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Steve and I travel across the United States teaching sustainable trailbuilding, and although it might seem like a 24/7 job, it’s not. Our weekends are approximately Monday afternoon to Wednesday, so on those days, we try to take the scenic route. Instead of the interstates, we veer off the beaten path to check out what doesn’t get checked out too often. It’s pretty funny chatting with park rangers whose parks don’t get visited too much – they’re very eager to share information! So far we’ve seen some hidden gems of the American landscape that we would have likely never otherwise seen had it not been for this little book (thanks Mom!) and our trusty IMBAru – she likes adventures, too. It’s easy for us to think that Boulder is the center of the world, but every place is unique in its own right, and so far, so very different from

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Since Steve and I left Boulder on January 19, we spent the next 33 days learning everything we would need to know in order to become trailbuilding professionals. We traveled to or through 6 states – Colorado, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas – and logged over 2,700 miles on the IMBAru. In a nutshell, and to paraphrase McDonald’s, we’re lovin’ it. The only damper so far had nothing to do with IMBA, but rather, a young man joyriding in a borrowed Cadillac Escalade and effectively totaling our IMBAru, three days into the job. This happened in snowy and icy Prescott, Arizona. The whole situation was a bummer, as it impeded our quality training time, but after a quick jaunt back up to Denver, we were able to pick up right where we left off in Prescott. Although wintry weather (snow, rain, hail, sleet, wind, mud, you name it) did

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Published on November 11, 2009, by in LISTS.

It’s perfect movie season. However, I won’t go to a movie if I have a bad feeling about it. Chances, are, it won’t be good and I’ll have remorse about paying to spend time in a human popcorn box. I’m not afraid to trust Rotten Tomatoes for movies. Adam Smith believed that we should maximize everyone’s expertise; this includes movie critics. If all the movie critics in the U.S. like a movie, chances are, I will too. I find that if a movie is above 78%, it will be good and I will like it. If a movie is anywhere between 53% and 77%, the movie is probably good, but has some weird elements that turn off some critics. I use personal judgment when deciding to see this movie. If those weird elements are up my alley, I will enjoy the flick. The weird element in “Where the Wild Things

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Published on November 10, 2009, by in LISTS.

Here are the 11 major attributes of leadership from Napoleon Hill’s book titled “Think and Grow Rich”, which was originally released in the 1930’s. 1. Unwavering courage (self-confidence) 2. Self control (sets a mighty example for one’s followers) 3. Keen sense of justice (critical in gaining the respect of one’s followers) 4. Definiteness of decision (the leader who wavers in his decisions shows that he/she is unsure of himself/herself) 5. Definiteness of plans (must plan work and work plan) 6. Habit of doing more than paid for (doing more than one requires of your followers) 7. Pleasing personality (leadership calls for respect) 8. Sympathy and understanding 9. Mastery of detail 10. Willingness to assume full responsibility (even for the mistakes and shortcomings of one’s followers) 11. Cooperation

 
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This summer I think we’re going to stick around Colorado, save for a few domestic trips, and take care of some crazy adventures that have been on our list. Notably: – 4-pass loop hike in the Maroon Bells- Mountain biking from Aspen to Crested Butte (via Pearl Pass)- Mountain bike trip to Moab, and to Fruita- Hiking 3+ TBD 14′ers to keep up with our yearly quota- Cycle to New Belgium Brewery in Fort Collins- Backpack in the San Juans (maybe after Tayler’s graduation from Fort Lewis in May)- Backpack the Aldo Leopold Wilderness around the NM/TX border- Backpack the Picketwire Canyonlands (CO)- Bike over McClure Pass (outside of Carbondale)- Backpack Paria Canyon (CO)- Hike Mt. Sopris (CO)- Visit the Roan Plateau before it becomes a huge gas station And more, I’m sure! We’ll take a trip to the farm in Illinois, head to the East Coast for a long

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Last ski season, I think I got in about 25 days. Mostly at Copper and Aspen area, with a few days at Winter Park and Crested Butte. After next Monday, I will have 14 days. I’m trying to do the math. Am I on track for another 25 days? I think that 25 days is respectable, what with a full time job, graduate courses, a flock of chickens to which to tend, and an otherwise booming (maybe a step below booming) social life. Right? These are my ski days so far this year. I’m very excited about visiting Scott in Alta, UT this weekend for a 3-day powderfest. 1. Copper 12/6/08 2. Winter Park 12/14/08 3. Snowmass 12/25/08 4. Copper 12/27/08 5. Copper 1/3/09 6. Copper 1/4/09 7. Copper 1/11/09 8. Snowmass 1/17/09 9. Copper 1/25/09 10. Snowmass 2/7/09 11. Highlands 2/8/09 12. 13. 14. Alta woohoo Why Copper so

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Published on February 6, 2009, by in LISTS.

1. I will not be tempted to write a “25 random things about me” note just because everyone else is doing it. 2. If you want to know 25 things about me, pick up the phone. I’ll get back to you within 25 days. 3. Social media is ridonk sometimes and pushes the limits of social acceptability. 4. I’m not really interested in your list. 5. Since I am writing this list, does this mean that I am writing 25 random things about me? 6. Do you REALLY care to read this, or are you just comparing it with yourself? 7. If I had 5 more digits, I would have 25 digits. 8. There are 25 ways that I will say that I don’t want to write a 25 things list. 9. This one time, I turned 25 years old. 10. This other time, I ate 25 m&m’s. 11. There

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Steve and I enrolled in an Avalanche Awareness Class with the Colorado Mountain Club. We’re members of the CMC, but this is our first actual participation with it. We spend a bit of time in the backcountry, and want to both spend more time and be safe about it. We had two classroom lectures on avalanches and will have our field day tomorrow (Saturday). Going into the class, I didn’t think too much about what the class would cover aside from my main priority, not dying in the wilderness. That would be awesome. So to me, not dying in the wilderness with respect to avalanches means either not getting caught in one, or figuring out how to survive one, and I had a preconception that the latter would be the focus of our class. I obviously didn’t put much thought into it. The class spent about 10 minutes covering what

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Published on January 15, 2009, by in FOOD, LISTS.

I like to cook. I also like efficiency and maximizing time spent actually enjoying cooking rather than using the wrong tool for a job and getting frustrated. Off the top of my head, these are some of my favorite and most versatile tools: – Peeler – not just for vegetables! Cheese, spices, chocolate. – Mini-chopper and grinder – for garlic, spices, herbs, sauces, emulsifying. – Lemon juicer – I don’t care what Mark Bittman says, it’s easier this way. – A good paring knife and a good butcher knife – most knives are unfortunately one-dimensional. For good results either of these two usually does the trick. – Plastic cutting boards – and lots of them! – One other thing I like to do is have all of my oils/vinegars/sauces, and all of my spices very clearly displayed. This way, I am aware of all the ingredients I have at my

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Published on January 14, 2009, by in LISTS, MUSIC.

Pandora is free. It helps me get through the day, depending on my mood and the work I have to do, unless I’m writing something long for work, or editing a document. Some of my favorite Pandora stations are: – Bob Marley (a nice reggae mix) – Kings of Leon (good for long projects, quiet) – Katy Perry (sometimes some crappy pop music makes me chuckle – I like this one because you at times get Britney and other stuff, but sometimes you get genuine good vocalists and artists) – Feist (although I have to skip through the 1234 children’s song) – The Beta Band (thoughtful, mellow) – John Butler Trio (one of my favorite bands) – Jack Johnson – Paco de Lucia (salsa-type, fun to listen to) – Manu Chao – A Tribe Called Quest I try to pick bands or artists of the general musical persuasion that I’d

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