On the descent from Spread Eagle Peak, looking south towards the heart of the Sangre de Cristos We left town for the holiday weekend and made our way down to the Sangre de Cristo Mountains for a little backpacking and peakbagging. The destination was a place known as Lake of the Clouds, and the goal was to climb two nearby 13ers, Cloud Peak and Spread Eagle Peak. (more…)
On Eureka’s summit, 13,507 ft., looking down to Eureka and Hermit lakes and the Wet Mountain Valley. Continuing with our exploration of the Northern Sangre de Cristos, we backpacked up San Isabel Creek and climbed Eureka Mountain last weekend. Two years ago, Christy and I looked down on San Isabel Lake from the summit of Hermit Peak to the north, and knew we would have to camp there some day...
Descending Mount Bross. Democrat, Cameron, Lincoln, and Bross– a.k.a. Decalibron, at least to those who obsess over 14ers here in Colorado. Peakbaggers love the easy Decalibron loop, allowing for four 14,000 foot summits to be tagged from the trailhead at Kite Lake, outside of Alma. (more…)
Some of the group make their way down the broad East Ridge. The text from my younger sister wished me a happy birthday and went on to say, “Hope you are doing something fun-and I don’t mean running 100 miles or climbing a mt…hope u have a great day…” I guess we just disagree on what constitutes birthday fun. I was really excited for our plans later that afternoon– to...
We tried to stay optimistic, but in the end the weather ruled the day. It’s that time of summer, when the “monsoonal flow” brings regular wet weather to the state. The forecast for last weekend looked less than ideal for any sort of outdoor adventure, but we had made plans to go on a backpacking mission, so we headed out anyway. It’s hard knowing not going, right? The goal was...
Our South Fork Pass camp. It has been unusually hot and very crowded around town, so we decided to escape on a little camping trip last weekend. And whereas we often seek solitude in far away places, we took a chance on a local spot where we’ve always wanted to camp, up by South Fork Pass. (more…)
Christy and I went to Twin Lakes to run Mount Elbert last weekend, a favorite outing of ours and a pretty novel running experience considering it’s the tallest mountain in the state.
On the South Ridge of Lakes Peak. As exciting as it can be to see the weather change and a new season arrive, it’s not always easy to let the old one go. Rather than accept it might be time to move on to different sports and activities more appropriate for the conditions, we stubbornly insist on trying to get in one more ski, run, or climb. (more…)
We made another trip into our favorite Colorado wilderness area- the Weminuche, more specifically, Leviathan Lake.
On the airy spine of Coxcomb. I guess the 3rd time is the charm. Back in 2006, despite a weather forecast for steady rain, Christy and I made the drive to Middle Cimarron Creek in the North San Juans, and backpacked high in the valley below Coxcomb Peak. We had long known of this uniquely shaped mountain near the Uncompahgre and Wetterhorn peaks, and had it on our list to...