The Ketchup...Catsup...or is it Catch up...

First things first I need to share my experiences this summer. Backpacker Magazine...Still hard to believe I landed an internship with my favorite magazine. I am the photo intern and have been learning a lot about the professional journalism world. I have also been an avid gear tester and have spent the last 2 months backpacking just about every weekend. I am stationed here in Boulder, CO and although I have been enjoying the outdoors here the town is a little much for my liking....I keep getting into trouble without trying, there is a lot more red tape here than in Montana.

Nonetheless 3 of my friends from highschool and my cuz are also out here for the summer and it has been nice to have peeps to hike, camp, fish, and climb with. Enough with these words, words are for suckers and photos tell the real story below are some of my ventures thus far in what I like to call:

"The Adventures of Chris and Schuck Handsome - Boulder Summer 09"

Backpacking has been my weekend activity of choice. Whether with friends or just Schuck, it is nice to get out and wake up outdoors...

Here are some shots from a recent solo Schuck and I did. We shot out of work on Friday July 31st after work and hustled 6 miles, gained 2500 feet to have a campsite on a ridge with panoramas like you wouldn't believe (that is why i took lots of photos!). I was gear testing a Dslr camera holster called the HoldSLR.

To say the least I tested the hell out of this thing. I was determined to get to this alpine lake so Schuck and I, despite constant rain, pushed on. At one point I thought I heard thunder...then we came out of the trees and into a clearing to see that we had just spooked a HUGE heard of Elk and they were booking it up the ridge. It was about 8:30pm when I made camp.

Unfortunately at 8:31pm a huge thunderstorm rolled in. After an hour of hunkering down in a grove (much lower than where the tent was) under ponchos and space blankets we started the climb back up to our site in horizontal rain. I could not see a thing and our campsite was well off the trail. Dogs are amazing animals I will just say that. I released Schuck out of his heel and he led me straight back to the tent (He got a fat meaty bone the next day!!!)

I had managed to keep all my gear dry so falling asleep, despite the wind and rain was easy. I woke up a couple hours later to find Schuck (who takes naps outside in single digit weather) shivering like crazy. He was soaked to the bone and it never crossed my mind that this animal so adept to winters would get cold, but the rain had soaked him to the core. I dried him off with anything dry I had, lined the tent with clothes and wrapped him up in the solar blanket...a Schuck Burrito if you will.

So hiking in the rain for 3 hours and being soaked to the bone may not sound like fun but let me tell you the morning view made it all worth it...

Here is a walk round our campsite...

Facing West

Facing East

Facing Southish

We had quite a night with a beautiful morning. I got up and could not see another person, another tent, a powerline, or a road...perfect...