Mount Elbert being the highest summit of the Rocky Mountains it was an obvious destination for my current training.
14,440 ft / 4401 meters
Hiking along the Black Cloud trail.
(note: photo of the full moon above Mt Massive the next morning. Shot from Leadville, Colorado)
Great view of Rinker Peak (center) and La Plata on the right
Reaching the ridge. Mount Elbert is still 2.1 miles away (right) along a ridge full of false summits.
Finally reaching the summit after seven hours and forty five minutes
Great views from the summit. La Plata Peak is the giant massif in the center.
Still training for the climb of Mount Rainier, WA early May. Current routine is to be at the local gym between 4:30am and 6:30am for a two hour workout. Alternating cardio and weights.
Climbed Grays Peak starting from I70 since the road is mostly impassable. 13 miles round trip. 4400ft elevation gain. Very windy during most of the day with zero visibility from the summit.
Will try to do two more 14ers before leaving for Washington at the end of the month…
After hiking up Bear Peak, Boulder last Saturday and Morrison Peak last Sunday I thought I’d climb my first 14er of 2019
Guanella Pass being closed I had to start at Naylor Lake Trailhead so it took a little bit longer than usual; 7:30 hour total for a 10.5 miles RT
Cold & windy. About 0 degree Fahrenheit with a windchill at -17F at the summit. Deep snow in the plain. I was sinking 2ft into the snow even with snowshoes on.
Hike along th South Mesa Trail near Boulder, Colorado
Photos of the Full Moon from last night
Also, trying out my new bread machine (Zojirushi Home Bakery Virtuoso) with this recipe
Flour 447g Bob’s Red Mill Artisan Bread
Water 260ml
Heavy Cream 40ml Horizon Organic
Salt 10g Morton Sea Salt
Yeast 9g SAF Red Instant Yeast
Salted Butter 45g European Style Salted Butter
Diastatic Malt Powder 10g King Arthur
Dec 25th / Dec 26th
16 miles RT of snowshoeing along the Cascade Trail towards Crater Lake. The goal was to get a winter photo of Lone Eagle Peak but the weather turned badly yesterday so I couldn’t see any of the peaks. I’ll try again soon…
Note: I’ve never seen that much snow in Colorado.
Even in France, some pundits seem to be surprised by the fact that even though France is a welfare state, it is described as a social nightmare. I’m sorry but how is this surprising? A welfare state is only valuable to those who need one. The reality of our society is that a very small minority of individuals benefit from it and that’s almost never the one paying the bill. Yes, in the short term it is really easy for Socialism to high-jack a Democracy by promising plenty to the majority of voters but soon enough the main mechanical flaw of that system reveals itself; the majority simply doesn’t benefit from it on a daily basis. Ask yourself this simple question; would you buy insurance for absolutely everything in your life? That’s what a welfare state is. Yes, France is a great country if absolutely everything that could possibly go wrong in someone’s life actually goes wrong. What is the probability of that actually happening? None. The yellow vest movement is the product of a simple realization; life in France is a daily struggle of hellish proportion for the majority of those paying for the welfare state. Getting ten cents on the dollar in the oft chance that they might need help at some point in their lives is simply not good enough.
