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About

IMG_4020.HEIC

When I'm not working, I'm biking, running, climbing, and skiing my way around my home state of Colorado. I live in the wonderful community of Durango, Colorado which lends itself to the adventures below.

For all the Wiminuche nerds! This year I completed a years old objective of entering the main Wiminuche Wilderness from all of the western drainages on the east of the Animas River. This remote and mysterious part of the world continues to inspire hours of staring at maps and days of type 2 fun in the mountains. I have never seen an analysis like this, so I wanted to break down my experience in each of these drainages, which each present unique challenges and beauties.

Pic 1: a view of the drainages from the summit of North twilight.

Pic 2: the Northernmost of these drainages is Elk Creek. The trail is bomber and easy to follow. This early trip with Dill into the high country near-ish Hunchback pass made me fall in love with the Weminuche. Good for accessing the north end of Vallecito Creek and the many remote mountains at that end of the wilderness.

Pic 3: Vestal Creek is a steep easy to follow trail that holds the famous Wham Ridge, the Trinities, etc. You’ll find stunning mountains and probably some crowds. For the remainder of the routes, I have never seen anyone other than my own party.

Pic 4: This is where the fun starts. Tenmile Creek is best accessed from Molas, and then traveling for ~7 miles along the train tracks before crossing the river. The trail is basically non-existent. Lots of downed trees make travel so slow as to be mentally exhausting. Adam and Kyle got stung by those bees that spring out of the ground as we waded through deep thorny underbrush before being rewarded by Balsam Lake, perhaps the most beautiful alpine lake I have seen anywhere.

Pic 5: Gerry Roach calls No Name basin the most beautiful place in Colorado, and I don’t disagree. It’s probably one of the hardest places to get to in the state, about ~20 miles from the Purgatory Flats trailhead. A group of us (Cam, Hannah, Tory, Erika, Colin) used it to access Jagged Peak. We were unable to find a trail for about 6 hours of treacherously steep, slow hiking, and again we were stung by bees. The upper basin is truly spectacular. I wished I could set up camp there and stay for a week or two or three.

Pic 6: More of No Name.

More in comments.

For all the Wiminuche nerds! This year I completed a years old objective of entering the main Wiminuche Wilderness from all of the western drainages on the east of the Animas River. This remote and mysterious part of the world continues to inspire hours of staring at maps and days of type 2 fun in the mountains. I have never seen an analysis like this, so I wanted to break down my experience in each of these drainages, which each present unique challenges and beauties.

Pic 1: a view of the drainages from the summit of North twilight.

Pic 2: the Northernmost of these drainages is Elk Creek. The trail is bomber and easy to follow. This early trip with Dill into the high country near-ish Hunchback pass made me fall in love with the Weminuche. Good for accessing the north end of Vallecito Creek and the many remote mountains at that end of the wilderness.

Pic 3: Vestal Creek is a steep easy to follow trail that holds the famous Wham Ridge, the Trinities, etc. You’ll find stunning mountains and probably some crowds. For the remainder of the routes, I have never seen anyone other than my own party.

Pic 4: This is where the fun starts. Tenmile Creek is best accessed from Molas, and then traveling for ~7 miles along the train tracks before crossing the river. The trail is basically non-existent. Lots of downed trees make travel so slow as to be mentally exhausting. Adam and Kyle got stung by those bees that spring out of the ground as we waded through deep thorny underbrush before being rewarded by Balsam Lake, perhaps the most beautiful alpine lake I have seen anywhere.

Pic 5: Gerry Roach calls No Name basin the most beautiful place in Colorado, and I don’t disagree. It’s probably one of the hardest places to get to in the state, about ~20 miles from the Purgatory Flats trailhead. A group of us (Cam, Hannah, Tory, Erika, Colin) used it to access Jagged Peak. We were unable to find a trail for about 6 hours of treacherously steep, slow hiking, and again we were stung by bees. The upper basin is truly spectacular. I wished I could set up camp there and stay for a week or two or three.

Pic 6: More of No Name.

More in comments.

When people ask about my bike trip to the Dolomites.

Dedicated to the song that was stuck in my head the entire time.

When people ask about my bike trip to the Dolomites.

Dedicated to the song that was stuck in my head the entire time.

Summer so far

Summer so far

The Endeavor

at my life’s end i’ll wish
i hadn’t pretended to see
how many pages then peeked
at the punch line– i’ll wish
i’d spent more time outside
a whole year up on that hill
to watch the seasons pass
from the vantage it was too cold
under such a black night
bright swollen pores stars
not enough to see my feet
how far they have walked me from that place
i stood up as a child
and never stopped walking
away as as long as i’m being humbled he said
everyone who leaves home hasn’t any answers
talks in journey language he said everyone
who leaves home, as in, walks away,
falls in love he said death is the only
ceremony bright enough for a life

After Richard Rohr’s conversation with Brene Brown, and Ocean Vuong’s conversation with Krista Tippet.

The Endeavor

at my life’s end i’ll wish
i hadn’t pretended to see
how many pages then peeked
at the punch line– i’ll wish
i’d spent more time outside
a whole year up on that hill
to watch the seasons pass
from the vantage it was too cold
under such a black night
bright swollen pores stars
not enough to see my feet
how far they have walked me from that place
i stood up as a child
and never stopped walking
away as as long as i’m being humbled he said
everyone who leaves home hasn’t any answers
talks in journey language he said everyone
who leaves home, as in, walks away,
falls in love he said death is the only
ceremony bright enough for a life

After Richard Rohr’s conversation with Brene Brown, and Ocean Vuong’s conversation with Krista Tippet.

I love the San Juan’s so much

I love the San Juan’s so much

As many of you know ow @cam.withoutaplan and I have been working through his company @blackmountain.productions for the past year making a documentary that explore the intersection of mountains and art. Thought you might be interested in what that had looked like for us. Any #indifilm folks out there find this relatable? 😂

#movinglinefilm

As many of you know ow @cam.withoutaplan and I have been working through his company @blackmountain.productions for the past year making a documentary that explore the intersection of mountains and art. Thought you might be interested in what that had looked like for us. Any #indifilm folks out there find this relatable? 😂

#movinglinefilm

@cam.withoutaplan and I had a great time slinging chicken heads and slabbing on tic tac tiny feet in Cochise! Happy birthday bro!

@cam.withoutaplan and I had a great time slinging chicken heads and slabbing on tic tac tiny feet in Cochise! Happy birthday bro!

“Mary Oliver”

where is sacred
made of simple acts
not smoke or shaman
singing deeply seeking wrinkles
in the leaves we saw our motion
stepping learning new beginnings
journey streets of family stories

the same
the song
the mystery

the mission how we practice
moving she reminds us how to
discover slowness notice patience
cosmic pilgrims praying
their bones contain
the ceremony
when they mold into the soil:
a tragic opening
a curious pausing
a grateful witness

#poem #maryoliver

“Mary Oliver”

where is sacred
made of simple acts
not smoke or shaman
singing deeply seeking wrinkles
in the leaves we saw our motion
stepping learning new beginnings
journey streets of family stories

the same
the song
the mystery

the mission how we practice
moving she reminds us how to
discover slowness notice patience
cosmic pilgrims praying
their bones contain
the ceremony
when they mold into the soil:
a tragic opening
a curious pausing
a grateful witness

#poem #maryoliver

I spent the better part of a month pursuing a dream: Spend a proper season in the desert. Passed a lot of time looking up at the sky with cold fingers. Every morning I noticed the moon slightly higher in the sky. Went an entire day for maybe the first time in my life without seeing a single human, and let the sun burn my skin before hiding briefly behind some other celestial body. I could feel my mind healing there, where everything feels so sacred, as to present a ceremony for birthdays or silence or a successful climb, which of course stole a decent amount of skin and humbled me in light of the sandstone’s wise stature. Look, how large the bird’s sounds. Look, how deep the fire, or horizon, or inward. Look, how despite the stillness everything is always changing. Especially me.

I spent the better part of a month pursuing a dream: Spend a proper season in the desert. Passed a lot of time looking up at the sky with cold fingers. Every morning I noticed the moon slightly higher in the sky. Went an entire day for maybe the first time in my life without seeing a single human, and let the sun burn my skin before hiding briefly behind some other celestial body. I could feel my mind healing there, where everything feels so sacred, as to present a ceremony for birthdays or silence or a successful climb, which of course stole a decent amount of skin and humbled me in light of the sandstone’s wise stature. Look, how large the bird’s sounds. Look, how deep the fire, or horizon, or inward. Look, how despite the stillness everything is always changing. Especially me.

Spent the last two years living in a cozy old farm house in a chilly desert mountain valley. Our neighbor Pam boarded dogs and horses and you’d hear the donkeys calling for her to feed them early. She would come over with a bottle of wine and tell us about Grace, who meticulously gardened this property and who we should thank for being enveloped in flowers all year. The dogs had tons of room to run around and would occasionally escape to the back to chase the neighborhood bear, Oso. It’s rewarding to watch two animals become such close friends. As deep as any two humans, and there were always a lot of humans around, especially as everyone started to have babies, and we all started to feel like family. We had pictures on the fridge of all our friends who’d passed. I spent a lot of time in the sun on the porch writing or thinking about where and when the sun would crest missionary ridge across the animas. Lots of friends stopped by for dinner and we’d often be up late dancing or cooking or drinking mezcal or eating chocolate. Helen would take her couch and I’d take mine and we’d just lay there chatting and sometimes fall asleep until 1 am or so when you could hear the sprinklers or notice the first snow falling. There’s something about living under a sandstone cliff, which would light up in the morning and make everything in the house reddish. If you ever spent time in this home or stopped through with your band or sipped coffee or left your car here on the way to the San Juan’s, you were a part of the magic which made this creeky box the warm nest of our Durango community for years. Thank you.

Spent the last two years living in a cozy old farm house in a chilly desert mountain valley. Our neighbor Pam boarded dogs and horses and you’d hear the donkeys calling for her to feed them early. She would come over with a bottle of wine and tell us about Grace, who meticulously gardened this property and who we should thank for being enveloped in flowers all year. The dogs had tons of room to run around and would occasionally escape to the back to chase the neighborhood bear, Oso. It’s rewarding to watch two animals become such close friends. As deep as any two humans, and there were always a lot of humans around, especially as everyone started to have babies, and we all started to feel like family. We had pictures on the fridge of all our friends who’d passed. I spent a lot of time in the sun on the porch writing or thinking about where and when the sun would crest missionary ridge across the animas. Lots of friends stopped by for dinner and we’d often be up late dancing or cooking or drinking mezcal or eating chocolate. Helen would take her couch and I’d take mine and we’d just lay there chatting and sometimes fall asleep until 1 am or so when you could hear the sprinklers or notice the first snow falling. There’s something about living under a sandstone cliff, which would light up in the morning and make everything in the house reddish. If you ever spent time in this home or stopped through with your band or sipped coffee or left your car here on the way to the San Juan’s, you were a part of the magic which made this creeky box the warm nest of our Durango community for years. Thank you.

Grilled Chile rellenos

Grilled Chile rellenos

Happy birthday to my neighbor Pam.

“Neighbor”
-for Pam

Moved to New York from Texas in the 70s, I think
she’ll have some stories about the dancing it took
to wind up in this red rock river valley,
and she won’t complain when she’s ankle deep in horse shit,
and when she agrees to do a favor, she’ll say
“Come over we’ll talk about it,”
she’ll say,
as she did on a blustery yellow autumn day,
the whole canyon lit up gold, and cold,
looking up at a rainbow over the rim,
loud enough so all the neighbors could hear,
“We live in a beautiful place!”

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#poem #poemoftheday #poemcommunity

Happy birthday to my neighbor Pam.

“Neighbor”
-for Pam

Moved to New York from Texas in the 70s, I think
she’ll have some stories about the dancing it took
to wind up in this red rock river valley,
and she won’t complain when she’s ankle deep in horse shit,
and when she agrees to do a favor, she’ll say
“Come over we’ll talk about it,”
she’ll say,
as she did on a blustery yellow autumn day,
the whole canyon lit up gold, and cold,
looking up at a rainbow over the rim,
loud enough so all the neighbors could hear,
“We live in a beautiful place!”

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#poem #poemoftheday #poemcommunity

This one has been on the list for three years: Colorado’s most remote peak, not climbed in the winter until 2016. Jagged has fascinated me from deep in the Wiminuche and despite marble sized hail on the rap and lightning position in the alpine, I am so grateful to connect with this mountain and @cam.withoutaplan and @erikaljeffs

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#jaggedpeak #wiminuchewilderness #coloradolife #exposed #climbing #scrambling #scary #13ers

This one has been on the list for three years: Colorado’s most remote peak, not climbed in the winter until 2016. Jagged has fascinated me from deep in the Wiminuche and despite marble sized hail on the rap and lightning position in the alpine, I am so grateful to connect with this mountain and @cam.withoutaplan and @erikaljeffs

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#jaggedpeak #wiminuchewilderness #coloradolife #exposed #climbing #scrambling #scary #13ers

The Durango > Sunshine > Redcloud duathlon! ~100 mi 14k vert with Kyle and Bill (who went on to race a 50 miler 🤯) and then a valiant rescue from @lyssrain 😂

The Durango > Sunshine > Redcloud duathlon! ~100 mi 14k vert with Kyle and Bill (who went on to race a 50 miler 🤯) and then a valiant rescue from @lyssrain 😂

Friends, skiing is my favorite thing to do. And I have been lucky enough to team up with @cam.withoutaplan to make a documentary film about skiing. 🤯 what a dream. We’re currently raising money to finish the production and post production of #movinglinefilm — if you can donate any amount to help this art/history/skiing storytelling come to reality, please find the crowdfunding link in my bio. 🙏🏻🙏🏻

Friends, skiing is my favorite thing to do. And I have been lucky enough to team up with @cam.withoutaplan to make a documentary film about skiing. 🤯 what a dream. We’re currently raising money to finish the production and post production of #movinglinefilm — if you can donate any amount to help this art/history/skiing storytelling come to reality, please find the crowdfunding link in my bio. 🙏🏻🙏🏻

“Sunflower”

I knew I was bad
When I looked down at my sink
Finally doing the pile of dishes,
And at once I saw the filth on the nozzle,
On the soap dish
On the grout between the tiles on the counter,

And the world seemed dirty and unforgivable,
And I was ashamed for living in such a place,
What with it’s violence and grime,
Which must start with me, it always does.

And I knew I was better when the dirt
and the counters,
and the mess,
all seemed like soil for growing
great big sunflowers.
And I imagined myself underground
one wet July, as their roots absorbed me
and spat we upward
towards the pedals
towards the sun.

“Sunflower”

I knew I was bad
When I looked down at my sink
Finally doing the pile of dishes,
And at once I saw the filth on the nozzle,
On the soap dish
On the grout between the tiles on the counter,

And the world seemed dirty and unforgivable,
And I was ashamed for living in such a place,
What with it’s violence and grime,
Which must start with me, it always does.

And I knew I was better when the dirt
and the counters,
and the mess,
all seemed like soil for growing
great big sunflowers.
And I imagined myself underground
one wet July, as their roots absorbed me
and spat we upward
towards the pedals
towards the sun.

Fourth of July (couloir) came early this year!

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#ski #skiseasonneverends #skimo #backcountryskiing #summerski #fourthofjulyskiing #skicolorado #movinglinefilm #fourthofjuly #summer

Fourth of July (couloir) came early this year!

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#ski #skiseasonneverends #skimo #backcountryskiing #summerski #fourthofjulyskiing #skicolorado #movinglinefilm #fourthofjuly #summer

Solstice mission to brainstorm @blackmountain.productions work with @cam.withoutaplan

Solstice mission to brainstorm @blackmountain.productions work with @cam.withoutaplan

Powder skiing in June-uary

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#skitour #skicolorado #backcountryskiing #skiseasonneverends #skimo #powderskiing

Powder skiing in June-uary

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#skitour #skicolorado #backcountryskiing #skiseasonneverends #skimo #powderskiing

On May 7, @sara.rosecrans told me she was so excited to see the world “with a new set of eyes.” I was inspired by that phrase, and a few days later wrote this poem. Sadly, I was never able to give this to her.

“A New Set of Eyes”

-for Sara

Give me the words to describe the blue I see
when my eyes are barely cracked.

Give me the tools to plaster my body to the desert wall
and watch for centuries as the world is eroded into new meaning.

Give me the day to “fill with bravery” and
“not shrink from celebrating it”

Give me myself, that I may emit my power,
which lives in the “transparent boundaries” between all beings.

Give me these things I need before I can, with honor,
sit before the hearth of my family, and bless our meal with the holy song
we wrote by the notes of music we found
on the sky decomposing underground.

Give me a new set of eyes, with which I see color
for the first time, and gasp with astonishment
as I realize what I am.

On May 7, @sara.rosecrans told me she was so excited to see the world “with a new set of eyes.” I was inspired by that phrase, and a few days later wrote this poem. Sadly, I was never able to give this to her.

“A New Set of Eyes”

-for Sara

Give me the words to describe the blue I see
when my eyes are barely cracked.

Give me the tools to plaster my body to the desert wall
and watch for centuries as the world is eroded into new meaning.

Give me the day to “fill with bravery” and
“not shrink from celebrating it”

Give me myself, that I may emit my power,
which lives in the “transparent boundaries” between all beings.

Give me these things I need before I can, with honor,
sit before the hearth of my family, and bless our meal with the holy song
we wrote by the notes of music we found
on the sky decomposing underground.

Give me a new set of eyes, with which I see color
for the first time, and gasp with astonishment
as I realize what I am.

Went to Costa Rica for a month. Struggled a lot. Learned a lot. Came home and entered a really exciting time of creativity and self-investment. I’m surrounded by people I love. I am where I want to be. I’m astonished. I’m grateful.

Went to Costa Rica for a month. Struggled a lot. Learned a lot. Came home and entered a really exciting time of creativity and self-investment. I’m surrounded by people I love. I am where I want to be. I’m astonished. I’m grateful.

“Rivers”
All the world’s rivers
Collectively
Flow at the pace
The ocean mists
Into the clouds

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Celebrating the ebb and flow of seasons on June 3rd below magnum couloir with aryn and Rachel and Adam

“Rivers”
All the world’s rivers
Collectively
Flow at the pace
The ocean mists
Into the clouds

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Celebrating the ebb and flow of seasons on June 3rd below magnum couloir with aryn and Rachel and Adam

“Learning to drink water” For Ainslie

I am only now learning to drink water,
cold drops wetting the floor
Falling from my novice lips.

I notice,
“oh, it is nice to have a cup
next to bed for when I wake up.
I’ll remember that.”

My father and mother never taught me
nor any teacher in school.
My friends taught me to drink
but not water.

So here I am, 32 and learning.
I am not ashamed.
I am a humble student.
And I look forward the way masters do,
thinking of one time, maybe two
if I’m lucky,
that I’ll drink water flawlessly,
perfectly, before I go.

“Learning to drink water” For Ainslie

I am only now learning to drink water,
cold drops wetting the floor
Falling from my novice lips.

I notice,
“oh, it is nice to have a cup
next to bed for when I wake up.
I’ll remember that.”

My father and mother never taught me
nor any teacher in school.
My friends taught me to drink
but not water.

So here I am, 32 and learning.
I am not ashamed.
I am a humble student.
And I look forward the way masters do,
thinking of one time, maybe two
if I’m lucky,
that I’ll drink water flawlessly,
perfectly, before I go.

From San Jose to Puerto Jimenez, home base for the next little bit 🇨🇷

From San Jose to Puerto Jimenez, home base for the next little bit 🇨🇷

A drawing of the sun

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#ski #skiing #skitour #backcountryski #backcountryskiing #skiseasonneverends #poem #poetry #poetrycommunity #mountainpoem #poetryisnotaluxury

A drawing of the sun

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#ski #skiing #skitour #backcountryski #backcountryskiing #skiseasonneverends #poem #poetry #poetrycommunity #mountainpoem #poetryisnotaluxury

🎿⛷️🏔️❄️

#skitour #backcountryskiing #ski #powder #skiseasonneverends

🎿⛷️🏔️❄️

#skitour #backcountryskiing #ski #powder #skiseasonneverends

Oh boy!
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#skitour #skiing #skiseasonneverends #backcountryskiing

Oh boy!
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#skitour #skiing #skiseasonneverends #backcountryskiing

What a winter! ⛷️❄️🎿🏔️🌨️❤️

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#mountains #winter #colorado #snow #ski #skiseasonneverends #backcountryskiing #skitour

What a winter! ⛷️❄️🎿🏔️🌨️❤️

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#mountains #winter #colorado #snow #ski #skiseasonneverends #backcountryskiing #skitour

Been touring into the backcountry with @blackmountain.productions and @cam.withoutaplan getting shots for an exciting project!

📸 @daydreamz_of_a_deskjockey

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#ski #backcountryskiing #skifilm #skimovie #movinglinefilm #skiseasonneverends

Been touring into the backcountry with @blackmountain.productions and @cam.withoutaplan getting shots for an exciting project!

📸 @daydreamz_of_a_deskjockey

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#ski #backcountryskiing #skifilm #skimovie #movinglinefilm #skiseasonneverends

Got stuck up on red and took shelter in an old hut and got fresh tracks with feet of pow on Macmillan’s and all the most tracked out RMP routes! ⛷️🙏🏻

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#ski #skiing #skiseasonneverends #huttrip #backcountryskiing #redmountainpass #colorado #skitour

Got stuck up on red and took shelter in an old hut and got fresh tracks with feet of pow on Macmillan’s and all the most tracked out RMP routes! ⛷️🙏🏻

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#ski #skiing #skiseasonneverends #huttrip #backcountryskiing #redmountainpass #colorado #skitour

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@turnerowenwyatt

Awards

Work

SmallCapital

Moving Line

Colorado Poets Laureate Anthology

Colorado Poets Laureate Anthology

Durango Poet Laureate Program

Durango Poet Laureate Program

Brewery Capital of the Southwest

Brewery Capital of the Southwest

Upcycled Food Association

Upcycled Food Association

Dirtbag Vans

Twice Rounds

YES on 302

Bondadosa

Denver Food Rescue

Denver Food Rescue

Fresh Food Connect

Fresh Food Connect

Denver Sustainability Food Policy Council

Denver Sustainability Food Policy Council

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