The parents, girlfriend, and I decided to give Long Peaks a run for its money today. We successfully summited the 14er by 11:00 in the morning after leaving a little later than anticipated from the trail head around 4:30am. The hike was great and weather fair apart from the wind being exceptionally strong from the keyhole on through the trough and narrows.

I was especially excited to do it because it gave me a chance to test out the backpack I’ll be taking to NZ. The pack worked out very well and felt like it rode on my waist for the most part and stayed off my shoulders. I gotta give credit to my Mom and Dad as well for making it to the top. There’s many people their age who wouldn’t be able to conquer the mountain, but they did, and I’m impressed.

Here we are on top of the mountain at 14,256 feet! Check the Photo Gallery for pics from this trip.

August 25, 2005

I informed my boss today, Gordon, that I will be leaving the YMCA of the Rockies to pursue new opportunities that have been presented to me after receiving a work visa to live and work in New Zealand for up to one year.

Resigning from my job was quite hard to do as it was first job I ever resigned from, one that I procrastinated with over and over again, but knew it had to be done and couldn’t be delayed any longer as I wanted to give a month’s notice before my final leave date of Septemeber 24th, 2005.

The Y was my first ‘real’ job out of college. I will miss it and the people I came to know during my time there. It was a great place to work and gain experience, and I hope to carry that all on with me. And who knows maybe it’ll even be a place I came back to down the road like so many other people have done.

I will continuously be updating this page throughout my travels to keep everyone posted on all the happenings and everything spectacular going on in New Zealand. The most recent events will be listed first and the rest will follow on down the page. So be sure to check back!

Began construction of the website.