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Old Colorado  Noah (left) and Millz putting in work History is heavy. It permeates the places we live. You can feel that weight driving up the Oak Creek Grade before the gnarled oaks give way to pine. Looking out your window over the high plains, you can imagine the scene where 200 years ago, 800 Spanish troops trapped the fearless Comanche chief Cuerno Verde and his eldest son in an arroyo and cut them down. Cuerno Verde’s father had suffered the same fate a decade before, m

The best possible bang-for-the-buck impact on our local winter economy. Back in the early 2000’s, I was fresh out of the Army and starting college. I scraped together a few bucks, bought a discounted pair of Scarpa boots and two mismatched straight-shaft tools from a clearance rack, and headed up to Silver Cascade. My little 92 Nissan pickup only had rear wheel drive, so I had to drive it like I stole it to get up the steep grade. Ranger Ron happened to be suiting up in the p

e·thos- noun. the characteristic spirit of a culture, era, or community as manifested in its beliefs and aspirations. The truth will find you when you’re ready. My first trip to Alaska didn’t go as planned. But not for lack of trying. I trained harder than I had for anything in my life. And that was part of the problem. Weekly incline four-peats with a sixty-pound pack, projecting hard routes in the ghetto tunnels in the evenings after work, and of course, twelve-hour-plus da

e·thos- noun. the characteristic spirit of a culture, era, or community as manifested in its beliefs and aspirations. I’ve worked second jobs since high school. Even when I was enlisted in the Army, I spent most weekends working somewhere. Cleaning bathrooms at the PX, late-night security at Denny’s, and on and on. For fifteen years, I moonlighted as a part-time climbing guide. It complemented my full-time gig as a public school teacher, which left weekends and summers wide o