yes

A View

2011-08-17T19:02:00.001-05:00

-j

A Pit Stop

2011-05-14T09:16:00.001-05:00

A few shots...

The little ship next to us.

Location:N Ocean Dr,Dania Beach,United States

Big snow, small bite

2011-02-02T15:43:00.001-06:00

Turns out the mega snow storm wasn't so bad. Aside from shoveling the drive, it was a beautiful, sunny day. Although I couldn't have asked for a nicer day to shovel snow.

Location:KC,Mo

Going Home

2010-08-23T15:13:00.001-05:00

I saw this on the way out to Portland. I thought it was funny and fitting as my last post. :)

Location:NE Airport Way,Portland,United States

A View

2010-08-23T13:47:00.000-05:00

I wish kc had one of these views!

Location:Bikepath,Portland,United States

The Day Was Ours

2010-08-23T13:42:00.001-05:00

So, we started the hike up The South Sister late Friday afternoon. We spent an hour climbing two thousand feet over a mile and a half of trail. The incline was at least 25 degrees. It was really tough to climb with a hiking pack but we made it.

Tired from completing the first stage, we set up camp near Moraine Lake. We had a simple meal of honey/peanut butter sandwiches and went to bed when the sun went down.

The morning came early. We decided the night before to get up at two am to reach the summit before sunrise. It ended up working out perfectly, because we made it to the top right when the sun was peaking over the horizon. Getting there, however, was REALLY hard work.

We had to navigate a trail that meandered across grass fields and through small pine forests. Eventually, the trail would disappear across a steep lava field. Getting through those parts in the dark proved to be challenging. There were definitely some times when we decided to go right just because we had been going left for so long.

Eventually, we reached the top though, but not before passing some guy sitting by a rock, in the dark, at 3 am. That guy totally scared the crap out of all of us. Were still uncertain why or what he was doing so high on the mountain so early....alone.

There were also time where we literallybad to crawl on all fours to continue our advance up the mountain. I think the darkness helped a lot here because if we had actually been able to see what was above/before us, it would have been very demoralizing.

When we finally made it up to the summit, there was snow everywhere. It was also freezing cold. So cold. Brrr. I can't emphasize enough how cold. Needless to say, I was thankful for every piece of cold weather gear I had lugged around for the past two days. The sunrise made it all worth it though. Check out the photos below.

(I'll upload them soon)

Location:Hwy 22

The South Sister

2010-08-22T12:45:00.001-05:00

We hiked the south sister yesterday and it was tough. The mountain is the third highest peak in Oregon and the trail has over 5,000' of vertical rise. The average incline is at least 15 to 20 degrees at all times. That's the average though over the entire 6 mile (and some change) trail. There is about 2 miles where it's fairly flat so that average doesn't quite paint the picture on how difficult the hike is. There were at least three distinct sections where I could put my hands out and touch the ground without leaning down to do so. The trail there was more like a ladder, only without steps. Instead it had loose volcanic rock that for every step you took, say 2', you'd slide back down for 1.5' of that step. It was "turbo" hard as my friend Chris would say.

We started hiking late Friday afternoon and camped a three quarters of the way from the summit. We sat around that night, enjoying the weather and scenary and went to bed when the sun went down. We woke up at two am to reach the summit for sunrise. It was awesome. Those pictures are on the camera still so I'll post again when I get those loaded.

Location:Bend,OR

No voodoo to do today

2010-08-20T11:32:00.001-05:00

Long line for doughnuts. Mission aborted, will try again Sunday.

Location:SW Naito Pkwy,Portland,United States

Khakis?

2010-08-19T19:06:00.001-05:00

Ok so not exactly the wilderness but we did go hiking at Multnomah Falls today outside of Portland. It was awesome but wewalkedby A LOT of people wearing khakis and polos! It's hard to get in the hard core hike groove when you walk by someone in khaki pants. Off to Bend tomorrow and the big hike.

Location:The Wilderness

Portland!

2010-08-19T01:29:00.000-05:00

Although the clock says 11:25, it feels much later... Because it is! At least we have a sweet ride. Yeah it's a Kia.

Almost Done

2009-02-05T20:36:00.000-06:00

So i've been getting a hard time for not posting the new zealand photos yet. It's a daunting task to sort through the good ones, but i'm almost there. Here's one of my favorites so far...

Multimedia message

2009-01-13T11:26:00.000-06:00

Finally to denver. So. Tired.

Multimedia message

2009-01-13T00:44:00.000-06:00

You have a PXT from 642102467446

2009-01-12T10:28:00.000-06:00

time to fly back to the states. I finally figured out how to send pictures from my phone too. It would have been nice to have been able to do this the whole time. :) oh well.

You've received either a PXT or video PXT. To view your PXT simply open the attached files, each item will be attached separately. For example, if you have received a PXT containing a picture and a text message you will have two files attached.

If your message is a PXT in most cases any media player should be able to open it. If you've received a video PXT (this will have the ending ".3gp"), or if you have received a sound or image file ending in .amr, .wbmp, .iMelody, or .gif you will need to install a special media player to play it.

In the case of .3gp, .amr or .gif files you can download QuickTime free of charge, which is compatible with both PC and Mac computers.

Visit PXT World to find out all about PXT and create awesome picture messages!

OK ESN:0-7465479

2009-01-11T14:19:00.001-06:00

Phil Christenson. I'm okay. Here I am.
ESN:0-7465479
Latitude:-43.5187
Longitude:172.6261
Nearest Location: Saint Albans, New Zealand
Distance: 1 km(s)
Time:01/11/2009 20:19:39 (GMT)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=-43.5187,172.6261&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

OK ESN:0-7465479

2009-01-10T19:54:00.001-06:00

Phil Christenson. I'm okay. Here I am.
ESN:0-7465479
Latitude:-43.2334
Longitude:171.7223
Nearest Location:not known
Distance:not known
Time:01/11/2009 01:52:55 (GMT)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=-43.2334,171.7223&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

OK ESN:0-7465479

2009-01-10T15:22:00.001-06:00

Phil Christenson. I'm okay. Here I am.
ESN:0-7465479
Latitude:-42.933
Longitude:171.5667
Nearest Location: Arthur*s Pass, New Zealand
Distance: 2 km(s)
Time:01/10/2009 21:21:02 (GMT)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=-42.933,171.5667&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

OK ESN:0-7465479

2009-01-10T00:30:00.001-06:00

Phil Christenson. I'm okay. Here I am.
ESN:0-7465479
Latitude:-43.0215
Longitude:171.6106
Nearest Location: Bealey, New Zealand
Distance: 2 km(s)
Time:01/10/2009 06:29:07 (GMT)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=-43.0215,171.6106&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

OK ESN:0-7465479

2009-01-09T19:47:00.001-06:00

Phil Christenson. I'm okay. Here I am.
ESN:0-7465479
Latitude:-43.543
Longitude:170.9034
Nearest Location: Sherwood Downs, New Zealand
Distance: 47 km(s)
Time:01/10/2009 01:47:15 (GMT)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=-43.543,170.9034&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

A Forecast From The Future (haha?)

2009-01-09T16:05:00.002-06:00

So I feel a little weird blogging about a weather forecast, which is by definition, a prediction of things to come, weather wise. I find it ironic though that for my friends and family reading this, the blog itself is "in the future" for them. It's Saturday here, 11am and I'm writing to people that are still experiencing Friday afternoon. :) Weather forecasts and blogs to the past.

Sunny weather from here on out. We are headed to the beach to do what one does on the beach. Nothing. (unless i find a jet ski or something) but still, nothing is sounding pretty good right now.

http://www.metservice.co.nz/default/index.php?alias=rainfcst_3daynz

-j

OK ESN:0-7465479

2009-01-09T02:11:00.001-06:00

Phil Christenson. I'm okay. Here I am.
ESN:0-7465479
Latitude:-44.0938
Longitude:170.8224
Nearest Location: Fairlie, New Zealand
Distance: 1 km(s)
Time:01/09/2009 08:10:26 (GMT)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=-44.0938,170.8224&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

Photo Update

2009-01-08T19:48:00.005-06:00

Last night we stayed on Mt Olive, which is right next to Mt Cook. We thought we were hiking Mt Cook, but oh well. :) The views were still awesome!!

home last night...

the view on the way up...

OK ESN:0-7465479

2009-01-07T19:12:00.000-06:00

Phil Christenson. I'm okay. Here I am.
ESN:0-7465479
Latitude:-43.7144
Longitude:170.0645
Nearest Location: Aoraki Mount Cook, New Zealand
Distance: 4 km(s)
Time:01/08/2009 01:13:11 (GMT)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=-43.7144,170.0645&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

OK ESN:0-7465479

2009-01-06T15:46:00.001-06:00

Phil Christenson. I'm okay. Here I am.
ESN:0-7465479
Latitude:-45.0244
Longitude:168.6621
Nearest Location: Queenstown, New Zealand
Distance: 1 km(s)
Time:01/06/2009 21:46:57 (GMT)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=-45.0244,168.6621&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

OK ESN:0-7465479

2009-01-04T19:17:00.000-06:00

Phil Christenson. I'm okay. Here I am.
ESN:0-7465479
Latitude:-44.7188
Longitude:168.2784
Nearest Location: Paradise, New Zealand
Distance: 7 km(s)
Time:01/05/2009 01:17:56 (GMT)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=-44.7188,168.2784&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

OK ESN:0-7465479

2009-01-04T02:11:00.001-06:00

Phil Christenson. I'm okay. Here I am.
ESN:0-7465479
Latitude:-44.9774
Longitude:168.8606
Nearest Location: Arrowtown, New Zealand
Distance: 6 km(s)
Time:01/04/2009 08:11:58 (GMT)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=-44.9774,168.8606&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

OK ESN:0-7465479

2009-01-03T18:27:00.001-06:00

Phil Christenson. I'm okay. Here I am.
ESN:0-7465479
Latitude:-43.3765
Longitude:170.1564
Nearest Location: Tatare, New Zealand
Distance: 2 km(s)
Time:01/04/2009 00:27:56 (GMT)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=-43.3765,170.1564&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

OK ESN:0-7465479

2009-01-03T13:13:00.001-06:00

Phil Christenson. I'm okay. Here I am.
ESN:0-7465479
Latitude:-42.7228
Longitude:170.979
Nearest Location:not known
Distance:not known
Time:01/03/2009 19:12:48 (GMT)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=-42.7228,170.979&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

OK ESN:0-7465479

2009-01-02T20:52:00.001-06:00

Phil Christenson. I'm okay. Here I am.
ESN:0-7465479
Latitude:-41.7491
Longitude:171.471
Nearest Location: Carters Beach, New Zealand
Distance: 8 km(s)
Time:01/03/2009 02:52:54 (GMT)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=-41.7491,171.471&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

OK ESN:0-7465479

2009-01-02T20:33:00.001-06:00

Phil Christenson. I'm okay. Here I am.
ESN:0-7465479
Latitude:-41.8158
Longitude:171.6011
Nearest Location: Te Kuha, New Zealand
Distance: 4 km(s)
Time:01/03/2009 02:33:56 (GMT)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=-41.8158,171.6011&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

OK ESN:0-7465479

2009-01-02T16:53:00.001-06:00

Phil Christenson. I'm okay. Here I am.
ESN:0-7465479
Latitude:-41.8025
Longitude:172.8475
Nearest Location: Saint Arnaud, New Zealand
Distance: 1 km(s)
Time:01/02/2009 22:52:55 (GMT)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=-41.8025,172.8475&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

Photos!

2009-01-02T15:32:00.007-06:00

Here are a few pics. the internet connection is slow here so it's taking forever. :(

our campsite

OK ESN:0-7465479

2009-01-01T16:45:00.001-06:00

Phil Christenson. I'm okay. Here I am.
ESN:0-7465479
Latitude:-40.8888
Longitude:173.0458
Nearest Location: Awa-iti, New Zealand
Distance: 5 km(s)
Time:01/01/2009 22:45:46 (GMT)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=-40.8888,173.0458&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

OK ESN:0-7465479

2008-12-30T23:02:00.000-06:00

Phil Christenson. I'm okay. Here I am.
ESN:0-7465479
Latitude:-41.0058
Longitude:173.0087
Nearest Location:not known
Distance:not known
Time:12/31/2008 05:02:43 (GMT)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=-41.0058,173.0087&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

OK ESN:0-7465479

2008-12-29T17:27:00.001-06:00

Phil Christenson. I'm okay. Here I am.
ESN:0-7465479
Latitude:-39.1116
Longitude:175.6547
Nearest Location:not known
Distance:not known
Time:12/29/2008 23:27:06 (GMT)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=-39.1116,175.6547&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

OK ESN:0-7465479

2008-12-29T15:05:00.001-06:00

Phil Christenson. I'm okay. Here I am.
ESN:0-7465479
Latitude:-39.1435
Longitude:175.6339
Nearest Location:not known
Distance:not known
Time:12/29/2008 21:05:20 (GMT)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=-39.1435,175.6339&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

OK ESN:0-7465479

2008-12-29T03:43:00.001-06:00

Phil Christenson. I'm okay. Here I am.
ESN:0-7465479
Latitude:-39.2001
Longitude:175.5413
Nearest Location: Whakapapa Village, New Zealand
Distance: 0 km(s)
Time:12/29/2008 09:43:44 (GMT)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=-39.2001,175.5413&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

OK ESN:0-7465479

2008-12-28T19:17:00.000-06:00

Phil Christenson. I'm okay. Here I am.
ESN:0-7465479
Latitude:-37.0103
Longitude:174.8575
Nearest Location:not known
Distance:not known
Time:12/29/2008 01:17:49 (GMT)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=-37.0103,174.8575&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

First day

2008-12-27T22:45:00.004-06:00

So the weather was pretty warm today. I'm not sure what the actual temp was, but it felt like a humid 78 deg or so. I spent the day driving around the area, stopping at parks and looking for a good beach to watch the sunrise tomorrow morning. Unfortunately, it's supposed to be cloudy tomorrow morning, maybe even rain, so I probably won't get up before dawn to make the trip to the beach. Even though it's only a 20 min drive, I think I could use the sleep instead.

Driving is great. I have the garmin working and it is awesome. I can just cruise around, repeating, stay to the left, stay to to the left, and then jump back out of my daze and follow the driving directions.

Tomorrow around lunch I'm meeting Phil and Nick at the Auckland airport and from there, our adventure will begin, with or without a camp stove, which we still don't have. oups. Time to go find that...

Multimedia message

2008-12-26T22:35:00.000-06:00

Ugh, almost on the plane to auckland.

2:30 am

2008-12-26T02:37:00.005-06:00

So i've checked and rechecked. If I forgot something by now, it's too late. :) Here's the bag i'll be living out of for the next two and a half weeks.

Also, Phil has this nifty gps unit that will geotag our location as we go. It will appear on this blog like so:

Phil Christenson. I'm okay. Here I am.
ESN:0-7465479
Latitude:40.8582
Longitude:-98.0645
Nearest Location: , , NE, US
Distance: 0 km(s)
Time:12/25/2008 17:38:06 (GMT)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=40.8582,-98.0645&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

You can click the link to see where we are via google maps. Very cool. BTW, should that ever say anything other than "I'm okay", that's bad. :) In addition to reporting our location, the gps unit also has the ability to call local rescue personel. Hopefully we won't need that though. :)

The Best Laid Plans

2008-09-22T14:09:00.001-05:00

6:30 am…

I stepped out of my car and thinking of the day before me, I took one last morning stretch. It was early. I was still working the grog out of my eyes as I strolled across the compound that would keep me captive the rest of the day. Security hassled me with a set of inspections that would make any TSA worker jealous. As I waited for permission to pass, the early morning light seeped into my eyes and I admired the landscape that was before me. Snapped back to attention, the security guard motioned me through. Another day I thought.

Walking slowly, one hand clutching my coffee and the other my work bag, I found myself again focused on the horizon. Taking a large gulp of the crisp morning air, I realized it did more to wake me up than my latte ever could. The air was clear and brisk and the land that sat under it was a typical high plains desert, with exception to the north east. This is where my gaze was fixed, the Sandia Mountains. I want to go there. I need to go there I thought, but how? When?

Lunch

I peddled through my lunch conversation, trying to understand and hold the attention of my new coworkers. The food was amazing as I again wondered how many more dishes I’d find that were served with green chilies. The meal was enormous, even by Midwestern, American standards. I suffered through though, my taste buds winning the battle over the protests of my stomach telling me I’m already well past “full”. I knew I’d need the calories later though, and I was right.

A Plan

It was almost 4:30 pm and the work day was swinging to a close. The day was extremely productive and I quickly made my way to the car to pursue what had quickly turned into a passion. I zipped back to my hotel room and devoured a cold, leftover pizza I had stored in my hotel refrigerator. Within minutes, I was back on the road again to the mecca of every good outdoor enthusiast – REI.

The plan was to go to REI and buy some bare essentials for the hike I had already committed to in my mind. I'd buy what I needed, drive to the mountain, hike and then ride the tram back to the base. Within an hour, I had spent $150 on a t-shirt, a long sleeve shirt, hiking pants and a head-lamp. All of these would prove invaluable later that night. Although I hesitated purchasing the lamp, I decided it would be wise to get it just in case.

6:05 pm…

A little less than twelve hours after committing to my trek, I was at the trailhead of the La Luz. I quickly packed my clothes and two liters of water into my courier pack. Everything fit just right, except for the head-lamp. Again, wondering if I actually needed it, I contemplated leaving it behind. Thankfully I didn’t. I hurried out of the car and made my way to the trailhead, pausing and looking back one more time at the car and at the sun, which was by now, quickly making its way towards the horizon. With one last equipment check, I was off and as I took my first few steps, a deep smile and an intense satisfaction of my decision quickly set in.

A Quick Start

I walked the first few hundred yards and then remembered that the La Luz is home to the 12th most difficult trail race in the world. I thought, hey, if others can run this, so can you. So, I did. Running like a madman for the first mile and a half, I jumped and dodged rocks and cacti as I made my way across the mountainside. The elevation was mostly steady, for every fifteen or twenty feet I climbed, I quickly descended a couple hundred yards later. I eventually slowed my pace, happy with the progress I had made and began taking some pictures of the natural beauty that was around me.

Hikers

About three miles in, I began to walk by other hikers coming down the mountain. We’d smile and pass each other and as they went by, I’d strain to listen to their hushed conversation. I couldn’t help but wonder if they were talking about me and how unwise it was of me to be hiking up the trail so close to sunset. Taking a few more pictures, I put my camera away along with the imaginary conversations I was playing out in my mind with my family, conversations that revolved around turning back to the car. This is when my stubbornness set in again and I hastened my pace and pushed on.

Sunset

By all estimates, I was about five miles in when the sunset finally found me. I paused, finishing my first liter of water, and took a few pictures of what I could. The light was rapidly diminishing and so was my smile that I had started with. Suddenly the reality of being alone on an increasingly scary trail in a wilderness area was setting in. Every scary movie I had ever seen in my life started to creep forward in my mind. I thought of past conversations I had with friends. I thought of bob cats, mountain lions, bears and snakes. It was too late though. The quickest and shortest way out was up. Consequently, I reaffirmed my decision that up would remain the only way out. No turning back now.

Do Your Homework

It had been dark for about an hour now. I had already given up on the moon providing any light. My head-lamp, the one I had almost left behind twice, was my only source of light. Even though the night was clear, the high alpine trees blocked out every bit of light that tried to reach the ground. The moon was no where to be found and darkness was all around me, with exception to a well lit swath before me thanks to my lamp and Albuquerque, which sat sleepily in the valley below.

I started to spook myself out thinking about wild animals so I called my older brother. Although I was on the trail alone, thanks to things like cell phones, I was talking to him in no time. I told him what I was doing and after the obligatory teasing on his part, he started doing some research on the La Luz trail for me.

Before I had left, I gathered just enough information to be aware of the trail and what turns and forks I need to watch out for. I thought it was a mere five miles and about two thousand feet of vertical climb. Boy was I wrong. My brother told me over the phone, much to my dread, that the trail was actually eight miles long and the vertical rise was nearly to four thousand feet. Add to that the tram that I was planning on taking down the mountain closed at 8:00 pm. I looked at my watch and the hands screamed out: 8:30, 8:30 you moron. Oups. Walk faster I thought. Maybe there will still be a chance.

19 Switchbacks

Soon after, I reached a sign: “Danger, path is impassible in fall, winter and spring due to snowy and icy conditions.” Wonderful I thought. Thankfully, I didn’t have to deal with that in early September. As I started up on the trail again, I thought to myself a better sign would be, “Danger, 19 switchbacks from hell lie before you.” I trudged up each and every one, each step growing harder than the last. Thankfully, there would be something that would startle me every now and then and give me a new vigor to keep pushing up the mountain. I can’t tell you the number of times I heart almost jumped out of my chest due to the sound of something wild nearby.

The Crux

After a grueling time on the narrow, steep and rocky switchbacks, I reached what was to become known to me as the crux. Borrowing lessons I learned from rock climbing, I knew that the hardest part was over. Before me stood a sign: “Arial Tramway, 1.2 Miles”. I let out an enthusiastic shout of victory and started down a welcome down-facing slope to the tram.

The Finish

I walked and walked and it seemed to be way farther than a mile and some change, but I eventually reached the Tram. I ran up to the restaurant that was perched on top of the mountain and saw people were still there. I grabbed someone working there and asked if the Tram was still going. I was relieved to hear a confident “Yes”. I was saved! I bolted to the tram and bought a return ticket, enthusiastically recounting my trip to the tram operator. He asked when I had started and when I told him, he shook his head and smiled. I quickly realized that I had made it to the top in three hours, twenty two minuets. That was just one hour longer than the record! Needless to say, I was pleased.

Mmm

2008-09-22T10:33:00.000-05:00

Looking better. Added a title picture (thanks to flickr) and started modifying the standard blogger templates.

A blog...

2006-02-19T20:59:00.000-06:00

This is where you would normally read about some cool or nifty thing, or maybe some boring drivel. I'm not feeling too creative right now - this is more or less a test post.

As soon as I think of a good blog layout I'll update this boring design.

-j