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The (Continental) Divide
Exciting announcements about the future of this publication: We're expanding!
The Great Continental Divide, as the name suggests, splits the North American Continent in half. All rivers and rainfall to the west of the divide flow to the Pacific. Water to the east goes to the Atlantic.
The divide is pretty damn tall. I’ve witnessed awe-inspiring views from atop it—
—and driven beneath it via the Eisenhower Tunnel1 more times than I can count.
I don’t think I’ll ever get used to the stark difference in weather from one side of the tunnel to the other. You can enter the east side with clear blue skies, and emerge from the west mouth into a flurry of snow.
As much as I love the snow, I also appreciate how jarring the transition from one to the other can be, without proper warning.
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Dividing My Content
I absolutely love sharing my trail stories and interviews with you all. That won’t change. But there are also incredible and exclusive news stories, events, and updates I’ll be writing.
I’m aware some of you are not mountaineers, hikers, or climbers yourselves; you simply enjoy reading about these adventures and the lessons I draw from them. I cannot thank you enough for your continued interest.
Out of respect for the sanctity of your inbox, I’m working to add a new feature to Cole’s Climb: the ability for you to choose what kind of content you receive.
In the coming weeks, I will be adding exclusive mountain news reporting to this newsletter. That section will include my educational resources, guides, trail, ski, and weather alerts, and scoops you won’t be able to read about anywhere else. These editions will be published whenever the news breaks.
What this Means for You
My existing publishing schedule (Thursday for stories, Sunday for interviews) will remain constant.
When this new section goes live, you will be sent the first issue. If you like it: fantastic! You’ll keep getting them whenever there’s news to be reported on.
If not: there will be a link to unsubscribe from just those news editions, without impacting your access to the rest of Cole’s Climb. My goal is to offer you entertainment, insight, and information — with the power to pick what’s important to you.
Expect another announcement offering more details on the name, logo, and inaugural story of this new section in the near future.
Final Housekeeping
Recent software updates on both iPhone and Android have changed the way emails are sorted and logged. Some of you have brought to my attention that newsletters are no longer coming through.
For Gmail:
Please double-check your “promotions” folder. Right click this message, select “move to tab,” then direct it to your primary inbox.
For Apple Users:
Check your “spam” folder. Then kindly mark this content as “not spam.”
Thank you for continuing to be a loyal reader of Cole’s Climb. I look forward to sharing many more exiting stories with you.
The highest tunnel in the world, and the longest one in the interstate highway system. This route that travels directly beneath the divide.
The (Continental) Divide
hi Cole, I'm happy to discover your newsletter through one of the Substack writer threads. I live near Telluride & publish "Colorado Mountain Running & Living" devoted to mountain/ultra/trail and midlife musings; hope you'll check it out. I'll add your newsletter to my blog roll. Congrats on growing your publication.