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Believe In The Magic Of The Burrito
Uncategorized February 21, 2013 October 24, 2017

Believe In The Magic Of The Burrito

by brendan

Do you have a hard time eating at fancy restaurants where food is presented as a sort of sculpture? I do. It’s usually a…

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Are You Making The World Awesomer, Or Angrier?
Uncategorized February 14, 2013 October 25, 2017

Are You Making The World Awesomer, Or Angrier?

by brendan

In November, a video posted online showed an American climber visiting Sweden blowtorching holds on some boulders to dry them after a recent rain….

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Announcing A New Line Of Invisible Climbing Outerwear
Uncategorized February 7, 2013 October 25, 2017

Announcing A New Line Of Invisible Climbing Outerwear

by brendan

Fact: Shirts are for suckers. They’re heavy, hot, and if you wear one when you’re rock climbing, the ladies (or dudes, as it were)…

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Adventure, Humor, inspiration January 31, 2013 November 11, 2019

Your Best Vacation Is Someone’s Worst Nightmare

by brendan

My friend Aaron is a pretty normal guy, by most standards: High school math teacher, homeowner, happily married, good hygiene, pays his bills, et…

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What’s The Cost-Per-Use Of Your Skis/Bike/Rack?
Uncategorized January 24, 2013 October 25, 2017

What’s The Cost-Per-Use Of Your Skis/Bike/Rack?

by brendan

“I’ve been thinking about things on a cost-per-use basis lately,” my friend Nick said to me a few weeks ago. Nick doesn’t make rash…

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Everything Is Epic
Uncategorized January 10, 2013 October 25, 2017

Everything Is Epic

by brendan

At a grocery store last week, the cover of Cosmopolitan‘s January issue caught my eye with the headline “EPIC SEX.” Immediately, in my head,…

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drawing of resolutions vs plans
Adventure, inspiration, Mountaineering January 3, 2013 November 11, 2019

Make Plans, Not Resolutions

by brendan

In a scene in the spaghetti western The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, the One-Armed Bounty Hunter finds Tuco Ramirez in a vulnerable…

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A Handful Of Moments
Uncategorized December 27, 2012 October 25, 2017

A Handful Of Moments

by brendan

My dad and I walked into Busch Stadium in St. Louis on September 4, the first time he had been in the Cardinals’ new…

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The Best Gifts Are Not Things You Ask For
Uncategorized December 20, 2012 October 25, 2017

The Best Gifts Are Not Things You Ask For

by brendan

“Send me a list of gift ideas for you.” Why do we do this around the holidays now? I mean, have you ever really…

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The Importance Of Being A Lifelong Beginner
Uncategorized December 13, 2012 October 25, 2017

The Importance Of Being A Lifelong Beginner

by brendan

When you dismount a mountain bike going uphill, you end up doing a sort of bow. As you step off and swing a leg…

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The Greatest Mountaineering Survival Story Never Told
Uncategorized December 6, 2012 October 25, 2017

The Greatest Mountaineering Survival Story Never Told

by brendan

A few years ago, I climbed Drift Peak near Leadville, Colorado, on Presidents Day with my friend Aaron and my friend Lee. Lee had…

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My Pal Mick, 1958-2012
Uncategorized November 29, 2012 October 25, 2017

My Pal Mick, 1958-2012

by brendan

My friend Mick’s heart stopped working last Sunday. He died at the age of 54, not knowing that the night before, I had sat…

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Happy Thanksgiving
Uncategorized November 22, 2012 October 25, 2017

Happy Thanksgiving

by brendan

I haven’t had a “proper” Thanksgiving dinner since 2002, somehow managing to be anywhere but watching football and eating an oven-cooked turkey. When people…

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The New (Not-Quite-So-Masculine) Mountain Man
Uncategorized November 15, 2012 October 25, 2017

The New (Not-Quite-So-Masculine) Mountain Man

by brendan

I was trying to start a campfire a couple weekends back and grabbed a fat piece of wood with a crack at one end,…

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A Climbing Accident
Uncategorized November 8, 2012 October 25, 2017

A Climbing Accident

by brendan

When he hit the ledge, I was sure he was dead. He was a young college guy, and we had exchanged maybe five sentences…

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The Customer Is Always Right
Uncategorized November 1, 2012 October 25, 2017

The Customer Is Always Right

by brendan

Maybe you’ve heard this one: Ski resort patron approaches lift ticket kiosk on Powder Day of the Century and demands a refund for his/her…

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Sick, Brah: The Ineloquence Of Talking About The Outdoors
Uncategorized October 25, 2012 October 24, 2017

Sick, Brah: The Ineloquence Of Talking About The Outdoors

by brendan

You, outdoor recreator, are quite probably quite educated: Bachelor’s degree, possibly a master’s degree or Ph.D. You wore a cap and gown and were…

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My Friend Lee: A Story About Mentors
Uncategorized October 18, 2012 October 25, 2017

My Friend Lee: A Story About Mentors

by brendan

Five summers ago, I met this guy named Lee Smith while climbing with a big group of people at Castlewood Canyon. At the end…

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The Best Shoes In Life Are Not Shoes
Gear, Hiking October 11, 2012 October 25, 2017

The Best Shoes In Life Are Not Shoes

by brendan

I walked onto the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder last Friday and a Denver Voice vendor looked down at my sandals, laughed and said,…

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The Three Bumper Stickers
Uncategorized October 4, 2012 October 25, 2017

The Three Bumper Stickers

by brendan

“You know, I was just thinking that three bumper stickers changed my life,” Dan said as we tromped down the trail a couple weeks…

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Don’t Sandbag Me, Bro
Uncategorized September 27, 2012 October 25, 2017

Don’t Sandbag Me, Bro

by brendan

I always get sandbagged by guys in gear shops. I will stop in somewhere to pick up a cordelette, or a stuff sack, or…

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What’s Better: Watching Or Doing?
Uncategorized September 20, 2012 October 25, 2017

What’s Better: Watching Or Doing?

by brendan

As the USA Pro Cycling Challenge was working its way around Colorado and into the Front Range in August, I saw this Facebook status…

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Do You Have The Stoke?
Uncategorized September 13, 2012 October 25, 2017

Do You Have The Stoke?

by brendan

2:39 a.m., August 11, 2012: Packs packed, Chris and I are about to shut the tailgate on my van and start walking the Garnet…

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The Rise And Fall Of Macaroni And Cheese
Uncategorized September 6, 2012 October 25, 2017

The Rise And Fall Of Macaroni And Cheese

by brendan

Sometimes I like to fantasize that I have some sort of backcountry suaveness and culinary instinct, and that I will someday take a special…

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You Don’t Really Need To ‘Get Away’
Uncategorized August 30, 2012 October 25, 2017

You Don’t Really Need To ‘Get Away’

by brendan

Ever fantasized about being a fire lookout, or living in a cabin high in the mountains, or deep in the wilderness somewhere? It’s romantic,…

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You Ain’t Scared, Are Ya?
Uncategorized August 23, 2012 October 25, 2017

You Ain’t Scared, Are Ya?

by brendan

When you tell the story later, you are a little less descriptive of the moment you experience pure dread and barely-controllable fear. You say…

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A Guest Appearance On The Enormocast
Uncategorized August 17, 2012 October 25, 2017

A Guest Appearance On The Enormocast

by brendan

I’ve been a fan of Chris Kalous’ still fairly-new and incredibly rad podcast, The Enormocast, ever since my friend Josh gushed about the interview…

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