May 4th, 2019
Summit of Mount Rainier, Washington – 14,411ft
View from the summit. Very cold and windy but nothing beats the feeling of a successful climb.
Mount Rainier, WA
May 4th, 2019 – Successful summit of Mount Rainier, WA at 7:05am after a five hour climb from camp Muir. Hiked back down 8000ft to trailhead arriving at 2pm. I climb with RMI Expeditions. It was their first successful climb of Rainier for the season so I’m quite happy about that. The weather was fantastic. I got to learn a lot about rest step technique, pressure breathing and other things. Practiced self-arrest too which is always good.
Finally sorted all the photos. I used a lighter old camera (Sony Nex 3N) for this short expedition instead of my usual Sony A7R II
It was a short five day expedition.
Day #1 – Meeting and checking climbing equipment
Day #2 – Practice near Paradise Trailhead
Day #3 – Hike to Camp Muir at 10,188 ft elevation
Day #4 – Active / Rest day with a little climb to Ingraham Flats
Day #5 – Summit day + Hike Down
Note before Mount Rainier
April, 27th 2019
I was in Leadville, Colorado earlier today. No hike this time but I spent the night and part of the day in that area for altitude acclimation. I saw that old forgotten poem by Walt Whitman in a coffee house…
“Afoot and light-hearted I take to the open road,
Healthy, free, the world before me,
The long brown path before me leading wherever I choose.
Henceforth I ask not good-fortune, I myself am good-fortune,
Henceforth I whimper no more, postpone no more, need nothing,
Done with indoor complaints, libraries, querulous criticisms,
Strong and content I travel the open road.”
Mount Elbert, Colorado
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.
Grays Peak, Colorado
April 14th. 2019
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…
Nutella Chocolate Cake
Made a cake for the yearly cheese fondue party 🙂
Base: Genoise & Caramel Syrup
Filing: Swiss Butter Cream mixed with Nutella
Frosting: Dark Chocolate Ganache
Decoration: Nougatine
Mount Bierstadt, Colorado
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.
Wheat Bread with Seeds
New bread. This time with 25% wheat flour, 80% bread flour + sunflower, chia, sesame, and flax seeds + some organic bulgur wheat
Super Blood Wolf Full Moon
- 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
Indian Peaks Wilderness
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.
Small bridge with snow.
Along Cascade Trail.
Mountain tops in the clouds.
Digging 2 or 3 feet of snow to setup camp.
Melting snow for my morning coffee 🙂
Leaving my Christmas campsite behind…
St Mary’s Glacier / James Peak
I’ve been meaning to hike St Mary’s Glacier all the way to the summit of James Peak for a while…
Fairly slow hike – about seven hours and a half – 8.3 miles with 3281ft elevation gain. Very windy.
Early morning light
Wind blowing up snow on the glacier
View of James Peak in the distance
James Peak – Summit View
Very Nice clouds
Moment of calm getting ready to hike down St Mary’s Glacier
French Protests and Riots
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.
St Mary’s Glacier
A short hike up St Mary’s Glacier, Colorado
Low snowy cloud and lots of wind.
Not the greatest setup for a hike but very good for my training 🙂
House remodel
Part of the basement remodel involves digging down to get more ceiling height. After cutting the concrete slab with a concrete saw I rented a jackhammer and broke down the entire slab. Now I just have to get rid of all that concrete and start digging…
Square Top Mountain
Square Top Mountain is not quite a 14er at 13900ft but great 7.5 mile hike nonetheless. It was actually more difficult than Mount Bierstadt for some reason. Fantastic views of Grays & Torreys from the summit.
Sunrise over Mount Bierstadt
View of Square Top Mountain in the distance from below the lake
Summit View
Argentine Peak in the foreground. Grays and Torreys Peak in the background.
Mount Bierstadt, Sawtooth path and Mount Evans on the other side of Guanella Pass.
Pâté en croûte
Trying do make a “Pâté en croûte” for the first time.
I took some random recipe from the web. Not necessarily the best one. It’s good though.
Following loosely this recipe:
https://www.lexpress.fr/styles/saveurs/recette/recette-de-pate-en-croute-inspire-de-guy-martin_1569814.html
Mount Bierstadt
Rough hike up Mt Bierstadt, Colorado on Sunday morning.
Very windy & cold but good workout
Mount Rainier
I rarely plan my vacation time in advance but I’m making an exception for 2019
I just signed up for an expedition to climb Mount Rainier in Washington.
I remember the first time I saw a photo of a mountain called Cerro Aconcagua in early 2009 my first thought was; “I have to climb that mountain.” After 5 months of training (2 hour daily workout + 20 Colorado 14ers) getting my weight down to a ridiculous 132 pounds I went for it and reached the summit at 22,841ft on December 17th, 2009.
Mount Rainier is a much simpler and easier climb but it should give me some good snow experience. The end goal is to climb Mount Denali, Alaska in 2020.
Cerro Aconcagua (The very same photo I saw in 2009)
Simone Dinnerstein, Tift Merritt – Colors
Two artists from very different backgrounds. Just stunning.
The Vanishing American Adult
I just started reading Ben Sasse’s book “The Vanishing American Adult” and I have to say I agree with every single word. It’s uncanny really.
Quick personal note while I’m here. Every adult I know has lived a lifetime of experiences. They have made friends and enemies. They had kids, they’ve lost parents, friends and other loved ones. They have dealt with terminal illnesses and suicides, unemployment, homelessness and other hardships. They’ve traveled the world and witnessed a thousand things, some ugly and some beautiful. All of this helped shape their world view, their idea about society and their political stance.
The idea that a handful of angry tweets or a series of unhinged posts on Facebook will somehow influence their vote in any way is laughable. Save yourself the embarrassment. Be better.