Austin → Squamish · Summer 2026
THE ROAD TRIP
MEGA‑LOOP
An AI travel companion riding shotgun — tracking deadlines, surfacing weird-and-wonderful detours that fit the time you have, and getting you to every rendezvous on schedule.
🗺️ The Route
Eleven stops, one hard deadline
Ricardo's wedding (Aug 1) is the fixed wall everything bends around. Everything in green has slack — that's where the detours live.
💡
🚀
⛽
🪶
👥
⛰️
📍
🏔️
♨️
📍
🪨
🌀
🏞️
💍
🌲
📍
📍
🧗
📍
🦎
📍
📍
📍
📍
📍
📍
📍
📍
🍺
📍
📍
📍
📍
📍
📍
🧗
🧗
🧗
🧗
🧗
🧗
🧗
🧗
🧗
🧗
🧗
🧗
🧗
🧗
🧗
🧗
🧗
🛰️ Live
Where's David right now?
inReach satellite breadcrumbs polled from MapShare — the dot stays live off-grid even with the Starlink dish stowed. Tap 🚐🚐 See the brothers to overlay Derek's route and the 🤝 rendezvous where they meet.
🛰️
Live map loads here — David's route + current position from the inReach feed.
Set MAPSHARE_FEED_URL for the live dot.
tap to toggle
🤘 The Squad
Who's riding which leg
🚐
David
Host · wheelman
🛣️ Austin → Squamish (full loop)
🚙🚐
Derek
Second rig
🛣️ Grand Rapids → Spokane (Aug 1) → Cascades
📍 joins at Spokane · Aug 1 wedding
📡 Your Companion
Meet Shotgun
The AI riding shotgun: it watches the Aug 1 deadline, scouts weird-and-wonderful detours that fit the slack you have, and pings you on whatever can reach you — iMessage or email. Here's what a transmission sounds like:
📡 ● transmitting
Shotgun
via iMessage → email
You've got until Aug 1 to make Ricardo's wedding. On the way to Whitley, swing through Deep Ellum for beers, hit the rez in OK, then take Chels & Jillian on a hike.
Lake + hot spring ahead if you want to rinse off, shave, and reset. You've been sitting 3 hrs — rest area in 8 mi has a field for a quick mobility flow.
Derek's solar camper is 40 min from Flathead — meet him there. 🤝
Detours that fit your slack:
💡 Enchanted rock
🌀 Garden of 1000 Buddhas
💬 …or just talk to it
Ask Shotgun anything — a climb, the route, swapping an objective, or whether we'll make the wedding.
📡
Shotgun
ask me anything about the trip
Riding shotgun. 🤘 Ask me about the route, a climb, swapping an objective, or whether we'll make the wedding.
✨ Now try it — no signup
Tap a spot (or use your location) and watch the live engine scout real detours near you.
🧗 The Objectives
Climbing beta
The headline sends — tap any for Shotgun's full dossier: routes, rack, GPX, camp, permits, conditions.
| Objective | Region | Commitment / Length | Technical Grade | Key Hazard |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reimers Ranch 📋 | Austin, TX | Single-pitch sport cragging | 5.4–5.14 · 300+ sport | Texas heat; copperheads & cottonmouths by the river; gate locks at dusk |
| Enchanted Rock 📋 | Fredericksburg, TX | Trad cracks, run-out slab & bouldering | 5.0–5.11 trad/slab · V0–V8 | Run-out 'sporty' bolted slab; exposed-dome lightning; day-pass reservation required |
| Shelf Road Crags 📋 | Cañon City, CO | Single Pitch Sport | 5.7 – 5.10 | Summer Heat |
| The Yellow Spur 📋 | Eldorado Canyon, CO | 7 Pitches | III 5.9+ Trad | Radical Exposure |
| The Spearhead (Sykes Sickle) 📋 | RMNP, CO | 6 Pitches / 5-mi hike | 5.9+ III (R) Alpine Trad | Altitude (12k+) |
| Petit Grepon — South Face 📋 | RMNP, CO | 8 pitches / 4.5-mi approach | III 5.8 Alpine Trad | Lightning & altitude |
| The Diamond — Casual Route 📋 | Longs Peak, RMNP, CO | 6-8 pitches / committing alpine wall | IV 5.10a Alpine Trad | Altitude 13-14k & lightning |
| Cirque of the Towers Traverse 📋 | Wind River Range, WY | 9-mi approach / Multi-day | 5.8 IV–V Alpine | Sustained exposure on the 5.8 crest |
| Theater of Shadows / Tribal Boundaries 📋 | City of Rocks, ID | 1-2 Pitches | 5.7 – 5.10 | High-Friction Granite Finishes |
| Shoshone Spire (South Face) 📋 | Bitterroot Mountains, ID/MT | 6-7 Pitches / 4.5-mi approach | III 5.8+ Trad | Afternoon Lightning & Loose Rock |
| Mt. Reynolds — SW Talus/Ridge 📋 | Glacier NP, MT | Full-day scramble / from Logan Pass | Class 2–4 Scramble | Loose rock · grizzlies · exposure |
| Warbonnet Peak — SE Face 📋 | Sawtooths, ID | 5–6 pitches / Redfish boat + ~5h to Bead Lakes | 5.7 Alpine Trad | Extreme summit-traverse exposure |
| Elephant's Perch — Mountaineer's Route 📋 | Sawtooths, ID | 8–9 pitches / Redfish boat + full-day to Saddleback Lakes | III 5.9 Alpine Trad | Exposure · loose descent · pendulum risk |
| Jello Tower — Castle Rock (Tumwater) 📋 | Leavenworth / Tumwater Canyon, WA | Single-pitch trad tower / 10–15 min approach / near town | 5.8+ to 5.11a Trad | Polished granite · some runout summit terrain · Hwy 2 traffic at the pullout |
| Mt. Stuart — West Ridge 📋 | Stuart Range, WA | II 5.6 / ~2,300 ft / long day | III 5.6 Alpine Trad | Complex routefinding · early-season snow · long |
| Snow Creek Wall — Outer Space 📋 | Leavenworth / Icicle Canyon, WA | 6–7 pitches / ~700 ft / 2-mi approach | III 5.9 Trad | Loose exposed walk-off — benighting risk |
| Dragontail Peak — Serpentine Arête 📋 | Stuart Range, WA | ~15 pitches / 2,000 ft / Colchuck Lake approach | IV 5.8 Alpine Trad | Approach snow · rockfall · exposure |
| Dragontail Peak — Backbone Ridge 📋 | Stuart Range, WA | IV / ~18h car-to-car / Colchuck Lake approach | IV 5.9 Alpine Trad | Ice slope · loose rock · committing |
| Mt. Stuart — Complete North Ridge 📋 | Stuart Range, WA | ~2,800 ft / ~26 pitches / 9–11 hr — the season finale | V 5.9+ Alpine Trad | Huge committing ridge · the Great Gendarme 5.9 OW · glacier early season |
| Goat Wall (Valhalla) — Earl Grey 📋 | Mazama / Methow Valley, WA | 8 pitches / ~720 ft / 7-rappel descent | III 5.9 Sport | Loose rock + multi-rappel descent · fast-building Methow storms · committing |
| Goat Wall — Flyboys 📋 | Mazama / Methow Valley, WA | 18 pitches / ~1,500 ft / 275 bolts — among the longest bolted 5.9s in the US | IV 5.9 Sport | Massive 18-pitch day · heady P4 traverse · heat + storms · benighting |
| Liberty Bell — Beckey Route (SW Face) 📋 | Washington Pass, North Cascades, WA | 4 pitches / ~500 ft / loose Beckey Gully | II 5.6 Alpine Trad | Rockfall in the Beckey Gully — worse with parties above |
| Concord Tower — North Face 📋 | Washington Pass, North Cascades, WA | 3 pitches / ~300 ft / shares the Liberty Bell notch | II 5.7 Alpine Trad | Loose flaky rock on P2 · exposed summit · rappel descent · off-grid |
| South Early Winter Spire — Southwest Rib 📋 | Washington Pass, North Cascades, WA | ~6–7 pitches / ~900 ft / short approach | III 5.8 Alpine Trad | Runout 5.6 slab · storms · exposed · no signal |
| Liberty Bell Group — Liberty Traverse 📋 | Washington Pass, North Cascades, WA | 26 pitches / ~2,000 ft / all 5 spires — the season finale | V 5.9 Alpine Trad | Huge committing day — 26 pitches + many rappels · benighting + storm exposure |
| Index — Great Northern Slab 📋 | Index Town Walls, WA | 3 pitches / ~250 ft / 5-min approach | II 5.7 Trad | Loose/vegetated + crowded — party-above rockfall |
| Three O'Clock Rock — Big Tree 📋 | Darrington, WA | 4 pitches / ~500 ft / 30-40 min approach | II 5.8 Slab (runout) | Runout low-angle slab friction (PG13) — leader falls slide far |
| Exfoliation Dome — Westward Ho 📋 | Darrington, North Cascades, WA | 4 pitches (West Slabs) / ~600 ft / Granite Sidewalk approach | II 5.9+ Slab (runout) | Runout friction slab — long sliding falls between widely-spaced bolts; rockfall on route + descent |
| Three O'Clock Rock — Silent Running 📋 | Darrington, WA | ~7 pitches / ~900 ft / 30-40 min approach | III 5.10a Slab (runout) | Long friction-slab runouts (20-30 ft) — a leader fall means a long abrasive slide |
| Exfoliation Dome — Blueberry Buttress 📋 | Darrington, North Cascades, WA | 7 pitches / ~1,000 ft / Granite Sidewalk approach | III 5.8+ Slab (R) | Runout (effectively 5.8 R) · loose rock · serious 1,500 ft slab approach/descent |
| Squire Creek Wall — Skeena26 📋 | Darrington / North Cascades, WA | 12 pitches / ~1,500 ft / ~3-hr approach | III 5.9 Alpine Trad | Runout slab — bolts 10–20 ft apart, sparse gear |
| Green Giant Buttress — Dreamer 📋 | Darrington, North Cascades, WA | 10 pitches / ~1,000 ft / brushy ~2 hr approach | III 5.9 R Slab | R-rated runout slab leads · rope-eating 10-rappel descent · long brushy approach |
| Mount Erie — Springboard 📋 | Anacortes / Fidalgo Island, WA | 1 pitch / 65 ft / off the top of Zig Zag | 5.8+ Trad | Exposed thin start off a horizontal tree · fixed pin may be missing |
| Mount Erie — Zig Zag 📋 | Anacortes / Fidalgo Island, WA | 2–3 pitches / ~200 ft / short approach, in town | II 5.7 Trad | Runout slab section · loose/dirty rock · greasy when wet |
| The Apron — Diedre 📋 | Squamish, British Columbia | 6 pitches / ~240 m / 10-min approach | II 5.8 Trad | Slab deadly when wet · crowded · double-rope bail |
| Sharkfin Tower — Southeast Ridge 📋 | North Cascades, WA (Boston Basin) | Grade I · 3 short rock pitches atop a glacier + couloir approach · climbed in a single day from a Boston Basin high camp (~6-8 hr camp-to-summit round trip) | I 5.0 Alpine Trad (3 pitches low 5th; the airy 2nd pitch feels ~5.4) | The crux is the DESCENT, not the climbing: this peak has a documented AAC fatality from a rappel-anchor failure plus rockfall on the loose, blocky descent. Glacier travel (crevasses) and the approach couloir (35-degree snow early season / loose scree late season) are the other key dangers. Rock climbing itself is easy (low 5th). |
| Prusik Peak — West Ridge 📋 | Stuart Range, WA (The Enchantments) | Grade II–III · ~4 pitches (400 ft technical) · long day — 9–12 hr car-to-car from Stuart Lake TH via Aasgard Pass, or overnight w/ Enchantments permit | II–III 5.7 Alpine Trad | Afternoon thunderstorms — exposed granite summit/ridge; also a committing rappel descent off the north face and a long approach far from help |
| Vesper Peak — The Ragged Edge 📋 | Mountain Loop Highway, WA (Glacier Peak Wilderness) | Grade II · 6 pitches · long day (~10-12 hr car-to-car) | II 5.7 Alpine Trad | Exposure on the airy north-face edge (P5 traverse, the crux); diorite slabs are dangerously slick when wet, and the approach basin holds snow into mid-summer. |
| Wolf's Head — East Ridge 📋 | Cirque of the Towers, Wind River Range, WY | Grade IV (per Mountain Project) · ~10 pitches (combinable/simul) · full long day, 9–11mi approach in | IV 5.6 Alpine Trad | Extreme, sustained exposure on a knife-edge ridge (the famous narrow 5.2 sidewalk slab over huge drops) plus afternoon lightning on a fully committing ridgeline — easy moves, deadly fall consequence |
| Pingora — South Buttress / K Cracks 📋 | Cirque of the Towers, Wind River Range, WY | Grade II · 4 pitches (~400-500 ft) to summit · short technical climb but a long day from Big Sandy (~9-10 mi approach) — most parties backpack in and base-camp in the Cirque. NOTE: this is the South Buttress (5.8, 4 pitches), distinct from Pingora's NE Face (5.8+, ~12 pitches, a 50 Classic). | II 5.8 Alpine Trad | Afternoon lightning — Pingora is a freestanding granite tower high in an exposed cirque; start early, be off the summit by midday. Secondary: route-finding on the multi-rap descent back down the K Cracks (a 70m or two ropes preferred to make the stations cleanly). |
| Hallett Peak — Culp-Bossier 📋 | Rocky Mountain National Park, CO | Grade III · 8 pitches (~700–1000 ft) · full long day (car-to-car ~10–12 hr) | III 5.8+ Alpine Trad (R in places) | Afternoon lightning on an exposed 12,000+ ft north face, compounded by runout 5.6–5.8 face climbing (R) and tricky routefinding on the upper pitches — get up and off early. |
| The Sharkstooth — Northeast Ridge 📋 | Cathedral Spires, Rocky Mountain National Park, CO | Grade III · 5–6 pitches (~860 ft) · long day (~5 mi / ~2,500 ft approach + climb + raps), car-to-car ~10–14 hr | III 5.6 Alpine Trad | Afternoon lightning at 12,630 ft on an exposed ridge — start pre-dawn, summit early; loose rock on upper pitches and during rappels |
| The Finger of Fate — Open Book 📋 | Sawtooth Range, ID (Hell Roaring drainage) | Grade III · 5 pitches (~800 ft) · long full day car-to-car with 4WD approach road + hike | III 5.8 Alpine Trad | Loose rock on the upper pitches since the 2020 M6.4 earthquake dislodged the summit block; combined with unprotectable runout slab/arete sections near the top. |
| Forbidden Peak — West Ridge 📋 | North Cascades (Boston Basin), WA | Grade III · ~4-8 short pitches of mid-5th (much simul-climbable) · long full day or two-day trip from camp (12-15+ hr car-to-car for the fit) | III 5.6 Alpine Trad | Descent complexity + party-induced rockfall: the gullies/couloir are full of loose rock, and the down-ridge is too low-angle to fully rappel — a mix of ~5-6 fixed-anchor rappels, 4th-class downclimbing and simul-descending is the standard exit, which is where most epics happen. |
| Mt Shuksan — Fisher Chimneys 📋 | North Cascades, WA | Grade III (some guide services rate it IV) · ~4,000 ft gain, mostly 3rd/4th class with short 5.0 rock steps + 3 glaciers · standard 2-3 day trip (2-3 hr to camp, 7-8 hr camp-to-summit, ~5 hr descent); fit parties do it car-to-car in a long day | III 5.0 (low 5th) Glacier Mountaineering, AI1 snow/ice | Glacier/crevasse and complex route-finding — exposed 4th-class chimneys (rockfall), Winnie's Slide ice step, moats/crevasses on White Salmon, Upper Curtis & Sulphide glaciers, loose-rock summit pyramid gully, and a long exposed downclimb/rappel descent |
| Ingalls Peak — South Ridge 📋 | Stuart Range, WA | Grade II · 4 pitches (~300 ft of roped climbing) · long full day (~8-11 hr car-to-car) | II 5.4 Alpine Trad | Descent complexity — multi-rappel descent with serious rope-snag potential (do NOT rap all the way to the top of pitch 2; stop at the third-pitch anchor); afternoon thunderstorms a secondary exposure risk on the open ridge. |
| Forbidden Peak — East Ridge Direct 📋 | North Cascades, WA (Boston Basin) | Grade III · ~6 pitches of belayed 5.7–5.8 (most parties simul/short-rope much of the ridge) · long full day, ~10–14 hr from Boston Basin high camp | III 5.8 Alpine Trad | Sustained exposure on a knife-edge arête over the crevassed Boston Glacier; the route-finding-intensive rappel descent is the real crux. Loose rock in the approach gully (late season) and a possible bergschrund at the base. |
| Mt Slesse — Northeast Buttress 📋 | Chilliwack / Skagit Range, British Columbia | Grade V · ~24-25 pitches (24 with a 70m on the bypass ledges) · very long single push — many parties bivy; 12-20+ hrs car-to-car if done in a day | V 5.9 Alpine Trad | Descent complexity — the Crossover / Crack-of-Noon-Club rappel descent is widely called the route's true crux: long, loose, navigationally complex (parties routinely epic or get benighted). Secondary: Pocket Glacier overhead icefall on the approach slabs before it releases. |
| Pear Buttress (The Book) 📋 | Lumpy Ridge, Estes Park / RMNP, CO | Grade II · 4-5 pitches · half to full day (~45-60 min approach each way) | II 5.8 Trad | Strenuous, awkward upper-pitch finish (Cave roof / Hurley Traverse) that climbs harder than its grade; runout-ish 5.7R face lower down; afternoon thunderstorms common on the exposed ridge — start early. |
| Edward's Crack (Walt's Wall) 📋 | Vedauwoo, WY (Turtle Rock, off I-80) | 5.7 · 2 pitches (sometimes split into 3) · half-day crag outing | II 5.7 Trad | Offwidth crux — the P2 finish is a slightly overhanging ~10ft offwidth/roof crack that eats wide gear and pumps you; afternoon thunderstorms hit this south-facing wall fast. |
| Mt Heyburn — Stur Chimney 📋 | Sawtooth Mountains, ID | Grade II · 3 pitches (~500 ft) of 5th-class chimney atop 3rd/4th scrambling · long full day from Redfish Lake (often 1 long day; some camp at Bench Lakes) | II 5.5 Alpine Trad | Loose/unconsolidated rock (limit party to 2 — rockfall onto belays); afternoon thunderstorms on the exposed summit |
| Cutthroat Peak — South Buttress (SE Buttress) 📋 | Washington Pass, North Cascades, WA | Grade III · ~12 pitches (up to 16 if belaying everything, ~half that with simul-climbing) · long day, 9–12 hr car-to-car | III 5.8 Alpine Trad | Route-finding and descent complexity — the line wanders through slabs/chimneys and the standard descent is a dozen-plus rappels (off the buttress) or West Ridge raps/downclimb over loose, rockfall-prone scree/gullies; easy to go off-route. |
Tap any row for the full dossier · tap a column header to sort.
🌡️ See route conditions — weather, fire/smoke & avalanche across every objective →
🧭 Help us decide — climbs we're weighing
Might swap one of these in depending on how we're feeling. Tap one, read the beta, and tell us what to send (drop a comment)!
🤝 The Four Layers
Shotgun's got your back
Not just a map — a companion watching four things at once so weeks in the car keep you healthy, clean, and stoked.
🧗
Climb & Adventure
Trad, sport, scrambles, SUP & e-MTB — the whole quiver.
More coming as Shotgun learns the route.
🛠️
Life Maintenance
Sleep, showers, laundry, haircuts, gear repair.
♨️ Rest-Day Hot Springs
Saratoga, WY (free, 24/7, off US-287) · Granite Hot Springs (Jackson corridor) · Fairmont Hot Springs (Butte, MT — resort showers).
🚿 Showers & Cleanup
Truck stops, rec centers, hot springs, KOAs. Shotgun tracks where to rinse, shave & reset.
🧺 Laundry & Barber
Laundromats + barbershops along the corridor. Need a haircut or a wash?
🛠️ Gear Repair & Replace
Climbing/outdoor shops for resoles, replacement cams, tubes, repairs.
🅿️ Pit Stops
Rest areas, truck stops, RV dump stations, free/dispersed camping (iOverlander / Recreation.gov / OSM).
🤸
Move & Mobility
Anti-car-rot coach: yoga, calisthenics, runs, tracks, gyms.
🤸 Calisthenics & Tracks
Outdoor pull-up parks (OSM fitness_station), public running tracks, school fields. Plyos, dips, situps.
🏋️ Gyms & Rec Centers
Day passes: 24 Hour, Gold's, Planet Fitness, YMCA, community centers. Climbing gyms for rainy days.
🧘 Run / Yoga / Reset
1–6 mile loops, mat-out yoga, mobility. Shotgun watches butt-in-seat time so you don't rot in the car.
🌀
Weird & Wonderful
Meow Wolf, Atlas Obscura, roadside Americana.
🌀 Meow Wolf & Beyond
Immersive art, Garden of 1000 Buddhas, roadside Americana, Atlas-Obscura-tier oddities.
🪂 Send It Detours
Bungee, skydive, white-water, bridge jumps — surfaced only on soft/open days when you have the time.
🎉 Cheer Squad
Roll with us
Fuel the trip, get the dispatch, send me a detour, or pick the soundtrack. The road's better with a crew.
🍦 Fuel the trip
Chip in for gas, a coffee, or an ice cream down the road. Every little bit keeps the rig rolling.
💸 Venmo David a tank / a cone📬 Get the dispatch
Shotgun emails you the highlights — where I am, what I climbed, the weird detours.
💡 Send me a detour
Know a hot spring, a taco truck, a roadside oddity on my route? Drop it — I'll get the good ones.
🎧 Co-pilot picks
Music & audiobooks for the long hauls — suggested by the crew. See the full mixtape →
- 📖 The Push — Tommy Caldwell (audiobook) — Jillian
- 🎵 Lo-fi for long hauls — Derek
- 🎵 Desert Highways — indie folk — Chels