Sangres

Cotton Lake

Jul 16, 2020

A Fourth of July in isolation (hiding out) from the holiday crowds, up at Cotton Lake in the Sangre de Cristos.

Looking out at Rito Alto Lake. Most Coloradans know the Sangre de Cristo Mountains for the eight 14ers that reside within them. Sure, those summits are dramatic and any adventure in to see them is worthwhile. But if you look beyond that part of the range, you’ll see dozens of other valleys and lakes to explore, and seemingly countless 13,000 foot summits that are seldom visited. We recently took the...

Macey Lakes

Jul 31, 2019

Exploring the valleys and summits of the Sangre de Cristos, this time up to Macey Lakes and Colony Baldy.

Twin Peaks A

Jun 30, 2019

A spring ski descent of Twin Peaks A, just west of the 14er Ellingwood Point, in the Southern Sangres.

Groundhog Basin

Jul 9, 2017

It’s become a bit of a tradition for us to escape the July 4th crowds in town and go explore the Sangres.

Cottonwood Peak

Oct 14, 2016

Anchoring the north end of the long, narrow Sangre de Cristo mountain range lies Cottonwood Peak, 13,588 ft. a bicentennial best accessed via a rough jeep road that climbs high into Cloverdale Basin by the Cloverdale Mine.

Brush Lakes and Electric Peak

Jul 8, 2016

We’ve always insisted that some of the easiest peaks can present the biggest challenges. We had twice failed to reach the grassy summit of Electric Peak, 13,598 ft. in the Northern Sangre de Cristo Mountains.

Dry Lakes and Horn Peak

Sep 24, 2014

Camp at the first Dry Lake. Continuing with our exploration of the peaks and valleys of the Sangre de Cristo mountains, we headed up to another new area, Dry Lakes and Horn Peak, 13,450 ft. (more…)

Lake of the Clouds

Jul 6, 2014

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…)

A 13er Roadtrip

May 29, 2014

The view from the summit of Mount Adams. Click for enlarged view. As far as Colorado ski mountaineering is concerned, I’ve always considered the 3rd week in May to be my favorite stretch of time. The random weather that tends to sweep through the state earlier in the season usually gives way to a dry and sunny summer pattern. That in turn allows for cold clear nights and a reliable...