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It’s become a bit of a tradition for us to escape the July 4th crowds in town and go explore the Sangres. The Sangre de Cristo Mountain range runs north to south from near Sailda, Colorado, down into New Mexico. A lot of 14er climbers in Colorado know the Sangres for peaks like the Crestones, […]

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.

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. Once in the fall it was due to unexpected snow and the second time, in summer, was due to intense rain.

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.

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.

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 […]

Spring has arrived. The ski areas are calling it a season, the snow has been melting around town, and the backcountry conditions are shaping up at the higher elevations. Aspen had an above average year in terms of snowfall but we saw three dust events, one of which was pretty significant. How that will affect […]

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 soon.

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 […]

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 […]