J and I were privileged to have my siblings and their respective significant others at our house this last week. We did a lot of great stuff together, some of which I may blog about later, but I begin with the last thing we did: Justin’s and my ascent of Mt. Bierstadt. My brother had been talking about hiking of 14er almost since we began planning their trip out here. I admit I was leery at first. I worried I was not fit enough to attempt it, and I had no idea what sort of challenge it would be. I did some research and found a 14er that was purportedly one of the easiest to summit: 14,060-foot Mt. Bierstadt, which is about an hour and a half away from Denver. We planned to go with K’s new beau Joe (not to be confused with Beaujo’s pizza, which is delicious), but lack of sleep and other schedule conflicts pushed the hike to Monday–the morning he and K were flying out.

Justin and I got up early for two reasons: 1. It’s always smarter to hike in the morning due to unpredictable, inclement afternoon weather, and 2. We heard the road leading up to Guanella Pass (where the trailhead is) closes sporadically due to road construction. This rumor turned out to be true, contrary to any of the information found on the web. For those would-be hikers of the mountain, the road on the east side of the pass closes from 8-11am, and 1-3 pm as of July 6, 2009. You have been warned. We made both time windows, as it turned out, which was wonderful.

We got to the trailhead and started our hike right at 8:00 and summited at 10:10, which I still can’t believe. We hiked 3.5 miles up 2,850 feet in just over two hours. Whew! I’m not sure I recommend this pace. If you’re hiking anywhere, go at the pace that suits you; stop when you need to. My bro and I are in relatively good shape (he much more than I), and we have long legs. On the descent, we left the top at right around 11:00 and were at our car by 12:30. Yep, going down was much easier, though it was harder not to fall.

The trail itself is pretty decent. I heard two different accounts of people who got lost taking a phantom trail that goes right (south) away from the main trail. Justin and I saw no such path. There are a few miniature side trails, but it’s pretty easy to figure out what the main trail is. At first, the path descends gently until you cross a stream (there’s a small footbridge made of two logs), then it gets progressively rockier as you go up. Surprisingly, there is not an absurd amount of swichbacks, though there are many; the path goes straight up quite often (read: you quadraceps will hate you). Since we went in July, there wasn’t a lot of snow left, but we did cross a couple of snow fields. Toward the top, you climb over piles of boulders without any real trail to speak of. The final ascent is another rockpile. It was the hardest hike I’ve ever taken, but it was worth it. Picture time!

Looking southwest from Mt Bierstadt. I've never seen so many white-capped mountains in one place.

Now looking west. Those two peaks in the middle are Gray's and Torrey's, which are two other popular 14ers.

This is the view to the southeast. That flat expanse in the distance is South Park. A man we met on the top could identify the Collegiate Peaks beyond that.

Now we're looking north at Mt. Evans, which dominates the view of the front range from Denver. That lake a few thousand feet down is Summit Lake, I believe.

Hail the conquering heroes!

This is the US Geological Survey medallion at the summit.

The view down the mountain to Guanella Pass Road. Our parking lot is the cement blip up and to the left of the lake.

The penultimate boulder pile. As you can see, some people slid down through the snow rather than hike that bit again.

Justin nobly surveying the beautiful valley. We're pretty far down the mountain now.

Mt. Bierstadt from the parking lot. Yep, I stood on top of it.

If you’re thinking about hiking a 14er in Colorado and want one that’s doable, I definitely recommend Bierstadt. We didn’t need any gear to get to the top–just a jacket, water, some food, and determination. Hiking boots are also highly recommended; my treadless sneakers weren’t much help on the snow. There is a lot more information and larger pictures of the route and the surrounding area at 14ers.com.

One of the many interesting tidbits in Elizabeth Gilbert’s memoir Eat, Pray, Love occurs in the first section while she’s in Italy. She loves Rome, but can’t figure out why she feels she doesn’t belong there. One of her Italian friends tells her a theory of his. He says every city has a one-word motto that describes it; it’s the word that most of the citizens are thinking about at any given moment. Rome’s word, he says, is sex. Gilbert feels that this explains her out-of-place feeling because she is avoiding romantic encounters at the moment. Then she muses about what words fit other towns. New York is achieve, she says, and Los Angeles’ word is succeed.*

This got J and me thinking. What words would we use to describe towns we knew? I thought long and hard about Denver, and the word I came up with was activity because that’s what people here care about most. Denverites ski, golf, hike, ski, camp, raft, ski, play sports, go drinking and ski. One never hangs out with people in Denver; one always must do something (I hate this fact, by the way). I asked J what she thought Denver’s word was, and she said–completely independently of me, mind you–active. I think we nailed that one.

After that, we thought about Cedar Rapids, IA, where we grew up. This was much harder for me, and I couldn’t think of anything. J suggested work, which I initially objected to. However, she pointed out that in CR, everyone views work as a necessity. If you don’t have a job in CR, people wonder what you’re doing.** Cedar Rapidians go to work, they come home and work on their houses, and their hobbies require work. All of which has made the wonderful citizens of CR durable, dependable and pragmatic people. Pragmatic was the second word J suggested for CR.

I really like the idea that one can understand any given place if one knows the mot juste. Like all abstract, metaphorical and fun ideas along the lines of this one, I’m not sure how important or valuable the perfect word theory is, but it made me wonder what other people would say about their towns. If you feel like it, I’d love to hear what word you’d use for your hometown and why.

*I apologize that I couldn’t use quotes in this section, but I have Gilbert’s book on CD only.

**This may have changed with the recent economic recession.

Last Tuesday, J, Lucy and I got back to Denver after our first planned trip of the summer. We visited Cedar Rapids to throw a baby shower for our dear friend E, and we saw other friends and family as well. As always, it is a blessing to be back in our own home, but the trip was delightful, too.

We left Colorado last Wednesday night (6/10) after I got off of work and drove the seven hours to Lincoln, NE. Oh, Nebraska, I’m sure you’re a fine state full of nice people, but for me in my state of affairs, you’re often a hindrance. Also, your scenery leaves something to be desired, namely scenery. I forgot that we lose an hour on the way east, so we arrived at our hotel at 2:30 am.

After a brief, ineffectual rest, we left the following day (6/11). The drive from Lincoln to Omaha and then through most of Iowa isn’t too bad. We were also blessed to have Elizabeth Gilbert’s book Eat, Pray, Love along with us on CD. We spent the remainder of the trip listening to it and got to Cedar Rapids in the afternoon. We stayed with J’s folks this time, and they did a wonderful job of making us comfortable. They had redone a bedroom upstairs and purchased a double bed with our visit in mind! Thanks! We dined with them (mmm…roast) and headed over to D&E’s house, where we stayed up far too late talking about anything. We were so glad to see them, we didn’t mind a second consecutive night of going to sleep late.

On Friday(6/12), J and I split up our day. She stayed with her family all day working on preparations for the baby shower. I had the enviable task of spending time with friends.  I was at D&E’s for a while, and then we drove across town to Nate’s (soon to be former) apartment. N&A had set up an excellent buffet of junk food snacks–chips and dip, jalapeño poppers, and mozzarella sticks. I also had the joy of playing my first game of Cities and Knights of Catan, which is Settlers ratcheted up three notches. I loved it! It helped that I won, of course… Then there was some time for Super Smash Brothers on the ol’ N64. Hanging out with Jason also made this afternoon special, as I rarely have the privilege of his company. After that, I at dinner with my parents at Ruby Tuesday and then watched the Penguins win the Stanley Cup (w00t!). It wasn’t enough time with my folks, but we’re glad we get to see them next month.

Saturday (6/13) was the shower. After some final preparations in the morning, I drove back to D’s house for more video games and chatting. It was also wonderful to see my old friend G after so many years, and I met his beautiful wife and daughter. After the shower was over, everybody came back to D&E’s and spent a lovely evening there. The barbecue was delicious, and there was far more food than our company could consume in a given night, which we all know is the hallmark of a great Midwestern meal. N&A graced us with their attendance. Jason and JL brought their daughters over, and it was a joy to spend time with them. D’s dad was also present, and E’s mom and sister-in-law rounded out the company. The day ended sitting around the outdoor fireplace, talking, laughing and watching the stars come out.

The following day (6/14), we celebrated the birthday of J’s dad. We had a slow morning and then ate steaks that Dan H cooked. Juicy. After homemade ice cream with German chocolate cake–yes, I’m serious–we enjoyed a quick visit to Grandma and Don’s house. Then we drove J’s brother back to his place in Cedar Falls. It was good to have a chance to catch up with him. Then we ate out with Jessi and Dan H at Granite City, which I had never been to before. I thoroughly enjoyed the Cuban sandwich I had, and we were glad we had a chance to devote some time to them.

Monday (6/15) was lovely. We hung out with D&E all day. We ate at a diner, talked a lot, enjoyed more Dutch Blitz (I lost; D won), played some Mario Kart 64, and took Lucy for a walk. We closed out the day playing miniature golf at Airport National Golf Course. I had no idea they had such a nice putt putt course! It was an ideal Iowa summer night: cool, bright orange sunset, lovely green rolling hills all around, and me winning in mini golf (I beat E by 3 strokes). But of course that day was more than its activities. It is always wonderful and restorative to be with such good friends. We really wished we didn’t have to leave the following day, but I guess it’s better to have a visit that leaves you wanting more.

Tuesday (6/16) was spent driving back across the green, undulating fields of Iowa, through the taupe-colored and increasingly boring plains of Nebraska, and back into the rocky soil of the Centennial State until we could see the Front Range again. J and I listened to much more Elizabeth Gilbert, which was enjoyable and passed the time well. We set a new record that day for fastest time between Cedar Rapids and Denver: 11 hours, 35 minutes, including four stops. It was good to be home (it always is), but we immediately missed our loved ones who were and are once again over 800 miles away.

Thinking back through this too-short excursion, it’s amazing how many wonderful, caring people we have in our lives. Everyone was so generous to us! It was a pleasure to be back in CR again, and J and I cannot wait to see all of you again, whenever that occasion arises.

“I can’t imagine a man really enjoying a book and reading it only once.”–C. S. Lewis

The topic of rereading has always been at the back of my mind in my pursuit of literature. The ongoing problem is that there are myriad books I haven’t yet read, and I feel that I ought to get to them in my short life. I suppose it’s akin to travel: do you return to your favorite spot year after year, or do you go somewhere else that everyone says is great? It’s not an easy question to answer. I read somewhere that C. S. Lewis alternated between reading new books and books he’d read previously. I decided to adopt his idea (for now anyway), and I began my rereading with Joseph Heller’s wonderful novel Catch-22, which I first read just after high school.

My memories of the book were vague. I remember thinking it was hilarious, especially at the beginning, but it became more tragic as it moved along. Upon rereading it, I found my memory to be both right and wrong. The absurdities that make the first half of the novel so humorous remain consistent throughout, but they take on a sinister nature as the book progresses. Things which seem harmless and are comical at first become dangerous in unforeseen ways. Heller shows the reader the intrinsic contradictions of life, which are sometimes laughable and sometimes horrifying, and the difference between the two isn’t as great as we like to think.

Catch-22 is a renowned anti-war novel. It tells the tale of Captain Yossarian, a bomber in World War II, who is terrified of dying and wants to get out of the war immediately. The problem is that Colonel Cathcart continuously raises the number of required flight missions, so Yossarian et al. are stuck. Heller is brilliant at exposing the ridiculous aspects of military life—the red tape (Yossarian has a dead man in his tent who “doesn’t exist” because he died before he could report for duty), the rivalries between superior officers (Cathcart, Col. Korn, Generals Dreedle and Peckem), and the opportunities for exploitation during war (Milo’s syndicate, in which everyone has a share) to name but a few. Heller also highlights the irrational nature of how we think of war, such as in this section of dialog between Nately and an old Italian:

‘There are now fifty or sixty countries fighting in this war. Surely so many countries can’t all be worth dying for.

‘Anything worth living for,’ said Nately, ‘ is worth dying for.’

‘And anything worth dying for,’ answered the sacrilegious old man, ‘is certainly worth living for.’ (257)

It is fascinating how Nately’s cliche, used so often to defend war, is so easily turned on its head. One cannot really say either is more correct. It is this sort of thinking that Heller wants the reader to develop. I am glad, however, that the anti-war element in the novel does not take it over entirely. While I despise war (as every rational human should), I know that it will always exist (sorry, John Lennon) and in some cases must be waged.

The humor in the book is its crown jewel. Catch-22 is rarely as enjoyable as when the author is creating and exploring strange, illogical circumstances. I could give dozens of examples. Major Major refuses to let anyone see him unless he is not in is office:

‘What shall I say to the people who do come to see you while you’re here?’

‘Tell them I’m in and ask them to wait.’

‘Yes, sir. For how long.’

‘Until I’ve left.’ …

‘May I send them in to see you after you’ve left?’

‘Yes.’

‘But you won’t be here then, will you?’ (109)

Yossarian postpones the bombing mission to Bologna and fools his superior officers by moving the troop advancement line on a map past the target. The Chaplain is interrogated and convicted for a committing a crime about which he has no idea: “[W]hy would we be questioning you if you weren’t guilty?” (395). Col. Cathcart sends out sympathy letters to the families of his squadron: “Dear Mrs., Mr., Miss, or Mr. and Mrs. Daneeka: Words cannot express the deep personal grief I experienced when your husband, son, father or brother was killed, wounded or reported mission in action” (355). And there are endless throwaway lines, which may be my favorite aspect of the novel:

‘One hand washes the other. Know what I mean? You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours.’

Yossarian knew what he meant.

‘That’s not what I meant,’ Doc Daneeka said as Yossarian began scratching his back. (43)

The emotional power of the book develops slowly as the quirky characters begin to die, sometimes horrifically. There are several scenes that feature questioning of life and God. The “Eternal City” chapter features a despairing Yossarian wandering the streets of Rome and witnessing atrocity after atrocity: “The night was filled with horrors, and he thought he knew how Christ must have felt as he walked through the world, like a psychiatrist through a ward full of nuts, like a victim through a prison full of thieves. What a welcome sight a leper must have been!” (425). The ability of Heller to balance the humorous with such poignancy demonstrates his efficacy as a writer.

The novel has its faults. The absurd humor and circular dialog that is so funny eventually wears on the reader, like hearing the same joke too often. The structure of the novel is somewhat choppy, as is typical of postmodern novels. Heller titles each of his chapters after a different character, and the book jumps all over in time and plot. I never felt lost, but the novel is unable to build up emotional momentum. The reader moves through the novel in a series of circles—almost like a plane circling over a landing strip. A lot is said, but not much happens. When big events do transpire, however, Heller drops them in casually and without warning, which I appreciate because sudden disasters are a horrible, inextricable part of war. The structural problems are overcome in part via several throughlines that Heller works into the story (Snowden’s death is especially well done), but it could have been better arranged.

All told, Catch-22 is a worthwhile and often funny read. It definitely deserves its spot in the Twentieth Century canon. I’m glad I reread it; I feel like it gave me a more complete and accurate understanding of the book, and there are several passages I was blessed to re-encounter, whether it was to laugh or contemplate. 4.5/5 stars.

The other day I stumbled across a video of a speech about classical music that was given at TED. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, and Design, and it’s  an annual conference that presents a cavalcade of brilliant minds (oh, and Al Gore) to give a talk on something related to their fields. Since that first speech, I’ve come back to the website every now and again to listen to anything that sounds interesting. I was going to save these links for my next round of Stumble Upon Discoveries, but I think they deserve their own post. Obviously, you have 800 things to do today, and there are millions of other things on the web; however, I found these speeches entertaining, interesting, funny, and/or inspiring.

• Benjamin Zander–On Music and Passion (20:43). This is the first one I watched, and I loved it. Zander makes the case that everyone loves classical music, but they just don’t know it yet. He then proves his point by talking a little about music, telling some stories, and playing a Chopin piece that is achingly lovely. If you watch none of the others, watch this one.
• J. J. Abrams–Mystery Box (18:02). The producer of the best show on television (Lost, of course) discusses why he is so interested in mystery. I didn’t think the talk was that wonderful, but it did explain a lot about how Abrams approaches his work and why Lost is the way it is. I enjoyed it.
• Elizabeth Gilbert–Nurturing Creativity (19:29). Gilbert is the author of Eat, Pray, Love, which is a hugely popular memoir I have not read. In her talk, she addresses why we treat creative people as if they’re crazy and proposes a different way to look at creativity. I loved the notion of ideas coming from somewhere outside oneself. Definitely worth listening to.
• Evan Williams–Listening to Twitter Users (7:58). I love Twitter, so I listened to this one for that reason. Williams talks about how innovation is driven largely by individuals and how Twitter adapted to those who use it. This is a great one if you love technology.
• Brewster Kahle–Building a Free Digital Library (20:06). Kahle’s speech is about how our generation can “one-up the Greeks” by assembling the entireity of human knowledge in a free digital library. I thought of Jason the entire time I listened to this one! Kahle makes a persuasive argument. My favorite part of the idea is that if we have all books in e-form, we can print them cheaply and easily. People who want e-books get them; I get cheaper print books. Everybody wins.
• Dan Gilbert–Our Mistaken Expectations (33:38). This talk gets long for me, and it goes over my head at times because there’s a lot of stats and numbers here. However, Gilbert makes a lot of great points about how our decision making is flawed. The part about the lottery is brilliant.
• A. J. Jacobs–Year of Living Biblically (17:40). Jacobs is a quirky, nerdy guy who experiments with his life and writes about the outcomes. In this talk, he discusses how he lived one year attempting to follow every biblical law and rule in the Old and New Testament. The talk itself is fun and interesting as many of the customs of ancient Israel don’t exactly mesh with 21st Century America. The best part, though, was that Jacob (an agnostic, I believe) is not condescending about the Bible. He learns some valuabe things from this experiment. I wish someone would have told him about the New Covenant, however.
• Liz Coleman–Reinventing Liberal Arts Education (18:38). I am overjoyed to find somewhat of a kindred spirit in Coleman regarding the ongoing failures of the education establishment. Coleman reclaims the liberal arts for what they were always meant to be: a means of creating informed, passionate, and whole human beings via a university education. There are sporadic moments when Coleman ticks me off, e.g. people who disbelieve evolution are ignorant and her all-too-common and annoying notion that Pres. Obama is some kind of Aruthurian figure—please. However, her main ideas I think are spot-on, and I loved it when she took that shot at postmodern deconstructionism. Too true!

There are many, many more where these came from. When I’m bored or putting away laundry, I’ll probably seek out more of these talks. As you should expect, there is definitely a left-wing slant at TED, and Darwinism is everywhere. If that’s what you like, you’re set. If not, there are still plenty of worthy speeches to be found here. Hope you enjoy as much as I have!