somewhat self-explanatory.

Torreys, Grizley, and Cupid







Just before Christmas, Corey, Luke and Brent climbed 2 13'ers (Grizzly and Cupid) and 1 14'er (Torreys). They were all in a line on one long, LONG ridge. Perfect Weather.





Brenna making Christmas pasta on "Christmas Adam" (the day before Christmas Eve) at her house. Picture of the sunset from the top of Canfield Mt. (4160'). Brent biked from Brenna's house to the mountain on Christmas day and climbed it. He thought that it would be a quick and dirty trip, but was surprised by the 2000' gain, which is as much as some of his previous Colorado 14ers trips! When it got dark on him, he realized the mountain was more than he bargained for. Brent presents Brenna's and his summer project at a research conference, where he won "Best Pulmonology Poster". The BYU Alumni at Brent's med school sung Christmas carols on the wards at the Children's Hospital during the Holidays.

Skiing at Schweitzer, ID




Beautiful day-after-Christmas and view above Lake Pond O 'Rielle. Brent's skiing w/ his brother-in-law Mike (Darcy's husband).

Love run and the (not) Super Bowl!






These are pictures from the Loveland Sweetheart Lover's run on Valentine's Eve. Also a picture from the non Super Bowl party we had (all the calories w/o the TV!). Also, the Klondike Derby with the Boy Scouts, a very unique opportunity to met some sled dogs (Tornado and Fang).

Frustrated Colombia ascent






Due to a nasty blizzard and deep deep snow, we turned back on Colombia. (the weather was so bad that they closed the road home and we had to take a 3 hour detour south to make it home! The nuke-proof tent you see is the beloved one my mom bought me for my birthday when I was a young scout, and yes it's held up by cords and some skis.

New Floors!!






Over Christmas break we installed new floors! Thanks to Luke for the help! DaVinci loves them because it's now his hockey rink.

New Mexico High Point: Wheeler Peak








These pictures are of our trip to Taos Ski Valley, New Mexico. We traveled 600 miles round trip to climb New Mexico's highest peak: Wheeler Peak (13,161'). Here are the pictures: This is a picture of Luke entering the "half-gloo" (half igloo) that we built to sleep in. It took us 5 hours to get it this far, so we just put a tent fly over it and caught the warmest night winter camping I've ever had (including all the tent heaters we use on Scout Klondikes. The snow was exhaustingly deep.

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Long's Peak...FINALLY!






Long's is a tough 14er at 14,259 feet (4,346 m). Brent attempted this peak last summer and was not able to summit. It's been haunting him ever since. On a clear day in Aurora, we can see the whole front range, and Long's used to stand out on the North end...laughing at him. Well, not anymore!!! Brent was able to go up this last month and conquer at last! And in the winter!!!

Brent Climbs Mt. Elbert!

Mt. Elbert is the highest point in Colorado and the second highest peak in the continental U.S. He was happy to finally bag this one!!! Jan. 2010 14,433'




When at home in Coeur d'Alene for Christmas, I was lucky enough to have Santa pay for my first hairdo EVER! I was soooo excited! We feel like it turned out well. Tawny, our up and coming photographer, is responsible for these pics. Oh, and that dark-haired guy next to me is pretty gorgeous too!