Housemate Nolan wanted to do the Flatiron Quinfecta for his 25th Birthday Challenge (climbing the standard east face route of each of the five numbered flatirons) and I was happy to help him make that happen. I started off guiding him on the the easiest flatiron routes just a few months ago. I was quite impressed at his meteoric advancing to the more adventurous scrambles. We shot footage of our day and Nolan did the edit/post production.
Stuck on Freeway: eleven miles (240 pitches) on The Second Flatiron, Boulder Colorado
Flatiron Quinfecta Birthday Challenge With Nolan!
For my housemate’s birthday, we did the Flatiron Quinfecta – a local scrambling challenge to climb the five number flatirons in a day. My housemate has really only scrambled for a limited amount of time, and I was most impressed of his fortitude in successfully completing the task. Happy birthday, dude!
Miles on Freeway – Running 20 laps up and 20 laps down on the Second Flatiron
Last Thursday, I thought a righteous challenge would be to see how many laps on the Second Flatiron’s “Freeway” route I could do, before my arms fell off.
After 16 hours, I had accumulated 40 laps! 20 up, and 20 down, done in succession with little rest in between. A fantastic day of moving meditation after weeks of preparation on the route searching for the most efficient route to climb. 16 hours of staying in the same 900 foot rib of rock, netting 11 miles, gaining/losing 10,600 feet of elevation. Such an intense concentration of expressing various mountain disciplines in a familiar setting just a few miles from the house.
Long Form: The Everest Out My Back Door @ the Ultimate Direction Buzz
Visit the Ultimate Direction Blog to read my Long Form Essay: The Everest Out My Back Door, about the getting older, lofty goals, and the village of support around the trail running community here in Boulder, CO. I can’t thank everyone, enough.