Reclaimed site! I'll try to post a few more stories. Still alive here in Jackson, WY

JH 500 presented by Jamis

How about a non motorized 500 miler? It took all summer, but finally eclipsed the 500 mile plateau on my mountain bike. Very few of these miles were on pavement, something that has distorted the mileage from years past. (Road miles are much easier than trail miles.) Elevation gain is the one factor un-accounted for. Maybe next summer I will track total hours on the bike...

On another note, this summer I successfully recruited both Sue and Buck Woodford into buying bikes. They had a blast on the bike trails in Jackson, and will attempt to replicate that feeling in Paris, KY. They have, and always will be, very adventurous souls.

GMAT Cat exam

Warning: This is a boring post, no paragliding, biking, hiking, kayaking, skiing or any other fun activity...

This post is about my good friend the GMAT Cat exam. Over the past few weeks I've dedicated all my time (outside of paragliding, etc) to studying for the standardized exam that will become a major component of any MBA application. At this point I'm still not sure about an MBA, but this is a mandatory step. The questions are not technically difficult, however the clock is always ticking and the questions are designed to be somewhat tricky. Typically I get a headache after five hours of studying. That is about all I can put towards this test per day.

Some interesting things that I've learned through this process.

1. I must have horrid grammar and general verbal skills as this portion of the test continues to haunt. Whatever happened to the bro brahh language? The folks at ETS obviously are not impressed...

2. The basic geometry class I took in ninth grade is the only math I can seem to remember. Go Ruth Liter...

3. Any distraction whatsoever, like cleaning the garage, seem to take precedence over the practice tests...

Free Flight x5

Last week was epic for the flying community here in Jackson. I flew five nights in a row, with over 2 hours of airtime between them. Locations were, believe it or not, High School Butte four times and Curtis Canyon once. Looks like the current cold front has moved on, and a great outlook for flying, biking and hiking this weekend.

Snow on the ground in Jackson!

First snowfall to stick to the valley floor happened this early morning. Jackson residents were treated to an inch of wet snow this morning, sticking to everything except for the streets. By mid morning most of the ground was clear, with nearby SnowKing mountain holding snow about halfway down it's slope. Thick clouds about 1000 feet above ground level (AGL) limited the view to the high peaks, but I suspect they have about six inches of fresh snow. When will see the first skiers of the year up on Glory Bowl? With more snow forecasted, I'll bet this week...

TGR's "The Tangerine Dream" premier in Teton Village

Teton Gravity Research unveiled it's tenth annual big mountain ski flick tonight at the Walk Festival Hall in Teton Village, WY. Perfect timing to get everyone excited about the upcoming ski season!!! As summer quickly fades into fall and the higher elevations begin to receive significant snowfall, it's time for the locals to finalize winter work plans (Pepi Stiegler Ski Shop for this kid) and squeeze in a few extra hikes to get the legs in shape again.

TGR always has a solid film, and the "Dream" is no exception. This flick emphasis the success of the four founders initial dream to start a film production company showcasing some of the best mountain / extreme sports athletes in the world. Right now TGR is still atop its game, and should be so for years to come. Grab your buddies and a cooler of beers and enjoy this one... Check their website for the film tour coming this fall.

25 mins of ridge soaring at High School Butte?

Wow, I was expecting the usual two minute sled ride down from HSB tonight, but the winds shifted from the south to the southwest and intensified a bit. Probably launching at about 13 mph, a true kiting launch, into somewhat gusty conditions. Winds were never too strong (maybe gusts up to 20mph), but consistent for soaring.

About five minutes into the flight I could finally concentrate on pinpoint steering my glider on every pass. I ended up becoming very comfortable with skimming only 10 to 15 feet above the ground, something new for this beginner pilot.

Thermals we kicking off at the base of the butte, just in front of the ridge soaring envelope. At my highest I was probably 300 feet above launch, something I've never witnessed at High School Butte. Made my week!

Buck and Karl head to Jackson.

Buck and "Crazy" Karl headed out west with some big ideas on their mind, such as rafting, mt. biking, lots of hiking, exploring Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, paragliding, mountain climbing and of course a few celebratory beverages. We lucked out on the weather, they caught the last good climbing day of the season! Karl, meticulious in nature, put together an awesome trip log, from which I have condensed and posted below.

jackson hole,wy 9/1/05-9/9/05

day 1:

Traditions never die. Even thought the pick-up time at Jackson Hole Airport was 10:30am, the cooler of beer was raided, however Karl and Buck had been up and headed to the Cincy airport at 2am mountain time. All good.

After a nice lunch at the Snake River Brewery, we headed towards Snow King mountain, a 1.6 mile hike with an elevation gain of 1600ft. The boys handled this one very well considering flying across the country and no time for acclimating themselves at altitude. After a moment of rest we headed out to Curtis Canyon for some paragliding. I took a few quick flights, and Buck tried (unsuccessfully) to kite my wing. He’ll be back…

day 2:

Buck and Karl rented some nice full suspension mountain bikes for a day of cranking up Teton pass. The climb is over three thousand feet to the top of Mt. Elly (the top of the pass is about 2200 ft climb). The climb took over three hours and we needed a break to re-fuel our bodies for the lengthy downhill ahead. My hardtail bike was at a disadvantage on the decent compared to buck and karl’s Cadillac style full suspension bikes. Next stop was the Stagecoach Bar and Grill at the base of the pass in Wilson for beers.

day 3:

Karl looked like a kid in a candy store at the annual Teton Village Labor Day ski shop sale. All the shops in the village marked last year’s gear down considerably. Karl picked up our Nordica SUV 14 180cm demo skis, much to the urging from me and Dave Dussalt. Nice pick Karl. Karl also found boots, poles, sandals and who knows what else. The best part was that I was “working for J.D.,” but really just walked around with Karl and Buck giving out advice at other stores. I still sold over $2000 that day, too bad we don’t work on commission. (Guess I need to become more of a slacker)

Nice round of entertainment this Saturday night. Started out at Dornan’s for pizza and beer, then took our game to the Teton County Rodeo, then a late night rendezvous at the Log Cabin Saloon. Late night of drinking to say the least…

day 4:

We slept in and missed our river trip with Barker-Ewing. Heather called and yelled at me, and we probably deserved the tongue lashing. But this was actually a good thing because the good folks at Jackson Hole Whitewater loaned us a couple two man duckies for no charge! We put in at West Table boat ramp on the Snake River, some 28 miles south of town, for some whitewater action. The water was cold, but we were prepared and had a blast through big kahuna rapid! Buck and Karl had so much fun they portaged back around and hit the rapid again. Meredith and I flipped in ropes rapid, the longest rapid on the river. We were of course freezing and the look in Meredith’s eyes had a hint of concern. Meredith lost a prized possession in the ordeal, her favorite UK ball cap. (you must please the river gods every now and then) Out west we don’t call the water cold, just refreshing.

day 5:

For a true high alpine skill test for Karl and Buck, we hiked the mountain road to the top of Rendezvous Bowl. With a steady slope the hike ascends 4,139 ft vertical over 7.2 miles. We took a small break for lunch at the top of the Thunder Chair, but arrived at the top of the tram in 3:15. Not bad for some flatlanders.

Willie Nelson Rocked the amphitheatre at the base of Snow King during the late afternoon. Man did he put on a show with all the classics and even a few Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings tunes. Best show Jackson has seen in some time.

day 6:

Yellowstone touring and camping was the agenda on day six. We drove through Grand Teton National Park to the south entrance of Yellowstone. With backcountry camping in mind, we stopped at the old faithful ranger station to obtain the required permit to camp at Ribbon lake, near the grand canyon of the Yellowstone. Stops on the way to the trailhead included, Old Faithful, Lewis canyon and falls, the Virginia cascades (where Karl and I stood in the water for over five minutes! Fun…) and the Firehole canyon. Nice country with Elk, Bison and Deer sightings on the way.

Our hiking outing was extended into the night due to shoddy directions from the friendly park ranger. He directed us to the longer trailhead, making our expected 2.3 mile hike into a six mile jaunt with 45lb packs on our backs. With this extra hiking time tacked onto our journey, we winded up hiking through sunset and into the night. It was pitch black for the last two miles, and Buck had inadvertently left the lantern at one of our rest sites, possibly a mile or so back. We decided that we best get going and sacrifice the lantern and follow the only light we had, my headlight. Finally an exhausted and somewhat frustrated crew showed up at our designated backcountry campsite and quickly set up tents. We cooked a few brats on my camp stove and downed a few beers (yes we did lug beers around!) next to a nice campfire and retired before 1am. I’m surprised the grizzly bears didn’t investigate Buck’s snoring. Beautiful night for star gazing, what a nice quiet spot.

day 7:

Plans called for an early departure from Yellowstone and to get a head start on our proposed climb of Buck mountain in Grand Teton National Park, but our plans (as usual) would have to change. After a lengthy drive back towards park headquarters in Moose, we were informed that our planned campsite was already taken, forcing us to change itinerary. Met up with my buddy Doug and the four of us decided to stay in the comforts of Jackson for the night and make an early attempt at a one day summit of Teewinot Mountain, elevation 12,325.

day 8:

Summit Day! 5am wakeup call, with gear already packed and loaded in the truck we were hiking before six am! Endless switchbacks took us to the top of the “Apex” trail, from where the hiking soon turns into dicey rock scrambling. With less than 500 vertical feet to the summit we knew we had met our match at “the narrows.” After some time discussing the proposed route, Karl took the lead and climbed out of our view on a steep slab. The next thing we hear is a disheartening “don’t follow my route” call from Karl. Buck, Doug and myself took the left channel, full of scree and loose basketball sized rocks. I knocked my forehead on a rock during the technical section of the channel, but we all made it through without injury. Wheww…

After the narrows we were able to siphon and filter some water from the permanent snowfield just below the summit. (The snowfield looked like it only had a few weeks left before it completely melted, but it did snow on the high peaks only days after our summit.) Free climbing to the summit, a narrow perch with several outcroppings made this a very unique setting. Teewinot means “peak with many summits” in a local Indian language, now we truly realize why. The “true” summit seemed like a boulder set on a pedestal with a very narrow rock ledge leading over. We decided we had enough exposure at the narrows and declined to test the 500 to 1000 foot drops on either side. Amazing views of the north face of the Grand Teton, only 1400 feet higher at 13,770. Words cannot begin to describe the tremendous beauty of the Teton mountain range, especially from this unique vantage point. Of course this mountain made me feel very small and vulnerable, I’m glad Doug, Karl, Buck and myself got to share this moment.

The trip took six hours to the summit, and another fiver for the treacherous down climb (that was scarier in some spots that the ascent). We all drained our water supplies and our energy was completely sapped. What a monumental outing for this kid, we celebrated with the infamous artichoke dip at dornan’s and a few well deserved lagers. I was sore for almost a week…

day 9:

All things come to an end as they say, but Buck and Karl had a very memorable trip they likely will not forget anytime soon. For myself, well I’m the lucky one, I get to life this lifestyle forever. Wow, freedom is such an empowering idea. Buck, Karl, we’ll see you back out here this winter…sick.

Barker Ewing River trip on the house.

Free trip down the whitewater section of the Snake River, while getting paid? Only in Jackson...

Lake Lockengren, August 19-21, 2005

What better than a weekend with the Schardt family in southwestern Ohio. I took the early flight from Salt Lake City to Cincy and had a wonderful day in KY to start the trip off right!

I haven't hung out with the Schardt family (Mom's side of the crew) since I left for Denver four years ago. All of the kids are growing up fast as always.

By Sunday my body was destroyed be all the hours of water skiing, wake boarding, tubing, swimming and riding the jet skis. Man what a great time, now back to reality in Teton County, Wyoming.

Maybe a boat will be in the near future...

Weightless Experience.

Today I had the first "weightless" experience while paragliding. After a nice takeoff and about 20 mins into the flight I suddenly and violently got thrown to the right and then to the left. After this outburst I was basically thrown out of this turbulence into rapidly lifting air and was eventually thrown out of the lift. At this point the lines between myself and my glider were limp, not a good scenario. I felt like I was weightless for a moment and then reality set in, first the right wing tip collapsed started to recover, and then the left wingtip collapsed. Both wingtips recovered and I decided to turn towards the valley (I was still basically already over the valley) and head towards the landing zone (lz) hoping for some clean air. Another spot landing, and some anxiety relieved. I'm beginnging to gain my "bump tolerance" according to my old instructors...

Glory Bowl to Ski Lake, two flights and Copper Hitchhiking...

Morning Tram and evening Curtis Canyon paragliding flights. Launched successfully in the strongest conditions that I have ever attempted this morning from Rendezvous Bowl, quite a sensation. Nice 25 min flight with a few turbulent spots, but overall pleasant with a spot landing.

The hike of the week was only seven miles, but across part of the picturesque skyline of Jackson Hole. Glory Bowl, the gem of Teton Pass skiing, was the entry point of our hike. After driving to the top of the pass, we embarked on the 1800 ft hike to the top of the bowl. Soon after we were committed to the hike (past the logical point of no return), dark clouds began to form and thunder became a reality. Lightning trips me out...

Nonetheless we continued on to ski lake and the shelter of lower elevations. We were snowed on at one point, but that blew over quickly and we were able to navigate through the talus slopes and again find the trail. Ski lake was nice, and the hike back to Phillips pass trailhead was of no consequence. The last step was to catch a ride back to the top of the pass with myself, Meredith and Copper. No problem in fantastic Jackson Hole...

Mtn. Road Hike followed by N. Mississippi All-stars concert

Another long hike up the mountain road at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort is rewarded by some country blues from the North Mississippi All-Stars at the infamous Mangy Moose Saloon in Teton Village.

The All-Stars put on a solid show with the bass player probably losing ten pounds of sweat. Glad I wasn't driving home that night...

HSB flight / Night at the Silver Dollar Bar

A nice simple minor ridge soaring flight from High School Butte tonight followed up with a nice evening of music, wings and drinks at the Silver Dollar Bar.

This was my first solo paragliding flight from High School Butte. With only a 15 min hike, HSB is an easily accessible launching site, but wit only 400 feet of vertical you would hope to ridge soar to make the trip worthwhile.

The Wort Hotel, home to the Silver Dollar Bar, was the destination of the night. Steampowered Airplane laid down some solid bluegrass tunes as the crew sucked down many, many cocktails. So much fun that the party continued throughout the night and ended up at the Rancher, which is never a good idea. Man did I have fun working at 7am the next morning!

Teewinot Attempt...

Today the annoying alarm clock started buzzing at 4am. Well no mistake, Meredith and I were set to drive up to Grand Teton National Park and climb Mt. Teewinot. Elevation 12,350.

With Ice Axes, Crampons and Trekking poles in hand we set off from the trailhead to Amphitheatre Lake at 6:30am. We were well prepared for almost any weather mother could toss our way. The cool morning air had us starting with fleece tops and long pants, which soon gave way to polyester tee-shirts and hiking shorts in the afternoon sun. Temps reached up to the 90's on this beautiful day.

The hiking was steep and steady with over 15 switchbacks to navigate. At about six miles and 4500 ft vertical we reached the very beautiful Amphitheatre Lake. The lake sits at the top of an approach to the Grand Teton. The reflection of this monolithic mountain peak in the lake is a very special treat.

From Amphitheatre lake Meredith and I hiked towards the northwest and around to see the northeast saddle, our line to the summit. The trail disappeared into rock scrambling very quickly, with 400 foot cliffs along the northern wall. Pretty scary scene! We decided to turn around at this point and make another attempt on the east face later in the summer.

On the hike down, we encountered many out of breath ascenders and some cool wildlife, including ptarmigan and mule deer. Out of breath and water at 4pm back at the trailhead, we decided to lick our wounds over a pitcher of Snake River Lager at Dornan's. What a day.

Mountain Road Record.

Today riding the wind with my paraglider was out of the question, so since I was already in Teton Village why not break my own hiking record up Rendezvous Bowl? My existing record was two hours and twenty mins up the 7.2 mile, 4137 ft vertical climb. This would be a testament to my summer conditioning plan.

I packed 100 oz. Of water, a turkey sandwich and a Nature Valley "Oat's n Honey" granola bar. The hike started out at about 10am, at the Bridger Center, with temps in the mid to upper 80's. For Wyoming that is hot! The pace was fast, very fast at first. Only 45 mins to the Casper restaurant, and then one hour and twenty-five to the top of the Thunder Chair. But then the wall! I felt my lungs working a little faster to keep oxygen flowing and my legs inadvertently were slowing. I knew I needed to take it a little easier the rest of the way or risk over-exertion, something I aim to avoid at higher elevations.

Despite the wall, I did indeed break my personal best. New record 2hrs. 15mins. Buck and Karl are you ready?

The Woodfords enjoy summer in Jackson!

Sue and Buck Woodford had to see firsthand all the action beauty associated with northwestern Wyoming. The weather actually decided to cooperate pretty much the entire trip, with a few windy nights as some small fronts moved through the area. Jackson Hole is know for its abundant and intense action sports and athletes, Sue and Buck got to live the dream for about 100 hours...

7-20 Sue and Buck arrive at Jackson Hole airport.

7-21 Drive to Teton Village in the morning to check out the paragliding scene. No flying for us today, but both Mom and Dad are convinced they can and will fly tandem on Sunday. Next stop is the Wilson beach for some Snake river swimming with miss Copper and Meredith.

The balance of the day is spent driving through Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone. We have covered a lot of miles today and end up at the Old Faithful Snow lodge for the evening. Nice meal at the historic Old Faithful Inn. (Sue, Meredith and me at Lewis Falls)

7-22 Yellowstone exploration continues as we witness a successful Coyote hunt a field mouse and a Buffalo walking down the road. We hiked down to the ever impressive lower falls in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. The Lower Falls are over 308 feet high, more than twice the height of Niagara Falls. The Yellowstone River has a very beautiful emerald green shade this time of year.

The evening ends with my 42nd solo paragliding flight from Curtis Canyon upon our return to Jackson.

7-23 Learning to fly fish. My good friend Josh and his buddy Ken had the patience to teach four green fishermen. After an hour and a half of casting in the yard, we tried our hands on arguable the most spectacular float in the country, from Deadmans Bar to Moose on the Snake River. This 11 mile section rolls right in front of the most spectacular peaks of the Teton range, including The Grand, Teewinot, Cloudveil Dome and of course one of my personal favorites...Buck Mountain. We all got skunked, but we witnessed an Osprey catch his own dinner only 100 yards away.

7-24 Tandem Paragliding for the Woodford crew. Awesome day to ride the tram up to tower three, download, lay-out and launch. Wind was flat, so running was a requirement to launch, and nobody meant more business than Buck Woodford IV! Thanks pops, A for effort but style points are lacking...Just kidding.

What a trip guys, see you in a few weeks in KY...

Wilson Bridge with Copper.

Copper is now a swimmer! She sucessfully swam across the right channel of the Snake River at the Wilson bridge for over three hours.

Largest Moose Ever...

Hiked the mountain road to the top of the tram with Meredith today and saw the largest bull moose I've ever seen. We ended up walking into the Ampitheatre ski run to navigate around and get above the foraging moose. A mountain biker ended up running him down the trail, right where we were only five minuites before! Would have been bad news if we had not moved. Who the heck runs off wildlife in the middle of the hot ass day? Jackass biker...

After the hike we went over to Dornan's in the Grand Teton National Park for some snacks and a drink. Winds were howling today, aprox, 40 mph on the top of Rendezvous Peak and 25-30mph in the valley.

Wind Direction = West

Tonight a few minor ridge soaring flights out at Curtis Canyon. Never above launch in altitude, but probably more than four minuites of airtime each. Curtis is the "training hill" so of course the familiarity lets me throw some high banked turns in there for good measure. Both times great take-offs and landings.

Broke down and bought new clipless pedals for the mountain bike today. Each pedal has a cleateated binding on each side, and of course I had broken both clips on the left pedal. No matter, it was time for some new pedals. Nice five mile doubletrack ride up Cache Creek trail to test my new purchase. Sweet...

Another Day in Paradise...

Today was another exceptional day for outdoor recreation in Jackson Hole. It all started with a 9:00am tram ride with paraglider in tow to the summit of Rendezvous Bowl to check out the flying conditions. After noticing the consistant crossing winds from the southwest, we decided to take the tram down to tower three, our more consistant morning launching spot. Winds were coming straight up at T3, and luanch was on...

Probably a 15 minuite sled ride, 3500 vertical feet. Threw in a few 360's and only one steep banked turn and then headed for the landing zone. About half way down I get this euphoric sensation when I realize that I'm dangling a few thousand feet off the ground, only held up by 24 lines attached to a nylon wing (call it a glorified tarp). Sweet Landing.

Next part of the day was to hike the mountain road for the first time this summer season. Distance =7.2 miles, Elevation gain = 4137 feet. The hike is pretty sweet, crossing AV to the Casper Restraunt (Where the new Crystal Springs chair will take you next winter!) over to Ampitheatre to the top of Thunder chair, across to the bowl and then up to Corbet's Cabin for some rest and finally tram ride back down. Most people I encountered on the trail took the tram up and hiked down, most of them will realize the strain that puts on their knees in the next few days. Saw a yellow bellied marmot sunning himself at about 9500 feet. Time 2 hours 35 minuites, more that 15 minuites longer than my time record. Next week...

Finally to cap off the day I hiked up High School Butte with my paraglider, kited for 30 minuites, and then hucked off the hill for a quick flight down. After all that I needed a beer.