It’s been a little while since we made a trip to the Sangre de Cristos. More than two years ago, when Christy was making a push to ski all the 14ers, we headed down to this range for seven consecutive weekends, during a massive upslope storm that buried the range in snow. After that effort, I guess we had a little Sangre fatigue, and we did things elsewhere. Before we knew it, two years had passed since that spring skiing spree, and nearly four years since we made a summer weekend down there.

So when we decided to go on a mellow camping trip, the notion of heading down to the Sangres had some appeal, not only because we hadn’t been there in a while, but also because everything around us is still melting out. After a glance at a map, we figured that Music Pass and Sand Creek, just southeast of the Crestones, were the place to go.

Actually, we had been to the area before. Back in 2006, we camped at Upper Sand Lake and climbed Milwaukee Peak (13,522 ft.) and Pico Asilado (13,611 ft.). It was on that trip that we decided it was such a beautiful spot that we would have to return someday to climb Tijeras Peak, 13,604 ft., a bicentennial peak that dominates the view from Music Pass and stands tall above Lower Sand Lake.

An incredible climb, a beautiful lake, all in all a really great getaway. If you haven’t been to the area, it’s definitely worth checking out.