Tag: mountains
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So Long and Thanks for all the Adventures, Salida
I could see my time in Colorado coming to a close. I had received a job offer to return to Los Alamos National Lab. I tried to avoid this possibility, but it was a job I knew I could do which came with benefits and a good salary. After six months of job searching, I…
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Russell Gets a Job… Briefly
After a couple weeks of bopping around, I returned to Salida, CO. Back on the job hunt, my prospects felt grim, at least until my mom sent me a link to a Facebook post on the Salida Community page. It was a simple job ad: While this opportunity was by no means a new career,…
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Old Stompin’ Grounds, New Adventures – New Mexico
Maggie and I explored a good portion of New Mexico in the three years we lived there. Even so, it is thrilling to look at a map and find there is yet more to do. Fired up by the recent backpacking trip in Montana, I felt compelled to get out and explore new places in…
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A Glacial Confluence – Glacier National Park
I was hoping to have a job by July or August, but despite my job hunting efforts, I was still drifting through the summer. Maggie and I talked on the phone almost every night. As it became clear that my job prospects were still months out, Maggie convinced me to fly up to Montana for…
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Fourteener Frenzy – Colorado
I spent a majority of my summer in Salida, CO, a place where several fourteen thousand foot peaks dominate the skyline. The draw to climb them is inescapable…. With temperatures routinely soaring into the mid-nineties, I often felt trapped indoors. Without Maggie or any appreciable community in town, I also felt quite lonely. The job…
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Throw Them Peaks in the Bag – CO & NM High Country
In between the dreadful days of job hunting this past summer, I got out peak bagging in the Rocky Mountains. As the snow finally melted out above treeline in mid-June, I set my sights high. There is something wonderful about the alpine that I can’t put into words. The clear air, the wide open views,…
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Dune Cool Stuff With Cool People – Great Sand Dunes National Park
1 June 2023 It’s hard to express the bond formed between thru hikers. Even though Maggie and I rarely spent more than a handful of days with the friends we made on the PCT, there is something special about the shared experience. When I got a text from Noodle that he was passing through Salida,…
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Strike While the Flatiron is Hot – Boulder, CO
27 May 2023 To round out my road trip from Montana to New Mexico, I stopped in Boulder to visit my friends, Evan and Erica. Having recently purchased a truck and hefty fifth wheel, they were starting their own transition from normal working life to living on the road. I was stoked to catch them…
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The Solo Road Part 3 – South Dakota
18-22 May 2023 Equally popular and overlooked, the Black Hills of South Dakota are a true gem. It would be a stretch to include the Black Hills in discussions about the Rocky Mountains, as it should be, since they have a character uniquely their own. I spent five days romping around the Black Hills, hiking,…
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The Solo Road Part 2 – Wyoming
16 May 2023 Next up on my route south was Yellowstone National Park. My past experiences with Yellowstone left something to be desired… Given that I missed the eruption at Old Faithful some years ago, it is the parking lots, gift shops, and crowds that stand out in my memory. Another attempt to explore a…