jt newgard

Dragon Peak & University Peak 23-24 July 2016 Eric, Craig, Cory, and I set off for University Peak on Saturday morning. Eric was not feeling well from a bad batch of beef on his last traverse (or was it unfiltered…

Cathedral Peak — Southeast Buttress 16 July 2016 Last weekend I led my first real bona fide multi-pitch trad climb (the Southeast Buttress) with my roommate Jason. It was his first time on a multi-pitch route, so I gave him…

Charybdis & Scylla 4 July 2016 HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA! Craig, Eric, and I got together to complete a trip that had been in the works since this time last year. Back then forces conspired against us (too many peaks and…

Mt Darwin & Mt Lamarck 18 June 2016 Last weekend I completed a climb that had been fleeting about my dreams ever since I had gazed upon it from Lamarck Col…has it really been two years? On that trip John…

San Joaquin Mountain 29 May 2016 For this 2016 Memorial Day weekend I opted for a mini-ski tour to the Ritter Range. I had fallen in love with this place last summer when some of my old college friends came…

Kettle Moraine State Forest: Lapham Peak 25 March 2016 After my plans to start a PhD program at University College Dublin completely fell through (LONG STORY!), I found myself back in good old Wisconsin. My brother suggested we go for…

Humphreys Peak 17 December 2015 Right in the middle of a long drive across America to see my family for the holidays, I couldn’t resist bagging a peak. I initially intended only to visit the Grand Canyon during the early…

San Jacinto Peak 8 November 2015 John and I went Cactus 2 Clouds 2 JJ’s Mexican Restaurant, a highly recommended route. It was fascinating to ascend from the desert floor into the sky island. At one point on the trail…

Mt Humphreys 9 August 2015 All the usual superlatives apply to Mt Humphreys. Sinuous. Devastatingly prominent. Outstanding. Jaggged. Hardcore. Scary. A Jewel. Or as Joseph N. Leconte put it: “I have never felt so impressed, so utterly overpowered, by the…