The Spearhead, RMNP

Full Album of Pictures Here

Climbing the Spearhead in Rocky Mountain National Park was the first winter ascent I have made or attempted steep enough to need crampons and a mountaineering axe. I have heard read hundreds if not thousands of pages of stories about the trials and treachery of alpine climbing and I needed to experience it for myself. The Spearhead is a granite prominence in Rocky Mountain National Park; the summit is at 12,560’. The summit is best accessed via the Glacier Gorge trailhead (9,300’) near Loch Vale.

It never ceases to amaze me how the most wild and fun adventures seem to come from the most simple kernels of thought, origin unknown. All it takes is an offhand comment or even a whisper of a word to set ablaze the neural pathways connecting the yearning for adventure with THE OBJECTIVE. The Spearhead was no exception to this; almost as soon as the name was mentioned, I jumped on the idea and planning mode took over.

It was Sunday, March 13^th at 1:55 AM; daylight savings time would start in 5 minutes. My alarm clock went off for the second time and jolted me out of sleep. I had guessed, correctly, that there would be some kind of clock malfunction if I set my alarm for between 2 and 3AM so Adam, Ian and I had decided to use this excuse to wake up that much earlier and have more of a cushion on our day. Ian swung by in his small car that has been the start and end to more good adventures than bad. We drove to Adam’s apartment, grabbed him and his gear pile and were on our way.

The drive to the park was slow since there is a high risk of elk on the roads between Lyons and Estes Park. At least once, Ian slammed on the brakes to avoid turning yet another deer into road kill or car into scrap metal.

As we approached Estes Park, rain and sleet were splashing down on the windshield and the mood in the car was apprehensive and quiet; as though if anyone drew attention to the fact that rain could mean a cancelled climb, the rain would hear them and fall harder. As we crested the last hill before the descent into Estes the rain abruptly turned to snow and though Ian’s driving became more cautious, playful chatter about the climb started up again.

I had decided to carry ~2.5 liters of water and quite a bit of food. We carried a working stove in case we needed more water, but Adam was insistent that we take every precaution to manage our heat so as not to sweat or become overly dehydrated.

We arrived at Glacier Gorge trailhead at 4:45AM and after 10 minutes of clipping, strapping, tightening and chugging water, we put on our snowshoes and headed off into the night. Fresh snow and an early start meant that even on a trail as popular as Glacier Gorge we were cutting fresh tracks.

Thick, fresh snow can turn any trail from a something resembling a tourist highway into a more natural type of exploration. With no well-defined path to follow, we paralleled a deep gully, scrambling over snow-covered rock when necessary until we found the turnoff for Glacier Gorge trail.

There was plenty of snow on the trail

Glacier Gorge is about 4 miles long and slowly sloping uphill. We all settled into a walking rhythm and slowly moved up the valley as the sun began to touch the summits of the towering peaks above. On the way we passed the start of several other impressive alpine climbs including All Mixed Up. Our objective was the easiest thing in the valley, but I made a few mental notes to return once my skills have improved.

At 9AM we finished arrived at the base of the bench on which The Spearhead sits at the very end of the gorge. We had seen a single other car parked at the Glacier Gorge trailhead and it looked like it had been there for some time. We found the car’s owner camped at the base of a snowy slope within 1 mile of the Spearhead; he climbed out of his half-buried tent to say hello. He was on skis and, from all the snow pillows on the rocks we had passed it looked like he was going to have a more fun hike out than us.

We climbed up onto the bench (passing a beautiful, blue, multi-pitch ice climb on the way) and then hunted around for a giant boulder that had served as Adam’s bivy. Although we found the boulder, unfortunately the entrance was blocked with several feet of windblown and consolidated snow and ice. With a shovel, perhaps we would have gained access to the cave, but chopping at the snow with ice axes was futile. We had a brief rest on the lee of a rock, had a little lunch and strapped in again.

Mental Note: Come back and climb this ice

We snowshoed up to the base of the North Ridge of the Spearhead and traversed around to the right to find our route, the more manageable Northwest Slopes scramble. We hiked up until the snow was steep enough to need crampons and put on our harnesses.

Our first view of the objective

We started up the climb at 11AM after 6 hours of approach hiking. This would be my first pitch of climbing with crampons and a mountaineering axe. Ian and I both roped in to Adam’s harness and Adam soloed the first 60 degree snow pitch and built an anchor. Once the first anchor was set, we simulclimbed as a team of 3; Adam leading and Ian and I following but close to one another. The snow was deep with a consolidated layer about 2 feet under the surface so moving up the slope went something like kick, place axe, stand up, wallow in 2 feet of snow, kick, step, repeat. Once I got the rhythm down, my movements got faster and I sped up, at once point outpacing Adam and inadvertently putting a bit too much slack in my rope. When I noticed the excess rope, I stopped and matched his pace.

Looking up at the snow climb
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While standing in place, I watched the steps I had kicked fill in with spindrift in a few seconds. The wind would pick up every minute or so and we would all have to hunker down and protect our faces from being sandblasted by the fine, sharp ice particles whirling around us. Although a strong gusts of wind stopped us temporarily, the gale was never sustained for long enough to be a major impediment to our progress; the impression of difficulty was there without the danger, making the climb that much more satisfying.

Adam leading through the spindrift

After about 400’ of simulclimbing, the slope eased to about 40 degrees and was mostly exposed rock or covered by less than a foot of snow. Almost all rock on these upper slopes was loose so we slowed down and remained roped up for another 4 pitches. Crampons had to be placed carefully and the axes really came in handy for stability on these upper slopes. Although we were on belay, a fall wearing crampons on this terrain could mean a 5-mile hike out on a broken leg.

A brief break in the weather at a belay station

Once we were within a pitch of the summit ridge, the sun was within 30 minutes of going behind the west ridge of the gorge and we needed to move quickly. Luckily, the scramble to the top was on much more stable rock than we had found below, so all 3 of us hurried to the ridge and took a much needed rest.

Adam leading towards to summit ridge

At 3PM we reached the base of the summit block but decided that the time and exposure required to rope up and climb onto the block was an unnecessary risk; we took pictures instead. To the north of the summit ridge was a sheer 1000’ face dropping nearly to the base of The Spearhead.

The team on the summit

The summit block

A break in the weather

We had been blasted by ice and wind for 4 hours ascending this chunk of snowy rock and finally, when we reached the summit, the clouds broke and the weather calmed. The North Face of Long’s Peak, Chief’s Head, McHenry’s Peak, Thatchtop and the entire length of Glacier Gorge were visible. We could see down the gorge, into the center of Rocky Mountain National Park and on to the horizon. It was a spectacular milestone on a particularly difficult day.

McHenry's Peak

Chief's Head

We snacked, drank water, had the obligatory victory swig of Jameson, removed our crampons and prepared for the descent. That morning Adam had suggested, for the sake of speed, that we bring some slings to leave behind, rappel 60 meter pitches on double ropes and then pull the ropes out. It only took 4 rappels apiece to get to the top of our initial snow climb; from there we plunge-stepped down through soft, pillowy snow until the terrain evened out and we were on solid ground again.

Rappelling the top pitches





Plunge-stepping the bottom of the snow climb

30 minutes before sunset we were gearing down at the base of the climb and releasing our stress now that we were out of technical terrain. When the harness comes off, then you can breathe a sigh of relief and start thinking about burgers and beer. If you allow yourself to relax before you are off a climb, you can put yourself in greater danger by not fully appreciating the risks of the terrain.

One last look back

Leaving The Spearhead behind

We still had 6 miles of hiking to go, but since it was all downhill and the objective had been completed, it was far less daunting than the hike in. We descended the bench back to the skier’s campsite to find a set of ski tracks that were almost completely filled in with drifting snow. As we walked, the trail became more and more defined from the many snowshoers that had followed our tracks up Glacier Gorge during the day. We were the first in and the last out.

The North Face of Long's Peak on the Hike Out

As we plodded down the gorge, the half-moon shone brightly enough on the bright snow that we could move easily without headlamps. I have been camping many times in or near Boulder County and am always able to see the pink glow of a nearby city no matter how far into the wilderness I am. This time, the black sky and the bright stars showed no hint of civilization.

The hike out

The hike seemed interminable. That morning we had cut our own direct trail for the first mile of trail, avoiding the meandering path shown on the map. Following the snowshoe tracks that evening we were led down almost an extra mile of what some people might consider scenic trail. After 4 miles of plodding we didn’t want any more beautiful views; we wanted the car, food and beer. More importantly, we wanted to let my girlfriend know that she shouldn’t call RMNP’s rescue team to come looking for us. If she had not heard from us by midnight, she was instructed to call 911 and get a SAR team organized to come searching for us. Given that she had read the Summitpost page for The Spearhead more than 10 times in the preceeding week, there was a good chance that she would call 911 no later than 12:01AM.

We made it back to the car at 10:00PM after 13 miles of hiking and 3200’ of total elevation gain over 19 hours.

We celebrated by driving home and being surprised by a batch of freshly made cupcakes and a hot meal. What an amazing day.

Long's Peak and Extreme Irony

"“Extreme ironing - the latest danger sport that combines the thrills of an extreme outdoor activity with the satisfaction of a well-pressed shirt"

Summer in Colorado translates to fit, young people put themselves in harms way for reasons as simple as a story to tell while eating or drinking. 14,000+ foot peaks abound in Colorado, so anyone desensitized to the ups and downs of daily life in the city puts on their hiking boots and hits whatever trail they can find.

Long's Peak is one of the most famous non-technical perspective-providing climbs in Colorado. At 14,255 ft. it is tall enough that the peak is subject to year-round storms of unbelievable intensity. Epic adventure of this sprt serves to remind me of my own insignificance in the grand scheme; I am a speck at the mercy of nature; a fly to be swatted.

Life and limb are only fun to risk if you have someone to risk it with. My buddy Alex, his friend Abe and I decided that life was too safe and in need of risk.

We packed rain gear, warm clothes, 5-too-many-pounds of food, headlamps, water, a first aid kit, pocket knives, 4 liters of coffee and, on an impulse, an iron. My first thought as we pulled away from Alex's house in Boulder at 1 AM was how good a freshly ironed pair of socks at the summit would make the trip.

We set out on the trail at 2:30AM and used the waxing gibbous moon instead of flashlights for as long as tree cover let us. The first 2 hours of the hike saw us bearded Boulder boys passing more than 10 other hikers on the way to the front of the pack. During the high season, this trail is known as the Conga Line; a dance which is really only fun if you are at the front, with the basket of fruit on your head.

At 4:30 we reached what the guidebooks called the Boulder Field; an increasingly steep pile of house-sized rocks. Navigation from cairn to cairn by moon- and flash-light proved difficult but manageable. The Boulder Field ends at a gaping maw of chunky, angular rock called the Keyhole. The Keyhole is known to have some of the strongest wind on the mountain due to its exposure. From the Keyhole, we began to follow a series of markers called fried eggs (painted yellow circles in painted red circles that mark the trail).


The Keyhole, as seen from low in the Boulder Field; I took this on the way down


Once we moved passed the high winds of the Keyhole, we began a traverse along the west side of the mountain. On the traverse, we ran across a man lying in a sleeping bag. This man and his son had been climbing the mountain the day before us and he had fallen and dislocated his ankle at the bottom of the toughest part of the hike after reaching the summit. His son carried a sleeping bag up to him and he spent the night under a rock on an exposed ledge thousands of feet above the valley floor. He told us that a group of rescuers was en-route but that, due to rescue protocol, they would not arrive until dawn. Later in the day, we heard a helicopter carry him off to safety. The easiness with which he coped with his perilous predicament made us feel a bit safer and better taken care of.

We left the injured man and finished the traverse in an hour or so. At the end of the traverse is the Trough; a 2000 ft. near-vertical channel lined with giant contiguous slabs of granite. Hiking through the thinned air at the 11,000 ft. start of the Trough was a lot like being strangled while working out on a stairmaster. To cope with the lack of oxygen, I put a mental system of 10 steps, stop, 10 breaths, into effect; at this rate, I could climb steadily.


Alex, at the top of the Trough
(note the large group 2000 feet below)

After the Trough is a skinny ledge that wraps around the mountain briefly. We were feeling in need of some food, so we took a 20 minute break and I used that time to iron my pants before putting them on.


The tool of the trade


A brief break to remove wrinkles and make myself presentable


From the ledge, we advanced to what is called the Home Stretch. This 60 degree slope of nearly crack-free rock was the closest thing on the route to a technical ascent. A single slip or misplaced foot could lead to a vertical mile of tumbling to the rocky valley below.


Looking down the Home Stretch to the valley below and the mountains beyond


One final oxygen-deprived push left us both mentally and physically breathless as we looked out across the large, flat summit at 8AM. It had taken us 5.5 hours to reach the top (most guidebooks recommend 8 hours), so a break was in order.


Abe and Alex; enjoying a good sit at 14,255 feet


On the summit of most mountains in Colorado is a guestbook of sorts. You sign the book with your name and time of arrival as a way of feeling a sense of recorded accomplishment. At the top of Long's Peak was a standard logbook as well as a zip lock bag with a disposable camera and a note with instructions for us to take pictures of ourselves and leave an email address so we could get the pictures later. I decided that the owners of the camera should know how comfortable we really were on this hike, so I ironed my backup pair of socks and put them on; warm feet are hard to beat.



Freshly-ironed socks were a luxury I was unwilling to give up for this mountain adventure



The tool at the top


We sat for an hour at the summit and watched other hikers perform their various summit rituals; some shared stoves and soup, some brought beer, some smoked cigars, some simply smiled in the summer sun. We stayed for an hour, soaking up the day, then shouldered our packs and began the descent; known in some circles as the A-knee-ilator.

Returning down the steep-sided chasms in the morning light gave us new fears and shakes. When danger is more obvious, it is MUCH scarier.


The wide valley below the Trough, now visible in the daylight


We followed what we thought was the trail we had arrived by but came to a feature called the False Keyhole. Confused, we read a very large warning label that mentioned how dangerous and wrong this route was. It took 20 minutes or so, but eventually we found our way to the actual Keyhole.



The front side of the False Keyhole; a 1000 foot sheer rock face.


We passed the Keyhole and the Boulder Field with no issues, decided we were making amazing time and took a nap on a sunny rock.

After our nap, we hucked it and broke into a near-jog for the 6 miles back to the ranger station and Long's Peak trail head parking lot. We arrived at 2:30 PM, 11.5 hours after starting out. Being too tired to mentally function, we went back to Alex's house and enjoyed 3 men's shares of delicious microbrew.


A last look back at Long's Peak


Recommendations for potential climbers:
- You should ARRIVE at the Long's Peak trailhead parking lot no later than 2:30 AM. We took one of the last available spaces when we arrived.
- You should be off the summit before noon to avoid the daily storms (even in the summertime).
- There is no where to get water; bring at least 3 liters apiece.
- Esoteric items are totally worth the mountaintop photo op.
- Don't eat a 12oz. steak 6 hours before getting on the trail; your farts will kill even the hardiest of mountain men walking behind you.
- If you live in Colorado, MAKE TIME TO DO THIS EPIC HIKE.

Until next time

Your favorite Extreme Ironer

Page

One for the Road

At the end of next week, when I end my service as a US Peace Corps volunteer, I will have been in the Philippines for 1204 days. Three years ago, I got off a plane in sweaty, gritty Manila carrying on my back everything I thought the Philippines was lacking (a backpack full of tools to save the world). Several active volunteers and some well-seasoned staff met my group at Ninoy Aquino International Airport and herded us like jetlagged, gawking cattle with no idea where they were or how they might leave into buses and off to the nicest hotel I would stay at for my entire time here.

For 2 months, I was trained in the Bikol language and cultural appropriateness of eating, drinking and pooping (always take a bite, take a shot if you are offered and NO ONE USES TOILET PAPER). I studied hard and, with the help of my unforgettable group of fellow trainees, managed to spend the better part of every day laughing until my sides hurt.



In June 2006, I was sworn-in to serve in the 265th batch of the more than 8000 Peace Corps volunteers to serve in the Philippines since 1961 (this picture is just of the people I trained with in Bikol, there were 75 of us in my batch of volunteers).



August 2006 brought a volcanic eruption



September 2006 brought the strongest typhoon seen in storm-smashed Bikol in 20 years.



November 2006 one-upped September with the strongest typhoon in the living memory of Bikol. More than a thousand people were killed in the ensuing landslides and another 40,000+ people were left homeless. I saw millions of dollars in relief money thrown around with little thought or accountability; ever wonder where your "help-the-poor" donations go?



In April 2007 my fellow volunteer, and friend, Julia Campbell, was murdered on a vacation in her last few months before leaving the country.



In May 2007 I decided that massive natural disasters weren't a good reason not to not do my job, so I helped set up a manufacturing center for household water filters. Since it started, the production center has made more than 350 filters and installed them in schools and homes around the region.



I spent the rest of my service designing and constructing multiple piped water supply pipelines to communities who previously had to walk more than a half mile to the nearest source of water (of questionable quality). I have greased political palms to do this.



I have used engineering equipment from world war II.



I have seen necessity be the mother of invention (this guy is using a hacksaw blade with his bare hands).




I have eaten rice for almost every meal




I have slaughtered, cleaned, cooked and eaten pigs, chickens, turkeys and goats.



I have crawled through caves, lept from waterfalls, slept on white sand beaches and swam through beautiful forests of coral.



I have survived lava flows, knee-deep mud, plants whose leaves will burn your skin, foot-long centipedes, hand-sized spiders and hot-dog-flavored-mayonnaise sandwiches on wonderbread.


THE BEST PART:
I was paid by the US Government to do this.

Careful: Peace Corps is not the protected bubble of happiness and fulfillment that its colorful pamphlets make it out to be. I went through a daily roller-coaster ride of emotions. Moment-to-moment things like being yelled and giggled at by every person I pass on the street were just as taxing as the bureaucracy and corruption that are ways of life in the Philippines. Almost nothing works the way it should and I expect all restaurants to have less than half of their menus available at any given time. These frustrations could bring laughter or anger depending on the hour of the day and the day of the week. On the other hand, the few (less than 10) moments of pure success I had made every other second worth it.

To anyone stuck in a rut/office without any kind of meaning in your life: JOIN. Peace Corps is a leap of faith, so I really can't tell you why except that I have not met a single volunteer who regretted the decision to join. You will gain so much more from the "sacrifice" of your two years helping those in need than the dollars you don't earn. Every hour of every day is different and exciting in ways you can't comprehend. You will be a celebrity. Any ideas you might have of "how the world works" will be smashed and reshaped into something incomprehensible to the current "you". You will see how families and communities of people can come together and collectively survive while under threat from global forces well beyond their mental grasp.

If you don't think you could join for whatever reason or you don't think they want you, at least take 5 minutes and Email a Peace Corps Recruiter and ask them what they are looking for. Or go to a Peace Corps Event near you. What you learn might surprise you.




If you have kept in touch over the last 3 years, thank you. The isolation of being one of 10 native english speakers in a city of 150,000 is powerful and it helps to have support from home.

Peace Corps has told me numerous times not to underestimate the mind-warp of coming home from the developing world the the USA. I want to give myself about 6 weeks before I am ready to start saving the people of America, but other than that my plans are no more detailed than eating a sandwich and maybe getting some sleep.

AND REMEMBER:

Water System Construction

Water System Construction Through Partnership (As published in the Aquinas University Campus Newsletter).

PICTURES AT THE END.

Aquinas University Foundation’s community development program in Lamba, Legaspi City has numerous aspects; from agriculture to education, and now potable water supply. A Level II (communal faucet access) water supply system is currently under construction in the center of barangay Lamba to dramatically improve the resident’s access to water for domestic uses. This project is being funded by a number of different stakeholders. Once completed, the water system will be managed by the barangay council, and eventually, a people’s organization.

The residents of puroks 1 and 2 of Lamba have a number of difficulties in accessing clean water for drinking, cooking, washing and other domestic needs. The closest potable water source is approximately 500 meters away, over a hill; men, women and children can regularly be seen carrying single gallon jugs to and from this source for their families. The barangay’s sandy soil and proximity to the Albay Gulf make all open and drilled wells undrinkable due to salt water intrusion and contamination. The source to be tapped for this system is a large, constantly flowing spring with no variation in flow during the summer.

The water system is very simple, yet effective. Water will flow, by gravity, through 2” diameter PE pipe for 500 meters until it reaches a high point in the center of purok 1, Lamba. In centro, a 9000 liter ferrocement (thin-walled concrete) water storage tank will be built to store water collected during the evening for use during the day. From the storage tank, another 2” diameter PE pipe will carry the water 400 meters to 8 different communal faucets strategically placed throughout the barangay for maximum benefit. Each faucet is built of reinforced concrete to ensure its safety.

This project has been prepared and will be funded by a number of different local, national and international agencies. The total water system budget of PHP288,000.00 is funded jointly by Hiefer International, the US Peace Corps and an in-kind labor counterpart from the community members. Community organizing and pre-project awareness were done by Aquinas University’s Center for Community Extension Services and the US Peace Corps volunteer, Page Weil, assigned there. Topographic surveys and water system design were done by the US Peace Corps volunteer, enlisting the help of the beneficiaries whenever necessary. The ferrocement tank technology was developed and tested for Albay at Aquinas University’s Rawis Campus; prototypes can be seen by the water refilling station near the cocofed building. Sunwest Development Corp has generously allowed use of the water source and the land where the transmission pipes will be laid since it lies within their property.

The people and barangay council of barangay Lamba have greeted Aquinas University and the US Peace Corps with open arms and, as of this writing, are working hard to make this plan a reality. The project is scheduled for completion in May of this year.


And now...PICTURES!!!



The children in this picture carried those buckets of water from more than 500 meters away. They do this every day.



To build this water system, we used WWII-era surveying gear.



Water is transmitted over a kilometer through 2" plastic pipe



Here the masons are plastering the reusable form for a 9000 Liter Ferrocement Tank (this is not the first one I have built)



There are few feelings in the world better than watching someone's face as they turn on a water tap in their neighborhood for the first time ever.



Kids playing in the spray of a pipe under repair.