The Adventures of Team Hump N' Run

Pictures!

2006-06-11T15:49:00.000-04:00

Slowly but surely Im adding pictures to Facebook for the world. But with 1,200+ pictures its taking a while here are all the pictures from Zion.

Zion1
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Home

2006-06-05T12:43:00.000-04:00

We'll we are now home. We left Saturday and arrived at our various houses between 11pm and 2am last night. We were supposed to come home this coming Saturday, but with a lot less things to and money getting low we planned to come home tuesday instead. But when we arrived at our campsite Saturday night, we talked things over because the mountainwe were supposed to climb the next day has a road all the way to the top. Which takes the fun out of climbing it. So we discussed our options, and then some one mentioned going home Sunday so we looked at that option and then some one said lets just go home now, the car is already packed. So we did. We droe to the top of Mt. Evans, came down and headed to Denver and came home.

We stopped in St. Louis to see and go up the arch on Sunday and finally made it home last night at different hours of the night.

Look for a some look back posts with fun stories and LOTS of pictures(1,700+) in the next few days.

Colorado...

2006-06-03T01:26:00.000-04:00

After climbing Mt. Massive, we were exhausted. But we conserved some energy on the way down the mountain by sliding through a snow field for .3 miles on our rear ends. It was quite fun.

The foloowing day was deemed another rest day, but since we had already done everything in Leadville and Buena Vista, Mark suggested we find out how far Vail is from our campsite. And sure enough it was only 30 minutes away. So away we went.

At Vail we discovered the Teva Mountain Games were going on. We watched some kayak competitions, drove some VW Touerags, and got some free sawg and t-shirts.

Today we went and climbed the Decalibron which is a collection of 4 14ers (Mt. Democrat, Mt. Cameron, Mt. Lincoln, Mt. Bross). Mark, Jordan, and I did all 4 mountains, but Timothy came down with altitude sickness after Mt. Lincoln and waited for us back at the car.

After our work out we went into Breckenridge and ate at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. were we had nice big hearty meals. After this we scoured I-70 east for a cheap hotel. After much searching we are in Georgetown, CO at a Super 8. Tomorrow we are going to Denver to chill for the day, and will camp Saturday and Sunday night near Mt. Evans. This will be our last 14er which we will climb on Sunday. And on Monday we leave for Georgia.

From 14,414 ft

2006-05-31T20:02:00.000-04:00

Greetings from Mt Massive. Im probably the highest person in the lower 48 states right now. We all made it up here!

Mt Elbert Folly

2006-05-29T15:41:00.000-04:00

Well that was interesting. We attempted to climb Mt. Elbert, the highest peak in Colorado, but me and Tim turned around about .25 mile from the top. We are waiting at tree line for mark and jordan. They kept going when we turned back. Not sure if they made it to the top though. We turned back because of the weather and slight exhaustion.

Colorado

2006-05-28T21:22:00.000-04:00

Hello from Aspen. We arrived here yesterday where we slept in a USFS day use parking lot in the car. We then woke up at sunrise and finished sleeping in the Buttermilk ski report parking lot. After that we hung around Aspen for a few hours, and then headed to the Mt Elbert trailidad to camp so we can climb it tomorrow.

Pictures!

2006-05-26T02:03:00.000-04:00

Thanks to the internet here at the Best Western we now have some pictures for you. I uploaded all of my Grand Canyon Pictures, but none of them have captions or what not so you have no idea whats going on, so I will not upload any more pictures till we get home, that way you can find out what's going on.

Timothy on the hand uploaded all of his photos so we have a link to that too.

Grand Canyon (Kyle)
Grand Canyon II (Kyle)
Grand Canyon III (Kyle)

When the trip is done I will add captions to those pictures.

Enjoy!

Tomorrow we leave our nice hotel to go whitewater rafting and on Saturday we head to Colorado.

Return From The Arctic

2006-05-25T17:32:00.000-04:00

Just returned from Arctic Camp 1 where we camped in 3+ feet of snow, chased marmots, and Jordan & Mark sledded down the mountain on ponchos. We are now headed back into Jackson to eat and find a hotel. Expect more pictures tonight.

Jackson Hole

2006-05-23T17:41:00.000-04:00

We are now in Jackson Hole, WY. We took our first shower in a week, ate awesome burgers, and are headed to buy some groceries.

Who Says You Cant Make Snow Angels In May?

2006-05-23T13:58:00.000-04:00

We are now in grand teton np. But our route is once again blocked by snow. We are heading to Jackson for showers, food, and to decide what to do now. But it hasnt been all bad with the snow, yesterday in Yellowstone we stopped and played in the snow drifts and Jordan even made a snow angel. Should have some pictures in a few days hopefully.

Changes In Yellowstone

2006-05-23T13:44:00.000-04:00

Fwd: From: amazingracer@gmail.com
Had to change plans in yellowstone because of snowfall. We are now doing the black canyon trail.

Zion in Review

2006-05-18T20:42:00.000-04:00

Most of our updates have been short blurbs about traveling to places. Sorry we do not have provid in depth details. Its mainly due to time restraints. But today I have our Zion trip in review. Because we are traveling to Yellowstone right now and well it takes 10 hrs to get there, so we have time to kill.

We are currently in Utah but when this message has been posted we will have crossed into Idaho, right.....NOW!

At Zion we hiked the Emarld Pools Trails. The pools were more like algae filled backyard ponds than emarld colored pools. But where very cool none the less.

We then hiked Angels Landing, where we gain 1200+ ft in elevation in 2 miles. Thanks to numerous switchbacks and something called Walter's Wiggles. Walters Wiggles are a set of about 15 switchbacks 20 feet long straight up a wall. Once you get to the top of the Wiggles your only have way done with the fun. You reach Scouts Lookout where you face the last .5 mile to Angels Landing. This trail is steep and has parts where you hike 5 feet away from a 1200 foot drop down to the Virgin River. The trail is actually really fun thanks to the chain hand rails and the views are amazing!

Next we hiked the West Rim trail. This trail is 13 miles and we turned it into a overnight backpacking trip. The trail was really nice and scenic. The trail starts at near 8,000 feet and drops to 4,700 feet. You actually have to hike down Walters Wiggles and the Angels Landing trail to finish the trip. The trip was fun and very memorable because Jordan almost burnt down the forest. At our campsite he wanted some Ramen noodles so he pulled out his stove and fired it up. A few minutes after this, (I am sitting in front of the stove) I noticed flames shooting out at the connection between the stove and gas can. I yell Holy Crap and run away up the hill abput 200ft abehind a bush. The other three have no idea what Im talking about until the stove flares up. They scramble for water and Jordan kicked the stove into the grass where the grass caught on fire but was extinguished with water. But soon we ran out of water the stove was still falring. Some yelled put it in the dirt so some one picked the stove up and threw it in the dirt and they all stood there looking at and I yell " Throw Dirt on it! Throw dirt on it!", so Jordan grabbed a handful of dirt and threw it on the stoe and tada it was out. We sat back and retold the story from all perspectives, it was funny.

Wednesday we hiked a dry creek bed called Clear Creek, because the Narrows was closed. The creekbed was cool because it had narrow sections at times filled with water and only 5-6 feet wide. It was really cool.

Today we left and are on our way so thats Zion in review!

West Rim and Being Stranded

2006-05-16T22:49:00.000-04:00

Mark and I are currently in a internet cafe in Springdale while Jordan and Tim go get the car. What happened was, is we parked the car at Lava Point yesterday(and a ride waiting for us here in town), so we can do our short little overnight on the West Rim Trail. Anyways it stormed bad and we were a little late in arriving back into Zion and Springdale, so our ride ahd already gone home(far away), so we all stuck outside the park(we can only get back in for free in the car). So we have been here in town since about 3:30pm but we finally found a ride around 5, but we had to wait till 830. and Tim and Jordan are on the way now.

Pictures to come.

Also I turned off the feature where you ahd to be a registered user to make comments so comment away!

New Pictures

2006-05-14T22:07:00.000-04:00

Thanks to the Desert Pearl Inn for their Wifi.

There are some new pictures on the first album back on Facebook. There is a 60 picture capacity so not all the pictures are on there. This will probably be the last picture upload on the trip due to the hassle involved in dividng the photos.

Enjoy!
http://gsu.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2003515&l=6b6d7&id=105100662

Today we went to Angel's Landing in Zion. It was quite a hike. We gained 1,200 feet in 2 miles. Tomorrow we are leaving for our overnight trip in Zion on the West Rim Trail.

At Zion

2006-05-13T23:35:00.000-04:00

We finally made it into Zion today. We have a campsite till Thursday. Wahoo!
This place is awesome. Its pretty much the bottom of a canyon and has lots of trails and such. Sorry I cant post any pictures because Im using my phone as a dial-up modem.
We found a coffee shop in town with winternet so we try to get our pictures up here in the next few days.

At Zion (Phone)

2006-05-13T00:02:00.000-04:00

Done grand canyon. Outside zion camping because it was full in the park. Will move in tomorrow and day gild also.

Almost There...

2006-05-11T08:27:00.000-04:00

With a little less than 500 miles to go we are almost there, thankfully. We are currently sitting outside a Howard Johnson in New Mexico using their internet.

Here are some pictures of when we left Newnan. We have more pictures, but dont have time to upload them.

Enjoy!

Departure Pictures

And We Are Off...

2006-05-10T15:41:00.000-04:00

11:00am EDT We left Base Camp 1(aka Mark's House) in Newnan.
Made some stops in town and then we hit the road. Ran into some traffic leaving Georgia but it has been easy going since then. Tim is currently driving, but I am up next for driving in about 20 minutes when we enter Mississippi.

We are currently in the middle of nowhere in Northwest Alabama.
About 2 hours from Memphis where we are stopping for dinner at the Rendevous.

(Previous post was sent via email from my phone as a test.)

And we are off

2006-05-10T15:25:00.000-04:00

Been on the road about 3 hours now. Between birmingham and tupelo. Big update tonight.

2 Days...

2006-05-07T20:23:00.000-04:00

Well for me and Tim at least.

Anyways here are the finalized trip plans.

To the left you see our route out there and how we will get back. A more detailed map can be obtained by contacting me.

Fairly simple straight forward Interstate driving. Rougly 5,100 miles and 77 hours of driving.

This is the finalized itinerary for our trip. We used up our buffer days as rest days. However this thing is subject to change because stuff can change in a month.

Below the calender you will find our route for backpacking Yellowstone. It is not a very hard route but it is supposed to have some backcountry thermal attractions. It is 27 miles long but can be changed to 21 by going on the other side of the lake.

14,000 is just a number

2006-05-05T16:12:00.000-04:00

It seems as though the fates have conspired against our collective well being and put me in charge of planning the Colorado section of our trip. Below is the intended plan, but it may very well be changed. I am bringing along a guide book that has everything we would ever need to know about CO 14ers (Props to Billy and I hope he knows I still have his book) along with a bunch of other printouts (Kyle if you bring your computer and we have internet it would help us out a good bit). The proposed peaks to be climbed were selected by virtue of their relative proximity to I-70, the difficulty of the climb, their proximity to one another (allowing us to "double bag") the amount of persistent snow pack and ice remaining in early June, how cool looking they were, and finally by whether or not a dart found its way to the peak on the map I have in my room.

According to the itinerary that Kyle posted we have 6 climbing days in CO**. The general plan for this leg of our trip is to climb as many 14ers as we can while still making it enjoyable. Most days will require between 6-10 miles of hiking with an elevation gain of aprox. 4000ft. Different peaks will require a combo of hiking, light-moderate scrambling, and route finding. This will be a little different than backpack hiking, but I think we are up for the challenge. In order to avoid thunder storms we will have to start early...really early...like hit the trail at 4am early. This will suck for those of us not inclined to walking up before lunchtime, but the way I look at it we are not so much waking up early in the morning as waking up in the middle of the night. The plus side of this strategy is that we will be off the peak in time not to be electrocuted by lightning and we will be done by early afternoon. Some, if not all, days we will have to relocate our basecamp later that afternoon. This means we will likely camp in a new spot everynight (this is still being worked out). It will be hard at times (we should be in reasonable shape by then and pretty well acclimated), but well worth the experience and views. In all we will have climbed 10 mountains, across aprox. 48 miles, and gained over 23,000ft!

Day 1) Mt. Bierstadt 6.o miles. 2,770ft. Class 2
Day 2) Grey and Torrey combo. 8.2 miles. 3,600ft. Class 2
Day 3) Lincoln, Cameron, Bross, and Democrat combo ('The Decalibron"). 7.0 miles. 3,600 ft. Class 2
[Properly speaking we aren't "climbing" all these peaks, but rather climbing one and traversing. But who cares!]
Day 4) Mt. Elbert. 8.5 miles. 4,610 ft. Class 1 (easier climb up CO's tallest mountain! It should provide us with a little rest]
Day 5) La Plata peak 8.5 miles. 4,300 ft. Class 2+ (cool looking, toothy mountain)
Day 6) Castle Peak 10.0 miles. 4,500 ft. Class 2+ (Tough one, but looks really cool. Good mountain to end our trip on).

Again we can (and prob. will) change this plan as we see fit.

For more info check out:
http://www.summitpost.org/list/170916/colorado-14ers.html

and...

http://14ers.com/
http://14ers.com/14ermap.html
The above map shows all of the CO 14ers. Click on them to see more info.
(Note we may not be climbing the route listed on the Peak's page)

*I don't know how to post pics or maps else I would.

**According to Kyle's itinerary it looks as though we have an off day May 31st? If it is not I submit that it should be. How about we plan on getting to CO the 30th and get a cheap hotel room to rest after our backpacking leg. The subsequent day we can a) rest some more, b) get further acclimated at an altitude of around 10k ft., c) finalize our plans, and d) relocate to first camp. Sound feasible?

Food and Snow

2006-05-04T11:26:00.000-04:00

I did forget to mention somethings for gear:

Pots/Pans for Camping: ?
Pot (no not that kind, the metal kind) for Backpacking Boiling: ?
Bear Bag: ? (We can A. hang our packs or B. Collectively throw everything into one big bag.)

I think I may be able to get a pot or pan or both from my mom. Tim do you still have your perculator turned boling water pot?

As far as food goes, we can just grocery shop out there.

As far as individual gear bring what you want, but remember to bring rain gear and cold weather gear. We should face spring like conditions at the Grand Canyon for sure, but everywhere else we may show up in Winter or Spring. Jordan checked the weather and said the Tetons are supposed to get snow this week and we will be there in 3 weeks so I doubt much will change.

Oh yeah and a personal dry bag wouldnt be too bad of an idea either.

Also concerning backpacking food, we will make a stop at the Salt Lake City REI to purchase some freeze dried goodness (Save 10% when you buy 10). And to see what the recommend concerning bear bags and packs.

Group Gear List

2006-05-03T16:55:00.000-04:00

Here is the stuff we are going to need or already have for the trip:
- Backpacking Tent 1: Mark
- Backpacking Tent 2: Tim
- Backpacking Stove 1: Mark
- Backpacking Stove 2: Tim (via John W.)
- Water Filter 1: Mark
- Water Filter 2: Tim (via John W.)
- Camping Tent: Tim
- Camping Stove: Kyle
- Camping Lantern: Kyle
- Camping Cooler(s): Kyle, Mark, or Tim (depending on number of coolers needed)
- Tarps: Kyle
- Rope: Everyone (Bear Rope and Tarp Rope)
- Navigation Aids: Kyle
- Xterra: Tim
- Comedic Relief: Mark
- Twine for the World's largest Ball of Twine: Everyone

Are we forgetting anything?

7 Days...

2006-05-02T16:29:00.000-04:00

Today means there are 7 days till Kyle and Tim depart to Newnan to start our adventure. The real adventure with the entire team is 8 days away though.
This is our itinerary, it is complete except for the Colorado section. When Mark gets those details posted the itinerary will be complete.

The Adventures of Team Hump N' Run

2006-05-01T13:52:00.000-04:00

The Adventures of Team Hump N' Run
Just taking the Blog for a spin. By the end of this week I will have our plan for Colorado 14ers posted. I tried the ole backpacking stove last night and nearly exploded myself (this explains my absence from our chat). It seemed to be fine, albeit a little leaky. I may get the REI folks to look at it and make sure its ok. I submit we have a backup in case it explodes proper.

A Milestone In Our Trips

2006-05-01T00:12:00.000-04:00

if we can successfully pull this trip off without somebody dying, or falling off of a mountain, or any of a number of travesties occurring, this trip will go down in history as the biggest (to date) and craziest trip we have planned...so for anyone who reads this, keep your fingers crossed until our departure date.

2 Weeks....

2006-04-26T13:35:00.000-04:00

In what is probably the quickest thrown together and most random trip ever. It gets even better. We have agreed to visit the World's Largest Ball of Twine. It is located in the middle of no where in Kansas. This should be an ecperience in itself because we will be in the backcountry of Kansas (read middle of no where) for a couple hours while we travel to the Ball.

There was talk last night of maybe leaving May 6th to go ahead and get a head start. However Marks teacher decided to not be nice and make him take his exam on the 9th. So we are still on for the 10th. But I already got cleared to be off work from the 6th on(oops0 but it turns out to be for the better because now I have time to get a detailed itentary planned out and make sure I have all my gear so Im glad I jumped the gun.

Tim and I will travel to Newnan(Mark's house) on May 9th so that we may congregrate , check gear and other non-sense. We will leave at 10 or 11 the next morning and be on our way.

Oh yeah, and our foruth member is Jordan. He is Mark's friend. Tim and I do not know too much about him so here's hoping he does not eat us.

Also this blog is available for blogging by all Team HNR members but they are still figuring it out.

We're Going to the Rockies!

2006-04-23T18:44:00.000-04:00

Mark has just informed us that his friend (insert name here), has agreed to go with us on our adventure. This confirms our plans as eveyrthing hinged on a fourth team member. welcome aboard Mark's friend.
Let's kick the tires and light the fires, we are out of here in 18 days!!!

21 Days and Counting...

2006-04-19T23:33:00.000-04:00

3 weeks from today we are out of here.
Just making an edit to the map below that shows our driving route. I forgot to add Yellowstone to the directions because it is far far away from Jackon, WY.
The number of states jumps from 16 to 18 with the inclusion of Idaho and Montana.

Packing In Grand Teton

2006-04-18T21:50:00.000-04:00

This where we will hike in Grand Teton. We will hike up Paintbrush Canyon around the Tetons over to Death Canyon Shelf and hike out through the canyon. The total trip is around 34 miles. Ity should take around 4 days, but you never know with us.

Getting There (and back)

2006-04-18T21:36:00.000-04:00

Here is our driving route. We will log around 4,900 driving miles, and will pass through 18 states.

In the beginning....

2006-04-16T23:56:00.000-04:00

April 10th Timothy, Mark and Kyle decided not to settle for the same old same of the east coast but instead decided it would be better to go out west and see what danger lurks there.

On May 10th we will leave this state and travel to Grand Canyon, Zion, Grand Teton, and Yellowstone National Parks. We will also attempt to bag some 14,000 peaks, assuming we have not killed ourselves in the process. We will return 32 days later on June 10th, hopefully.

We will update this blog with more info in the next few weeks as we work out the kinks. We will also attempt to update this blog whilst on our journey, if we can find internet.