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.
Continue reading “Uncompahgre Peak”Uncompahgre Peak
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.
Continue reading “Handies Peak via American Basin”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.
Continue reading “Shavano and Tabeguache”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.
Continue reading “What are the steepest Colorado 14ers?”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.
Continue reading “Blanca Peak and Ellingwood Point”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.
Continue reading “Oxford and Belford”Square Top Mountain: the road less traveled
August 12, 2023
Arrival
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”Kit Carson Peak and Challenger Point
July 17, 2023
The Approach
I sped through the hot and dusty high desert of the San Luis Valley. Ahead of me, hot air off the pavement warped the jagged, hazy peaks of the Sangre de Cristo mountains. Summer had come out in full force in the Colorado Rockies.
Continue reading “Kit Carson Peak and Challenger Point”Missouri Mountain, the Spiciest Sawatch 14er
July 7, 2023
Up and At’em
I hit the trail shortly before 5 a.m. Even on this, one of summer’s longest days, this meant trudging up the lower switchbacks via headlamp. The forecast called for a perfect bluebird day, but even still I always like to start early. If nothing else, you sweat less.
Continue reading “Missouri Mountain, the Spiciest Sawatch 14er”The Sneffels Traverse: Hut to Hut through the San Juans
July 1, 2023
Telluride to Ouray via the Sneffels Traverse
Our shuttle van left Ouray around 7 am for Last Dollar Pass, and the start of the Sneffels Traverse. We trundled up the rough dirt road, through rolling hills of green grass. The morning sun shone through sparse stands of aspens. Patches of hillside were covered in thick blooms of purple lupine. A herd of elk moved about the hills below us.
Continue reading “The Sneffels Traverse: Hut to Hut through the San Juans”