A Time for Everything

 [Originally published in the Monroe News on August 28, 2020]

If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably struggled with emotions and how to digest the events of the past 5 months.  No doubt we’ve felt stress and emotions of sadness and sorrow.  Yet I have had no shortage of days and moments where I also felt joy and happiness and love because of what was near me in my life.  In many of those joyful moments and days I have to confess, there was a pinch of guilt that came with it. There was this little voice somewhere near my conscience that was saying “how can you laugh and be happy when people are suffering”.  Have you had this experience? Do you struggle with it too?

During our weeks in the stay-at-home order in April and May my family was for the most part enjoying ourselves.  We had much more time together.  We were absent many of the distractions that would have otherwise been a part of our daily lives.  I didn’t have meetings to attend. The kids didn’t have after-school functions. Our calendar had been emptied out.  So what did we do? We found ways to make the most of the situation. We spent time together. When the weather allowed, we took walks in the neighborhood and even partook of a few trails at our amazing state parks. Yet there were times when I felt awkward sharing this with others. Can I talk about the joys my family feels when others are hurting?  How do we reconcile this?  And don’t get me wrong, we’ve had our fair share of sorrowful moments too.  We’ve lost several friends and loved ones during this time. The kids have missed their friends and their time in school.  I’ve felt the challenges of ministry and not being able to see members in hospitals and nursing homes due to restrictions. 

Kroenke Lake and Brown's Pass

North Cottonwood Trail to Kroenke Lake Trail to Brown's Pass
Trailhead Elevation: 9,961 ft.

Kroenke Lake Elevation: 11,530 ft.
Pass Elevation: 12,547 ft.

Distance: 11.23 mi. (my Forerunner 235)
Elevation Gain: 3415 ft. (my Forerunner 235)
Start Time: 5:50am
End Time: 11:55am


Trip Report:
The 2020 July monsoon ran in full force. Many would say "well that's just 2020". If it can happen, it will happen. We're used to seeing rain in the forecast daily in late July, but much of the time its a 50/50 thing and more of than not things work out. This year? Not so much. Today's forecast was something like 20% chance rain til 10am and then 80% chance rain the rest of the day. This again foiled our hopes of going for a big summit and spending good time above treeline. We played it safe in our decision making.

High Dune (Great Sand Dunes NP)

No trail, open route up to High Dune
Trailhead Elevation: 8,242 ft.

High Dune Elevation: 8,709 ft.
Distance: 1.93 mi. (my Forerunner 235)
Elevation Gain: 850 ft. (my Forerunner 235)
Start Time: 9:44am
End Time: 10:49am


Trip Report:
We hit all the nails on the head with our visit to Great Sand Dunes. We had read on the NPS website beforehand about the potential for 2-hour waits for entry at midday on weekends. We were planning to head down there on a Saturday morning before my brother and his family had to leave town. We made it down there just after 9am and had only 2 cars at the entry booth ahead of us. When we left later on around noon the line may have been 30-40 cars deep. Arriving early also helped with parking. The Dunes Parking lot is definitely not big enough to handle a busy summer day. The lot was probably 90% full when we arrived. Later as we were leaving cars were hunting spots in the lot and ending up parking along the road or in the picnic area up the hill. We also hit the weather well today. Temps were low 60s and almost felt cool with a light breeze upon arrival. The temp maybe hit low 70s when we had left. The cloud cover stay consistent and so the sun never really had a chance to overheat the sand. All of this made for great hiking weather.

Immovable Mountains

[Originally published in the Monroe News on July 24, 2020]

If you’ve ever been out to the Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado you’ll likely have strong memories of the shifting sand dunes which make up the park’s namesake.  But will you also remember the crowning peaks that sit at the north end of the park?  The tallest of them is a beautiful giant of a peak with amazing red conglomerate sandstone named Crestone Peak.  It is made of such a sturdy rock one could wonder if such a mountain would stand forever.

In 2008 I was on a climbing adventure with my father and brother and we were seeking to climb Crestone Peak.  Its summit stands at 14,294 feet above sea level.  Its no easy climb.  To gain the summit of this peak you have to climb up a steep, narrow red gully of rock which is over a 1000 feet tall.  If you have fears of heights this definitely wouldn’t be a place for you.  Compounding the challenge for us in 2008, about halfway up the gully a snowfield still remained from heavy winter snows.  While climbing on steep snow is very do-able if you have the right equipment and skill, it is also an unforgiving activity.  A fall on such snow could easily send you flying down the mountain into a bed of rock.

Silver Creek to Point 12505

Silver Creek TH, Colorado Trail to Pass then unmarked trail to Point 12505
Trailhead Elevation: 9,446 ft.

High Elevation: 12,505 ft.
Distance: 8.85 mi. (my Forerunner 235)

Elevation Gain: 4,088 ft. (my Forerunner 235)
Start Time: 8:44am
End Time: 12:13pm


Trip Report:
This hike came about on a whim. Our initial intentions for this morning were to hit a 14er summit but the weather reports were pretty poor for above treeline. Couple this with a bit of a later start and a big summit was sailing out the door. Nonetheless we didn't want to lose a good day out in Colorado. We left the house, my brother and I, with the intentions of heading up the North Cottonwood trail to Kroenke Lake. As we headed up the road my brother mentioned trying a different trail today as we had ended up yesterday's hike on Mt. Harvard in the same spot here. So I mentioned the Silver Creek trailhead and the nice hike it offered. We opted for this and changed course.