High Unitas Wilderness, Utah...

and another fowl (correct spelling) weather attempt at backpacking and peak bagging. 

Here was my Sambur-type game plan for Kings Peak (Utah's highest). 

I camped at the trailhead with Barley the Van, left before  "Good Morning America" aired and hustled 8 miles up the Henry's Fork trail and dropped off my big backpack. I picked up my little pack and scurried 3 more miles to 12,450" Anderson Pass.

By this time, an armada of battleship gray clouds began to assault my bluebird of happiness skies. Since I still have $ in my pension to spend another day, I took the conservative approach. I got the hell down from there. 

As usual, for the summer of 2014 hail, thunder and rain pursued this little Jewish guy down-trail. OY!

I reunited with my big pack and found a campsite. I was VERY hungry and thirsty by then.

See photo of my dinner guest. 

In the morning, I retreated back to Barley with drizzle as my constant companion.

And in the High Unitas, they DO shoot horses. 

I'm drinking an IPA in an Evanston, Wyoming Hotel 6. It doesn't get any better than this. Well, it probably does...

Cheers!

Jeff

Newt Hunting in the...

Mount Zirkel Wilderness, Colorado. I set out on glorious to be alive morning (two pots of coffee doesn't hurt either) in search of scenery and slithery prey. I found both on this 11 mile jaunt. 

FYI. Many newts are toxic when ingested. So don't eat them even if they are the only animal on the tropical island you happened to shipwreck upon. (Maybe there will be coconuts).

Scientists consider these amphibians to be bio indicators. That is, they are the canary in the coal mine on how things are going on this planet. Unfortunately, they are taking in on the chin. (Do they have a chin?) It's the usual suspects: loss of habitat, pollution and warmer temperatures. It's not easy being a newt.

So, if you happen to chance upon one, give the little fella a wide berth. He's just trying to survive in a sometimes harsh world. 

As far as scenery goes, see for yourself.

Drive day mañana to the High Unitas. Hello Utah, goodbye Colorado for now. 

Good night Ruby Begonia wherever you are!

 

Sarvis Creek Wilderness, Colorado

Is a wild area where animals outnumber the hunters who outnumber the hikers. That's why I wore my neon yellow shirt. Just in case a Bullwinkle the Moose stalker was pulling the trigger a tad early on the shooting season. 

It's a subtle beauty. You have to look closer for it. There's no above timberline "oohs and ahhs" from this joint. 

There's butterflies flittering around. There's a spruce eking out a living from a rock. There's a black bear being interrupted by yours truly while eating his thimbleberry breakfast and lunch. (He was a well-mannered bruin. The only thing I saw was his ample brown butt blowing through the brush). There's one upset hawk searching for a smaller meal than me. There's heaps of quiet and solitude. 

With the "Emerald Island" summer of moisture Colorado's had, the trail was a wet gauntlet of grass and willows. I was soaked up to my antiperspirant in no time flat. It's all good and no hyperthermia scare here. 

Enjoy the thimbleberries, the shadow selfie, and one tough spruce sapling

photo.

I'll soon be on my way to the High Unitas of Utah. (I don't believe it's any reference to the Beehive State allowing recreational marijuana sales like Colorado). 

Cheers and thanks for stopping by,

Jeff

Sambur's 60th Soirée...

This is a one-stop shopping invite, just follow these two simple directions.

So easy a caveman can do it. Doh! GEICO used that line already.

1) Please RSVP me. Clara Sambur would be so disappointed in her baby boy if anyone left the party hungry. (She was a pioneer in the uber Jewish Mother movement. She invented the line, "Eat! Eat!)

We need numbers to get an idea on how much yummy food/drink to have available. 

2) Make a copy of the "Admit One" invite. There will be a burly man or woman at the door checking to see if you and me have a remote connection. Think of it as a blue-collar version of Studio 54. 

A reasonable facsimile will work too.

Any questions, comments or funny stories can be directed to me at:

Jeffsambur@gmail.com or 970-484-8323 texts work too!

That's it! Hope to see you at the Tap and Handle on October 19th @ 5:30ish.

Consider this an early warning. 

Cheers!

Jeff

PS. I included a copy and paste version of the invite below.

      

 ADMIT ONE

     TO SAMBUR’S 60TH SOIREE  

  Where? “Tap and Handle” 307 S. College Ave Fort Collins, CO

  When? Sunday, October 19th @ 5:30ish (Old People’s Hours)

    WTF? Come by and watch the aging host actually shrink before your eyes! Come see as he misplaces his reading glasses and loses his train of thought. (Those train cars were probably empty anyway). It’ll be my treat for tasty brews, delectable wines (not whines) and sustenance too.

Please RSVP at jeffsambur@gmail.com or the old fashioned way. Pick up

                     the phone!      970-484-8323        

  

Rabbit Ears Peak...

Has been guiding pioneers and trappers on their journey from North Park to the Yampa River  Valley before Colorado became a state in 1872. Now it's a quirky looking rock formation near Highway 40 and the Continental Divide. There's also an old broken down road to hike where you can pay this intrusive igneous volcanic plug an up close visit. 

So that's what I did en route to Steamboat Springs. (Former ranching town now a groovy ski town)

Go visit this historic beacon before it's called Rabbit Ears Amputated Peak. It's eroding (geologically speaking) as fast as I move after one pot of coffee. That speed makes a New York nano-second sloth-like. 

I'm now back on the move heading west in a slow van to California.

As you can see from the photo, Barley is striking a contemplative pose along the banks of the Mighty Yampa River, as he ponders our upcoming road trip. (Ignore the bike shorts hanging off the antenna and mirror).

Be well and move quickly,

Jeff

The Sub-Eleven Foot Expedition Team...

Rises above!

Here's a photo of the rarely seen Kosher Krew together atop 11,400' Twin Sisters Peak.

(We are seldom seen because in American-Land of the Giants, folks only notice us if we brush up against their kneecaps) 

Nelson and I retreated down shortly after this photo was taken. Thunder and fog at 9:30 in the morning! WTF!

A look at nearby Longs Peak before the weather turned on us like a jilted lover in divorce court.

Fun Factoid: Longs Peak was first ascended by that one-armed stud, John Wesley Powell. The same JWP who managed to be the first to successfully make it through the Grand Canyon of the Colorado River. Or as he described it, "Beyond the Great Unknown." He later went on to become our nation's first head of the U.S Geologic Survey. 

I guess in those days, people just worked until they fell over. There must not have been pension plans or 401 Retirement Accounts. Poor dudes.

Cheers!

Jeff

Busted in Boulder, Colorado...

I was hiking the Sanitas Trail, minding my own business (that's what they all say) when I heard the authoritative voice behind me.

"Sir! Please pull off the trail in a safe place and stop."

Caught! By the feared Fitness Police of Boulder.

"Sir! I have reason to believe you are currently in violation of Boulder's Limited Girth Ordinance. I'll need to take a few fat caliper measurements on you. Please stand still." 

Oh the embarrassment.

He grabbed a few fat folds of mine and squeezed the calipers. The results went into his hand held calculator. I knew the jig was up when he shook his head after each measurement. His "Tsk! Tsk! Tsk!" wasn't a good sign either.

"Just what I thought. You have a double-digit percentage of body fat. That's against the law  within the Boulder City limits. I'm issuing you a warning citation to leave Boulder in 48 hours or face the consequences." 

I gulped hard and asked, "What's the penalty?"

"Two weeks of hard labor in our Whole Foods Supermarket. You will only be fed gluten-free bread and smoothies. It's a fair sentence for the crime."

"What did I do that tipped you off?"

"You weren't trail running this mountain."

So.... I packed up Barley and got out of town before sunset.

I'm now in fatter-friendly Fort Collins, Colorado.

That's OK. One door closes and another one opens.

Be well and lean,

Jeff