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Mount Magazine (Arkansas High Point)

August 11, 2024

Arrival

Around mid-afternoon on a Saturday in August, I found myself heading south through the Ozarks of Southwestern Missouri. I crossed into Arkansas, soonafter crossing its eponymous river on a long, narrow trestle bridge. This felt auspicious, as I’d spent countless hours hiking and exploring the Upper Arkansas River Valley in Colorado. 700 miles to the east of those headwaters, the River was absolutely massive by comparison. In Arkansas, its waters moved slowly, forming giant muddy braids through the broad valley.

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Pacific Peak’s East Ridge

July 28, 2024

Arrival

Around 6:30 am in late July I arrived at the trailhead of Quandary Peak. This is generally a really stupid idea, as Quandary requires a shuttle reservation and a tolerance for throngs of hikers. But my destination was a trailhead at the end of McCullough Gulch Road that apparently still allowed free parking. And so I trundled along the dirt road, past the crowds, and towards the opposite end of the gulch.

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Turquoise Lakes (Holy Cross Wilderness)

July 20, 2024

Once More unto the Beav

There are a lot of fantastic hikes in Eagle County, Colorado. I mention this because, frankly, this hike is probably a ways down the list. Don’t get me wrong … Upper Turquoise Lake is a beautiful destination for someone in the mood for a moderately-sloped sixteen mile out-and-back. But that in itself makes it quite a niche experience.

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Mount Edwards

July 4, 2024

Andean Roads

We pulled off the paved roadway to Montezuma, en route to the Argentine Pass trailhead. The car trundled along the dusty and rutted Peru Creek Road, hewing closely to the eponymous Peru Creek. It was only 7:30 am or so, but the sun already sat high in the sky, shining through endless stands of Aspens. It was that wonderful period of early summer where the days seemed to last forever.

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Wheeler Peak, New Mexico

June 19, 2024

Arrival

I wound my way up the narrow, winding road to Taos Ski Valley late one Friday evening in June. Eventually, I arrived at my hotel at the base of the ski area. It was a super nice hotel, the sort of place that charged a small mortgage for nights in the winter, but had some sweet deals in the off season. There I’d catch some very comfortable sleep before ascending Wheeler Peak in the morning.

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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.

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