Mountaintop adventures
June 22, 2024
We zipped along State Route 149 around dawn, towards the tiny, picturesque mining town of Creede. The road followed the Rio Grande River, perhaps 50 miles from its headwaters in the rugged San Juan Mountains, and nearly 1,800 miles from its discharge into the Gulf of Mexico.
Continue reading “San Luis Peak from West Willow Creek”
June 19, 2024
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.
Continue reading “Wheeler Peak, New Mexico”
January 20, 2024
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.
Continue reading “Monument Canyon (Colorado National Monument)”
October 10, 2023
I left Gatlinburg well before dawn, in hopes of getting up and into Great Smoky Mountains National Park sans traffic jams. This basically worked. I wound my way through the pitch darkness of the forest, en route to the high ridge crest at Newfound Gap. The lack of views did not bum me out: I’d be coming back the same way later that day.
Continue reading “Charlies Bunion (Great Smoky Mountains NP)”
October 7, 2023
I pulled into the carpark at Massie Gap shortly after sunrise. The winding drive had already taken me well above 4000′ and I got the sense there were views to be had, even down at the trailhead. But low lying clouds and fog obscured all but the nearest forested slopes. It was a moody fall day in Grayson Highlands.
Continue reading “Mount Rogers (Virginia)”
September 30, 2023
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.
Continue reading “Devil’s Causeway”
September 17, 2023
I trundled along in the pre-dawn darkness, up the four-mile road along Nellie Creek. The objective: Uncompahgre Peak.
Continue reading “Uncompahgre Peak”
August 12, 2023
I pulled into the mostly empty trailhead lot for Square Top Mountain around 5 am. The forecast called for rain and clouds that day but I wanted a hike to a relatively high altitude. Square Top fit the bill. Despite the iffy weather, I saw dozens of cars piling into the parking lot for Square Top’s far more glamorous neighbor: Bierstadt. But more on that later.
Continue reading “Square Top Mountain: the road less traveled”
August 5, 2023
I drove up from Mammoth Lakes. I passed the massive Mono Lake in total darkness, turning off the main road and climbing towards Tioga Pass. Around 5 am I entered the park, passing through Tuolumne Meadows and towards the upper rim of Yosemite Valley. Finally, I arrived at a small dirt parking area, where my hike began.
Continue reading “Mount Watkins—stunning views above Yosemite Valley”
June 18, 2023
Around 7 am, I wound my way up Village Road toward Beaver Creek’s upscale village complex en route to hike the Overlook Trail. The morning sun flickered through stands of quaking aspens and cast long shadows across the lush golf course. In winter I’d of parked a few miles downhill, in one of Beaver Creek’s $10 day-skier lots. But in summer, the far more convenient Ford Hall Lot is free and open to all.
Continue reading “Hiking Beaver Creek’s Overlook Trail”