StephenNielson.com

Climb Dance: Pikes Peak 2016

Last May I happened upon a video of Sebastian Loeb’s record setting run up Pikes Peak in 2013. Now, ever since I was a kid, video’s of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb had tantalized me. The Indy cars that used to drive it in the 60’s, Ari Vatanen’s runs in the Peugeot 205 T16 and 405 T16 during the 80’s, and Monster Tajima’s string of records during the 90’s. So I’d always had it on my…

Islands in the Desert

It all started in December. Guiding the few people who decided that after shivering all night during Freeze Your Tail Off 8, braving more cold to drive around the Silver Island Mountains was a good idea. As we skated about on the ice, snow, and mud I thought, “Why don’t I ever come out here when it’s warm?” Mid-May, when it is supposed to be warm (though this year has disagreed with that…

My family homesteaded Daniels at the southern edge of Heber Valley in the late 1880’s and while I’ve been going up to visit my Grandmother and Aunt, who still live on the original plot, my whole life I have actually done very little exploring in the hills and canyons south of Daniels. I remember sometime in the early 90’s, shortly after my Dad got his Suzuki Samurai that we went up into the hills…