Volcanoes climbed: One, Nevado de Toluca

Although I use the word ‘climbed’ loosely. It was more of a ‘drive to the top and then walk for 10 minutes’. But it was high (over 15,000 ft). The fourth highest in Mexico.

Kidnappings and muggings while in Mexico City: None

Candy and tacos eaten: Lots

Time spent in Queretaro: Two days, now I´m moving on up north, to go climbing, and to play in a river

As of yesterday I’m currently enjoying the wonderful world of 30c tacos and lots of old-style VW beetles in Mexico City. Have successfully avoided being kidnapped so far. The city is slightly crazy, and we should be escaping soon, and heading for countryside adventures. Note to self – must learn Spanish.

We set off on the aeroplane. I’m allowed to drink some guava juice, although it’s rather sweet.

After sleeping in the van overnight in the Walmart carpark, we go to REI in Denver the next morning to buy some fuel for the stove (well, that’s what they say, we seem to wander around a lot looking at other things). Then I play with some friendly bear cubs I found in the gardens outside.

That night we climbed the Third Flatiron by the light of the full moon, which was rather enjoyable. Here you can see me against the lights of Boulder.

The following day we drove up towards Rocky Mountain National Park, and I went bouldering at Lumpy Ridge – the altitude was a bit of a killer, I can tell you.

We climbed Longs Peak (14,261 ft) the next day, summiting at 8.30am. Unfortunately it was rather windy, and I kept blowing off this boulder – luckily I wasn’t near the edge. However, for the sake of a photograph I had to be weighted down with a Nalgene bottle full of water.

And then we went and climbed Mt Elbert, the highest peak to be bagged in Colorado, at 14,440 feet. It’s the highest I’d ever been.

And then I went home. The End.

Longs Peak by full moon, early in the morning.

Part way up the Longs Peak trail, checking things out for the ascent tonight/tomorrow morning.

It’s a lot flatter than I expected. Climbed by moonlight last night. Nothing to see here, move along.

The last couple of days disappeared somewhere. I was sitting there innocently, and then all of a sudden it was farewell lunches, and packing up my apartment, and flat out finishing things at work, and cleaning and cleaning and cleaning my apartment, and trying to mail my crash pad home, and finding out it’s too big to be mailed to Australia (although not too big to be mailed to lots of other countries), and then moving all of my stuff out of my apartment, and handing my keys over, then having to get my keys back because I realised I left a box in the cupboard. And now today I’m catching a plane to Colorado, on the first of my adventures in the GRAND MONTH OF ADVENTURING. (I would like some more sleep though sometime, please.)

The shrimp brownie – a dish created while at an all-you-can-eat sushi bar in Las Vegas, after a day climbing at Red Rocks. It was acclaimed as a brilliant fusion of east and west, a transitional dish between the main course and dessert.

This is me, on top of Hawksbill (the highest peak in Shenandoah National Park), reclining against a hazy backdrop.