day-hikes Archives - dismal wilderness

October 22, 2025October 22, 2025

Bull Hill (aka Mount Taurus)

May 3, 2025

Arrival

I drove through the picture-perfect town of Cold Spring, tucked alongside the Hudson River amidst the hills of the Hudson Highlands. This was an auspicious little corner of the Empire State. It was here (and only here) that glaciers managed to carve a broad, navigable river through the ancient Appalachian Mountains. An entire book could be written on how notable this intersection of river and hills would prove for explorers, revolutionaries and industrialists alike. At the very least, it’s home to some spectacular hiking.

October 13, 2025October 13, 2025

Mount Galbraith

March 2, 2025

Golden Gate Canyon

I followed the snaking curves of Golden Gate Canyon Road to the popular trailhead for Mount Galbraith. The Colorado Rockies were near peak snowpack in early March, but down here in the foothills, just west of Golden, the grassy slopes were largely bare.

May 19, 2025May 19, 2025

Cuicocha Lake Loop

Jan 24, 2025

Acclimating to Ecuador

We arrived at Ecuador‘s Cotacachi-Cayapas National Park for a quick hike around the gorgeous Cuicocha Lake. We unloaded our bus, fresh from trundling up the hillside above Otavalo in the Andean Highlands north of Quito. The park was almost entirely empty on this drizzly Friday in late-January—quiet, moody, and ours to explore.

May 1, 2025May 1, 2025

Ruku Pichincha

Jan 23, 2025

Arrival in Quito

In January 2025 I joined a guided trip to summit some of the Ecuador’s tallest volcanoes. Typically, getting to a 19,000′ summit involves a lot of time huddled in tents, rehydrating freeze dried dinners, and staring at endless snow and ice. But climbing in Ecuador would not involve any of this “fun.” The benign climate of the equator meant we could acclimate in cities and relaxing haciendas at progressively higher altitudes. And we wouldn’t be dealing with any snow or ice until the “summit days” themselves.

April 6, 2025

Mystic Island Lake

October 20, 2024

Back to Sylvan Lake SP

It was late October, and we were nearing the end of “dry” hiking season in the Colorado Rockies. The aspens were bare. The bushes had turned orange and brown. And a recent snowfall dusted talus fields on the highest summits.

March 16, 2025March 16, 2025

Booth Lake and Booth Falls

October 13, 2024

Arrival at Vail Village

I spend a lot of time in Eagle County, Colorado. So it was only a matter of time before I tried the much-hyped Booth Falls trail. The timing was more or less an accident. I’d overheard that this weekend in October was the last for the “hiker express” bus between Vail Village and the Booth Lake/Booth Falls trailhead.

January 31, 2025January 31, 2025

Thorpe Cloud and the Dovedale Stepping Stones

September 17, 2024

Along the River Dove

I arrived at the car park in Dovedale around 8am. The sun already lit up select aspects of nearby hillsides. But the car park was still largely empty. I’d only just arrived in England’s bucolic “Peak District” that morning. I was excited to enjoy my first hike in the country.

January 22, 2025January 22, 2025

Horsetooth Rock Trail

August 18, 2024

Arrival

On my bucket list of “Colorado things” the line item “Check out Fort Collins” seemed to languish near the bottom of the list. And I knew that wasn’t really fair because I’d only ever heard wonderful things about “FoCo”. I’m neither a college student, nor particularly into beer. But it still seemed worth checking out. Plus it was an excuse to stop at the new Colorado Buc-ee’s.

January 20, 2025January 20, 2025

Longs Peak via the Keyhole Route

August 16, 2024

Arrival

I left my apartment in Denver around 12:30 am, passing bars and sidewalks still populated with the Thursday night crew. I headed northeast, skirting past Boulder before heading into the foothills towards Rocky Mountain National Park. That’s when the rain started. “Uh oh” I thought … “already this is not going to plan.”

January 12, 2025January 12, 2025

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.