Author: Peter Bakwin

Being wedged into a mass of humanity is not a novelty in Japan, but the crowd my wife Stephanie and I were stuck in clearly wasn’t going anywhere for hours.  I had visions of a Who-concert-style stampede and trampling, but of course the Japanese are used to this kind of thing and take it in stride, with their seeming infinite patience and courtesy.  Us Americans,…

July 1, 2012 - The Glacier Gorge Traverse, in Rocky Mountain National Park, is one of Colorado’s “hard man” classics.  It’s really difficult – 19 miles with over 10,000’ of elevation gain, most of which is above 12,000’, and all of which is gnarly and technical.  I had been wanting to do it for years, but was never able to wrap my head around the…

After my 2010 attempt people asked me if I was going to give it another go. I always said, “Nope. Too hard. I don’t see how I can do it better.” So, why one year later, was I sitting alone on top of Gemini Peak in a total friggin' whiteout at midnight? Navigating this terrain at night is really hard - it's all above timberline,…

(Editors Note:  Peter Bakwin conceives and attempts the Mosquito Tenmile Traverse - the longest and highest ridge in the lower states - 38 miles continuously above timberline). My head was spinning as I sat on the summit of Fletcher Mountain just after noon on July 24, 2010. Was it the 13,951’ elevation? Or, was it the fact that I’d just gone straight through the night,…

About Peter Bakwin: Physics minded and fit Peter is all about product testing, advocacy and adventures, with over 75 marathons and ultramarathon races on road, track and trail under his belt he's no stranger to endurance. Also an avid statistician, Peter created the Fastest Known Times website that was featured in Running Times Magazine. It tracks speed records for trails and routes around the world. Peter…