Colorado 2010

It was one of those architecture studio summer reunions, although this time there were only 3 of us. Dan offered a good base camp in Denver so that Graham could drive from St. Louis and I could fly from New York to meet up for 2 days and 2 nights of hiking and camping. The weather was amazing (hot and clear during the day with minimal clouds, and cold at night). We climbed a 14er the first day (Grays Peak) and explored abandoned gold mines the second. Both nights we camped at the base of the mountain with the peak as our backdrop.

Camp

View from Grays

Us 14,280 feet above sea level

A unique aspect of the trip was the premier use of my new Vibram 5 Fingers shoes. With minimal material, the shoes allow one to hike as if they were barefoot (without lacerating the bottom of your foot). I made the Grays hike up in them, then switched to the regular hiking shoes on the way down. They were great for grip, but you could feel everything you stepped on.

Here are the rest of the photos.

After I left Denver I flew to Vegas to rent a car to drive to Utah to meet Andy in Zion National Park...