Craig Constantine

Red Rocks →

Published August 17, 2014 · All posts on Aug 17

5,780ft . Pretty easy walk up, with this awesome liitle rock formation at top.

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Louisville Colorado →

Published August 17, 2014 · All posts on Aug 17

Almost to Boulder. Spent the night — after some epic delays in Allentown, missed connections, missed standby, and terminal hussle in Chicago — in Louisville Co. Caught up with Mike; dinner, beer, and probabaly the last/only night under a roof. Sorted all my gear out this morning, and Mike’s leaving me the van for today. Couple stops, then off to try a trail hike to see how this “thin air” really works out.

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packed →

Published August 16, 2014 · All posts on Aug 16

33lbs in the backpack (in the sea bag, for airline check luggage), 9lbs in the little pack for carryon.

All of this, comes out of those two little bags. A couple days before I left for Colorado, Mike and I set up a video call to do a gear shake-down. I started with the two packed bags, and then unpacked everything.

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Photo gallery for this series →

Published August 15, 2014 · All posts on Aug 15

This post presents a gallery of ALL images in this series. You can click on any to enlarge; you can even click on the first, sit back, and it’ll run them all as a slide show. The gallery is dynamic so it will automatically grow as I add more posts to this series.

Red Rocks trail leading up from the Mt Sanitas trailhead. from Red Rocks – photos update

First glimpse of the flatirons (on the horizon) as you crest the Red Rocks trail. from Red Rocks – photos update

The Red Rocks formation; A small prominence at the top of the trail. from Red Rocks – photos update

View of the first flatiron from atop the Red Rocks. from Red Rocks – photos update

Looking back down the trail from atop the rocks. from Red Rocks – photos update

Looking up at the first pitch I would ever climb. from First Flatiron – photo update

Mike at the first belay; My view of my first pitch ever. from First Flatiron – photo update

Me, looking at the first piece of rock, on the first day climbing outside. from First Flatiron – photo update

Me starting up my first pitch. from First Flatiron – photo update

At the summit at 12:30am Exhausted, but still joking. from First Flatiron – photo update

Mike (silhoutte), me and a wee bit of Boulder. from First Flatiron – photo update

View of the rope slung from the granite block on the left, across the creek to the tree. from Cascade Crag, Boulder Canyon

View of Cascade Crag. from Cascade Crag, Boulder Canyon

Picking and preparing gear. from Cascade Crag, Boulder Canyon

Me hooking onto the rope. from Cascade Crag, Boulder Canyon

Foot bridge over the creek with Mike pointing out the route. from Wind Ridge climb in Eldorado Canyon

Easy! …or at least, it sure looks easy in the guide book. from Wind Ridge climb in Eldorado Canyon

A Clif Bar with an image of a climber, image taken by a climber on a cliff. o.O from Wind Ridge climb in Eldorado Canyon

Mike taking in the view from the top as we started some down climbing to get to the rappel point. from Wind Ridge climb in Eldorado Canyon

That pool waaaay over there sure looks inviting. from Wind Ridge climb in Eldorado Canyon

A view of the route during the approach. from Wind Ridge climb in Eldorado Canyon

I was quite pleased to march right past this sign! from Wind Ridge climb in Eldorado Canyon

Craig coming up onto a belay point. from Wind Ridge climb in Eldorado Canyon

The “Wind Ridge” route from Wind Ridge climb in Eldorado Canyon

The “Edge of Time” from The Edge of Time (5.9 R)

from Best Beginner Climb in the Solar System

The Flatirons of Boulder Colorado from Best Beginner Climb in the Solar System

Mike lost in thought. (Probably was a girl off to the right.) from Best Beginner Climb in the Solar System

Walkers (climber wanna-bes) beware! from Best Beginner Climb in the Solar System

Some people simply scramble all the way up without safety gear! This is not mike nor me. from Best Beginner Climb in the Solar System

Up up up ever upward. from Best Beginner Climb in the Solar System

Slip slabbin away…. easy climbing, but the slope is endless. from Best Beginner Climb in the Solar System

View looking back down the slab from the first belay. from Best Beginner Climb in the Solar System

Huge cleft in the top of the flatiron. from Best Beginner Climb in the Solar System

Mike’s belay perch when I reached the summit. from Best Beginner Climb in the Solar System

Edge of the world at the top of the first rappel. from Best Beginner Climb in the Solar System

A view from the top looking south. from Best Beginner Climb in the Solar System

Down this is considered a “walk off.” Class three approach terrain. from Best Beginner Climb in the Solar System

Coming down into Estes on route 7. from Drive to Estes Park

Almost like an open prairie north of boulder. from Drive to Estes Park

Road trip to Lumpy Ridge! from Drive to Estes Park

The back of the van. “Here be climbers!” from Drive to Estes Park

On top of route 7 we got a spectacular view of Long’s peak, and the famouse “diamond”. from Drive to Estes Park

Estes Park is nestled in a valley surrounded by mountains and granite. A climber’s paradise! from Drive to Estes Park

Portrait of a climber from Sport Climbing at Mary’s Lake

The approach to Jurassic Park from Lily Lake

Our first glimpse of Left Hand Rock. from Left Hand rock, Dinosaur Rock (Tues 26th)

Looking up the ravene at Index Toe on Dinosaur’s Foot. from Left Hand rock, Dinosaur Rock (Tues 26th)

Middle Toe (5.9— **) is a nearly vertical, blank wall. from Left Hand rock, Dinosaur Rock (Tues 26th)

Mike untieing after making Dark Days look easy. from Left Hand rock, Dinosaur Rock (Tues 26th)

Looking up Dark Days (5.8) from Left Hand rock, Dinosaur Rock (Tues 26th)

From the bottom of Middle Toe, looking at an easier line to the right. from Left Hand rock, Dinosaur Rock (Tues 26th)

Index Toe (5.8 *) straight up this keel. from Left Hand rock, Dinosaur Rock (Tues 26th)

Index Toe in the foreground, with Left Hand Rock behind/downhill. from Left Hand rock, Dinosaur Rock (Tues 26th)

from Left Hand rock, Dinosaur Rock (Tues 26th)

Mike’s view from Middle Toe. from Left Hand rock, Dinosaur Rock (Tues 26th)

Sloggin’ up the approach at about 7,500′. from Left Hand rock, Dinosaur Rock (Tues 26th)

A better view of Dark Days showing the slope. from Left Hand rock, Dinosaur Rock (Tues 26th)

Along the Edge of Time from The Edge of Time (Tue 26th)

The Flatirons are visible to the right (south) as you drive into Eldo. from Eldorado Canyon

Eldo is a surprisingly tight canyon, with the tiny village of Eldorado Springs nestled at the entrance. from Eldorado Canyon

…and far above is the leader, “hauling up his second.” from Eldorado Canyon

There are four climbers in the photo. from Eldorado Canyon

On the left route, here’s one at the bottom, just getting started… from Eldorado Canyon

Looking out of the canyon; That’s a foot trail, the road is down/deeper out of sight. from Eldorado Canyon

Looking into the canyon; The road, with the Bastile obscured to the left. from Eldorado Canyon

…and center, with Mike for scale. from Eldorado Canyon

Note the same block, lower-center… from Eldorado Canyon

Staring straight up at the Bastile from the middle of the dirt road. from Eldorado Canyon

Looking back out of the park, towards the foot bridge to the south side. from Eldorado Canyon

View from Einstein Bros Bagels! from More photos from the Flatirons (Aug 21)

View from within the park (3 is leftmost). from More photos from the Flatirons (Aug 21)

View as you approach, before getting into the trees. from More photos from the Flatirons (Aug 21)

from More photos from the Flatirons (Aug 21)

High above Boulder from More photos from the Flatirons (Aug 21)

from More Flagstaff Road Photos (Aug 23)

Boulder and the tip of Flatiron #1 from More Flagstaff Road Photos (Aug 23)

A volcano in Colorado? from Heading to Estes Park (Aug 25)

Closeup of The Diamond on Long’s Peak. from Heading to Estes Park (Aug 25)

from More photos from Jurassic Park (Aug 26)

Links to the full size, wide panorama. from More photos from Jurassic Park (Aug 26)

Deer Ridge buttress in Rocky Mountain National Park from 24 hour challenge prep

Cooking dinner in a hurry (this is bear country) as night falls. from 24 hour challenge prep

Deer Mountain calling us from our campsite from 24 hour challenge prep

Pre-dawn approach from Deer Ridge (aug 28)

The base of Deer Ridge from Deer Ridge (aug 28)

Sunrise from Stagway on Deer Ridge from Deer Ridge (aug 28)

Sunrise on Deer Ridge from Deer Ridge (aug 28)

Just a few more feet to the top from Organ Pipes (aug 29)

Climbing in epic Eldorado canyon from Red Garden Wall (aug 30)

Perfect dihedral at the top of the route from Red Garden Wall (aug 30)

Mike the mountain troll perched at the top of a route from Bolder Slab (sep 1)

A classic route hidden in a side canyon from Hawk-Eagle Ridge (sep 2)

The power to destroy →

Published August 15, 2014 · All posts on Aug 15 · Quotes

For each person there is a sentence – a series of words – which has the power to destroy them.
~ Philip K. Dick

Elsewhere, this is 4a304. — slipbox

Virtuous. Wise. Bold. →

Published August 9, 2014 · All posts on Aug 9 · Quotes

The way of a superior man is three-fold: Virtuous, he is free from anxieties; Wise, he is free from perplexities; Bold, he is free from fear.
~ Confucius

Elsewhere, this is 4a186. — slipbox

Insist upon it →

Published August 3, 2014 · All posts on Aug 3 · Motivation, Quotes

People universally tend to think that happiness is a stroke of luck, something that will maybe descend upon you like fine weather if you are fortunate enough. But that’s not how happiness works. Happiness is the consequence of personal effort. You fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it, and sometimes even travel around the world looking for it.
~ Elizabeth Gilbert

Elsewhere, this is 4a145. — slipbox

Ready servant of his mind →

Published July 28, 2014 · All posts on Jul 28 · Quotes

A man is one whose body has been trained to be the ready servant of his mind; Whose passions are trained to be the servants of his will; Who enjoys the beautiful, loves truth, hates wrong, loves to do good, and respects others as himself.
~ John Ruskin

Elsewhere, this is 4a55. — slipbox

Hit it harder →

Published July 22, 2014 · All posts on Jul 22 · Quotes

At the end, when your legs are tired
and your arms are giving out,
GET ANGRY.
Get angry that you are tired.
THEN HIT IT HARDER.
~ unknown

Elsewhere, this is 4a109. — slipbox

Two questions →

Published July 16, 2014 · All posts on Jul 16 · Quotes

There are two questions a man must ask himself: The first is, “Where am I going?” and the second is, “Who will go with me?” If you ever get these questions in the wrong order you are in trouble.
~ Sam Keen

Elsewhere, this is 4a187. — slipbox