Rocky Mountains Archives - dismal wilderness

November 17, 2024November 17, 2024

Scrambling Sunnyside II and Buckets (Flatirons)

June 10, 2024

Arrival

We arrived at the large (and largely empty) parking lot beside the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). A brutalist research lab rose up on this grassy plateau, surrounded by open rolling hills peppered with tall, sparse evergreens. Behind the lab, rising much higher in the distance, were the southerly rock formations of Boulder’s famed Flatirons. The lot also doubled as a trailhead for recreating amongst these giant rock slabs.

November 10, 2024November 10, 2024

Monument Canyon (Colorado National Monument)

January 20, 2024

Arrival

I pulled into the small trailhead parking lot below Monument Canyon around 8 am. Being mid-January, this meant the sun was only just beginning to rise above the tall hills and mesas to the East. Above me was Colorado National Monument, in my opinion among the most underrated units in the National Park system. Less than a mile in the opposite direction was the muddy floodplain of the Colorado River.

October 27, 2024October 27, 2024

Devil’s Causeway

September 30, 2023

The Flat Top Mountains

We rolled through the small, sleepy town of Yampa, well before dawn. Already we had drove nearly an hour north from i70, passing only the occasional cabin or ranch. We had 40 minutes of driving left, along a narrow byway into the Flat Tops.

April 22, 2024April 22, 2024

The Harvard and Columbia Traverse

September 24, 2023

Arrival

We trundled up the bumpy dirt road to the North Cottonwood Creek trailhead. We arrived just before 5 am, and it was still pitch black. It would remain dark for over an hour still. The days were growing shorter, and chillier. But we needed every hour of sunlight we had for today’s adventure, and I always prefer starting in the dark to finishing in the dark.

April 7, 2024April 7, 2024

Uncompahgre Peak

September 17, 2023

Rough Roads

I trundled along in the pre-dawn darkness, up the four-mile road along Nellie Creek. The objective: Uncompahgre Peak.

March 21, 2024March 21, 2024

Handies Peak via American Basin

September 16, 2023

Winter is coming

On my quest to summit every Colorado 14er, the San Juan Mountains have always presented a formidable challenge. The Elks may be slightly deadlier. And the Sawatch slightly more numerous. But the San Juans make up for these shortcomings in sheer remoteness. Getting to Southwest Colorado is just a lot of effort.

March 6, 2024

Shavano and Tabeguache

September 9, 2023

Fall in the Sawatch

Just north of Poncha Springs, I pulled off US-24, down a series of dirt roads towards the Mount Shavano trailhead. Around 5 am, I donned my headlamp and set off down the trail towards the summit.

February 13, 2024February 15, 2024

What are the steepest Colorado 14ers?

This hike is gonna hurt …

What are the steepest Colorado 14ers? If we’re talking about their standard summit routes, it’s a simple question with (maybe) a simple answer. So I’ll go ahead and answer it: North Maroon and Little Bear! But if you’re a bit of a data nerd like me, with an eye for detail, read on.

January 9, 2024January 9, 2024

Blanca Peak and Ellingwood Point

September 2, 2023

Arrival

The sun crept above the surrounding hills a I sped along an empty highway over La Veta Pass. This weekend’s adventure would be an overnight target: Blanca Peak and Ellingwood Point via Lake Como. On day one, the goal was just to reach the lake and set up camp.

January 8, 2024January 8, 2024

Oxford and Belford

August 20, 2023

Back to Missouri Basin

Six weeks after summiting Missouri Mountain, I was back at its eponymous trailhead for two more fourteener targets. Today’s objectives were Oxford and Belford, a classic Sawatch twofer. The forecast called for flawless weather, but the stats were still daunting: nearly 6000 vertical feet over 11+ miles.