It has almost become a bad habit - making an annual visit to Doug Bursnall in Colorado. I met Doug more than a decade ago when we were planning our International Diabetic Expedition to Aconcagua (IDEA 2000). He has since been my most regular tent mate (and climbing partner!), adding up to more than two months of flapping nylon, shoveling off snow, brewing up, slogging, belaying, coiling and uncoiling, taking insulin, and testing blood sugars... Together, we have visited high places in Mexico, Argentina, Kyrgyzstan, and of course, Colorado.

On a long weekend in early September 2011 (after kids started school and with full spousal consent), we spent three full days in the Indian Peaks Wilderness and one day cragging above Boulder. Our second day included a special surprise guest.

I left Madison, Wisconsin on Thursday evening and flew via Denver to Colorado Springs, where Doug and family live. The following day we left early to snag a campsite at the free City of Boulder-owned campground at the 4rth of July Trailhead on the eastern side of the Indian Peaks, located just south of Rocky Mountain National Park. We stayed four nights and used this trailhead as our gateway to the hills on our first and third day.

We located a perfectly acceptable campsite within 75 meters of the car which included a full concrete picnic table, ample flat ground, and a stream nearby; a highly civilized contrast to our usual humping of big loads to a backcountry camp, typically miles from anywhere. We set up the tent and were off to South Arapaho Peak by 9 am. We took a slight detour within the first hour of the hike to view the base of the Skywalker Couloir, but soon found our way on a super highway of a trail to the saddle between Old Baldy and South Arapaho. Easy walking up the southeast ridge led us to the summit (13,400 ft., 4084 meters) and then a beautiful scrambling ridge surrounding the Arapaho Glacier and cirque led us to the higher North Arapaho summit (13,500 ft., 4115 meters).

All was good except my blood sugars! I was battling high blood sugars and a continuous glucose sensor at the end of its useful life (day 6) giving me erroneous numbers. A set change (and eventually a tubing change) and ignoring and pulling out my old sensor led eventually to euglycemia, but only hours later. Chef Panofsky created the first of a series of predictable (but filling) dinner meals at camp. Doug provided an array of canned fermented beverages to choose from, included some from a new favorite brewery – Ska Brewing of Durango (think The Specials and it tastes that much better).

We awoke early to head towards the Mitchell Lake trailhead, about an hour car ride away, to cook up breakfast in the sun while we awaited Chris Meloche (also an IDEA 2000 alum) who had hoped to join us for the day. It was frosty and we wore everything we had while cooking and eating. After a half-hour beyond our planned meeting time, Doug left a note on our windshield detailing our unusually modest plan (new development??) of the southeast ridge of Mt. Audubon (13,221 ft., 4030 meters) down its connecting ridge to Paiute Peak and down the southeast slopes to Blue Lake and back to the car.

Many others were on the trail to Audubon and thankfully we were nearly alone on our way around Mitchell Lake to the beginning of an easy, non-standard route to the top with beautiful views. Wild flowers in the valley looked more summer-like than fall, and summer snows were still lingering in hidden bowls and gullies even at 11,000 feet (3350 m).

Following a check of blood sugars and a bite to eat out of the cold wind, behind one of many human-built rock walls, we continued towards Paiute Peak. Approaching the saddle between the peaks, Doug and I both heard a distant, yet distinct, “WHOOOPPPEEE!!” which seemed to be emanating from Paiute. Moments later it was clear who let out the call: Chris Meloche was bounding down the ridge to greet us. What a pleasant way to meet up with an old friend! Back up the summit of Paiute with Chris gave us our nearly 40,000 diabetic-feet (12,000 diabetic-meters don’t quite sound so good).

Time flew by as we hiked, chatted, caught up with each other, learned about Colorado alpine botany (from Chris), and breathed in the beauty of the Indian Peaks on a sunny day in late summer. On our way down, we nearly stepped on a ptarmigan family, well camouflaged in summer plumage. We sat down at Blue Lake, mostly pleased with our decision to NOT climb Mt. Toll’s 3-pitch (no doubt chilly) north ridge nor to even bag it via it’s other easier route or even to scramble the Pawnee/Little Pawnee’s serrated ridge visible across the valley. We could do those another day/year. Now it was time to relax and visit! Following a few hypos (those guilty shall remain anonymous) and sighting of three moose including a bull, cow, and calf, we reached the car and invited Chris to dinner in the fading sunlight at a picnic table at the Mitchell Lake trailhead parking lot.

Doug and I drove back in the dark through the village of Eldora and down the bumpy five miles to our tent. Old Bursnall was snoring (yet another new development??) before I clicked off my headlamp.

At 8 am the following day, we were off for another scramble. This one we had done in October 1999 with diabetic Deke Young -- the north ridge of Mt. Neva connecting to Mt. Jasper. A number of people (it was the weekend, after all) were on the trail heading to Arapaho Pass or Arapaho Glacier, but none to Neva. We saw at least two people on Neva’s summit before we reached the crest of the ridge. Others were at Dorothy Lake below the peak. A few clouds were in the sky and a cool moderate wind was blowing. We saw lakes and ridges from up high, with very curious snow formations. Beautiful rock on an exposed ridge gave the impression that Doug was in his element.

We left Mt. Neva’s delicate summit (12,810 ft., 3900 m), down the broad connecting ridge to Mt. Jasper (12,923 ft, 3939 meters) and lunched. We chose to descend Jasper’s east ridge towards Diamond Lake where we dropped off the narrowing ridge. We crossed large talus to gain the granite slabs and steeper gullies leading down towards the Diamond Lake Trail which joined the main trail close to our tent. On a rock wall adjacent our final grassy/muddy-elk/moose-trodden gulley, Doug spotted something not to pass up. Black bears couldn’t make the short traverse of the narrow ledge to gain a nook which contained a number of raspberry plants growing out of the rock. They were loaded with sweet fruit and Doug and I made the traverse and ate until our blood sugars could feel the impact and when there were only berries accessible via some V10 moves.

Our final day together we packed up for Boulder and proceeded to “run” up the 3rd Flatiron, more than 1000 feet long (300 meters). For 7 pitches on sunny, gorgeous, reddish sandstone slab, Doug dragged me up. Below our feet were a few pine trees, the CU Campus, the entire city of Boulder and what looked like all of eastern Colorado. Blood sugars for both of us, spot on.

Thank you Trish and Jules for hosting me and letting Doug come out and play. Thanks Chris for joining us on Saturday!

d.p. , Sept. 15, 2011