My summer vacation.
Mike Kearney goes
to rail in Colorado.
303 BOARDS
Upon looking, we found one that was per-
fect for our heads. We located it on Sunday,
sussed it out, and went back on Monday with
bondo, miner's helmets, and kitty litter (for
water absorption). Upon arrival in the cav-
ernous lair, I was shocked to see the pipe go
uphill at a 45-degree angle in total darkness.
About one-fourth of a mile later it leveled out for
250 feet of smooth, flat, 18-foot rip-ride. The light
at the end was from a beautiful morning glory that
made us squint our eyes to see. After 45 minutes of
cleaning, lantern placement, and bondo work, we were
ready to get dirty.
We were supposed to meet some other pipe smokers,
but they were lagging-but we were far from home and
hyped as hell. We skated for three hours, trading runs and
lines, leaving marks well past the 10 o'clock mark and carving
majestically up into the elbow before we heard the noises of our
friends. Stoners are usually late, and today they must have smoked an
ounce because right when they got there it started to rain. We were done
and they got rained out. We loaded up our gear and started the trek out in
the pouring rain.
Seriously, one of the most dangerous parts of the mission is climbing out. Imagine being
inside a fence 20 feet above concrete lifting heavy buckets and camera bags; one wrong move and
you're dead. Or if you got hurt in the pipe there would be no way for an ambulance to get you-your
friends would have to put you down and then you might make Hard Copy. Any way you look at skateboarding, it is
an adventure like the ones the kids took in Stand By Me or The Warriors. Uncharted forbidden excursions are what
life is all about. Staying in one place and saying it sucks is a little bit easier than getting in a car, driving for miles, and
getting nothing, but at least you tried. Every once in a while it all pays off, and there is a little bit of light at the end
of the tunnel. Jake Phelps