A good friend scored a permit for the Gates of Ladore section of the Green River in September, and we couldn't have been more excited.
Saturday, September 3, 2016
The Gates of Ladore
A good friend scored a permit for the Gates of Ladore section of the Green River in September, and we couldn't have been more excited.
Saturday, August 13, 2016
Capitol Peak
I'm WAY too big of a chicken to climb this mountain, but my husband hiked it with some friends and the GoPro footage is incredible (and terrifying)! Check it out!
Gosh! Between those camera angles and that commentary, I bet you're speechless right now! :)
Wednesday, August 3, 2016
Avalanche - Capitol - Hell Roaring
After scouring the maps for nearby loop hikes, I found a fun opportunity to hike 30 miles and explore some terrain close to home. We hiked up Avalanche Creek to Avalanche Lake and camped for a night, which was a beautiful and challenging 11 miles for our first day.
The second day, we hiked up and over a pass that provided immensely stunning views of the surrounding mountains. We watched a huge herd of elk climb a nearby pass and drop down the other side. We took our time walking through fields of wildflowers before dropping down the pass into Capitol Lake. After lunch, we made it out the Capitol Ditch Trail and up to Hell Roaring; we ended up stopping at Hardscrabble Lake for the night. We had the lake all to ourselves, and Loki was fascinated by jumping fish all evening long.
The final day we hiked to Williams Lake then up to the Divide, which gave us a unique view of Mount Sopris. We lost the trail just over the pass, went the wrong way down and were forced to complete several grueling miles bushwacking before reconnecting with the trail at a lower point. Hell Roaring Trail is steep! We were glad to be hiking down this trail and not up.
It was a great trip, and rounded out 100 miles of backpacking for the summer of 2016.
The second day, we hiked up and over a pass that provided immensely stunning views of the surrounding mountains. We watched a huge herd of elk climb a nearby pass and drop down the other side. We took our time walking through fields of wildflowers before dropping down the pass into Capitol Lake. After lunch, we made it out the Capitol Ditch Trail and up to Hell Roaring; we ended up stopping at Hardscrabble Lake for the night. We had the lake all to ourselves, and Loki was fascinated by jumping fish all evening long.
Saturday, July 23, 2016
Mount Whitney
Six ridiculous chicks refusing to take anything too seriously on a mission to bring a bit of Colorado to California, conquering the tallest peak in the lower 48 while learning how to use wag bags, helping strangers in need, and making plenty of new friends along the way.
Sometimes you're in the exact right place with the exact right people, and beautiful memories are made. As they say, the magic is in the journey - not the destination. While in this case there was magic in everything. From buying ridiculous cat shirts at Walmart to nearly dying while driving through Death Valley to watching incredible strength at the finish line of the Badwater Ultramarathon to blowing bubbles on top of the world - the whole trip was a sparkling treasure that I will keep forever.
Thursday, July 14, 2016
Conundrum Hot Springs
Conundrum Hot Springs: a magical place overrun by partying backpackers.
What an incredibly stunning, picturesque, unique treasure that is currently trashed. We must have passed one hundred people - give or take - hiking out as we were hiking in. And I feel I should mention this was on a Thursday. We timed it right though, and had the hot spring to ourselves for almost an hour in the middle of the day during the transition of hikers departing and arriving.
As night fell, every campsite in the vicinity filled up, as did the hot springs. Hopefully we can all learn to take care of the magical natural places that we love to visit and spend time in.
Thursday, July 7, 2016
Her Majesty, Sopris
We made a new fox friend. We wore tutus. We tried some ballet poses on the summit. We fed many mosquitoes. We got several blisters. We ate chocolate. We drank champagne.
Monday, July 4, 2016
Four Pass Loop
Ahh, the iconic Four Pass Loop! We set out to complete this 26 mile loop in 3 days, beginning at the Maroon Bells and hiking counter-clockwise over all four picturesque passes. While backpacking breathes an air of solitude, the Four Pass Loop surely did not. It is one of the most popular magical places I've backpacked in.
The trip seemed a lost cause when I woke up ill the night before our departure. It delayed our start significantly; however, by 11:00am we were hiking up toward Buckskin Pass in a misty drizzle before finding a campsite nestled in some trees just below the pass. We didn't make it far that first day, but listening to the rain hit the tent fly as afternoon turned into night was both healing and rejuvenating.
Each day thereafter consisted of snow crossings, pass climbing and a lot of rain. The low clouds blocked the views of distant peaks, but they cloaked the passes and meadows in still, quiet, eerie mystery.
On our last day, we awoke to blue skies. We welcomed the change in weather and as the sun recharged us, we made our way over West Maroon Pass - the final pass of the trip.
The trip seemed a lost cause when I woke up ill the night before our departure. It delayed our start significantly; however, by 11:00am we were hiking up toward Buckskin Pass in a misty drizzle before finding a campsite nestled in some trees just below the pass. We didn't make it far that first day, but listening to the rain hit the tent fly as afternoon turned into night was both healing and rejuvenating.
Each day thereafter consisted of snow crossings, pass climbing and a lot of rain. The low clouds blocked the views of distant peaks, but they cloaked the passes and meadows in still, quiet, eerie mystery.
On our last day, we awoke to blue skies. We welcomed the change in weather and as the sun recharged us, we made our way over West Maroon Pass - the final pass of the trip.
Monday, June 20, 2016
West Elk Loop
Setting off on the first backpack trip of the season, we made our way up Kebler Pass to Horse Park (Cliff Creek Trail) and began our hike into the West Elk Wilderness. The trail was beautiful right off the bat, and we were greeted by some beautiful grazing deer. We made good time to Beckwith Pass, where we took a break to soak up the views. Four people on horseback passed us here on their way to Beckwith Bench, which sounds like a great hike, too.
After our break, we continued on toward Cliff Creek Trail. At some point, we lost the trail completely and found ourselves on a game trail. After much consultation with the compass, map and GPS, we discovered we were below the trail; we hike straight up what felt like a mountain and were relieved to reconnect with the trail. The trail was very muddy in spots, allowing and severely highlighting animal tracks. I kept finding bear tracks, and I began to get nervous. Around 5:30, we were pulling into the area we wanted to camp in, and, as I rounded the corner I heard two loud grunty, breathy, deep snorts or barks from the bushes. I hollered ahead to Justin, who came back, but thought maybe it was just a deer bounding away.
I had a sinking feeling that those snorts came from a bear, however. We began to set up camp in a beautiful meadow and cook dinner. Just as dinner was ready, I looked up, and saw a bear. The bear was about a hundred yards away, he was, grazing and sniffing the air while, all the while, watching us. This was my first real encounter with a bear, so naturally, I overreacted. I watched in a panic for close to an hour as the bear lingered beyond our camp. As the sun began to set, the bear sauntered off in the opposite direction of us, but I decided we just couldn't sleep there. We packed everything up, and hiked about another mile before setting up our tent in the dark. I didn't get much sleep that night.
The next morning, we hiked up to Sheep Lake, an out-and-back trail off of our loop. We spent some time at the lake snacking and filling water, before realizing we still had 6 miles to hike that day. We didn't realize two of those six would be through snowfields. We connected in with the Castle Pass Trail, which had some truly amazing views, and began our track up to the highest point of our trip, 11,000 feet. We anticipated some snow, but what we found was certainly more than we were hoping for. Justin post-holed us a trail for nearly two miles through deep snowfields. He was determined to make it over Castle Pass.
Our feet were sopping wet by the time we made it over the pass, and we were relieved to be heading back down into lower elevation. The views of the Castles from the other side of the pass were magnificent. We made it into a beautiful basin, and decided to set up camp for the night.
On our last day, we hiked up and over Swampy Pass and back over Beckwith Pass before descending back to Kebler Pass. Overall, the trip was 29 miles long with roughly 5000 feet of elevation gain. The path we took was from Horse Ranch Park (Cliff Creek Trail) to Beckwith Pass to Cliff Creek Trail to Castle Pass to Lowline Trail back to Beckwith. I highly recommend the trip as an early or late season backpack, as I hear it is a popular grazing area for livestock in the summer months.
After our break, we continued on toward Cliff Creek Trail. At some point, we lost the trail completely and found ourselves on a game trail. After much consultation with the compass, map and GPS, we discovered we were below the trail; we hike straight up what felt like a mountain and were relieved to reconnect with the trail. The trail was very muddy in spots, allowing and severely highlighting animal tracks. I kept finding bear tracks, and I began to get nervous. Around 5:30, we were pulling into the area we wanted to camp in, and, as I rounded the corner I heard two loud grunty, breathy, deep snorts or barks from the bushes. I hollered ahead to Justin, who came back, but thought maybe it was just a deer bounding away.
I had a sinking feeling that those snorts came from a bear, however. We began to set up camp in a beautiful meadow and cook dinner. Just as dinner was ready, I looked up, and saw a bear. The bear was about a hundred yards away, he was, grazing and sniffing the air while, all the while, watching us. This was my first real encounter with a bear, so naturally, I overreacted. I watched in a panic for close to an hour as the bear lingered beyond our camp. As the sun began to set, the bear sauntered off in the opposite direction of us, but I decided we just couldn't sleep there. We packed everything up, and hiked about another mile before setting up our tent in the dark. I didn't get much sleep that night.
The next morning, we hiked up to Sheep Lake, an out-and-back trail off of our loop. We spent some time at the lake snacking and filling water, before realizing we still had 6 miles to hike that day. We didn't realize two of those six would be through snowfields. We connected in with the Castle Pass Trail, which had some truly amazing views, and began our track up to the highest point of our trip, 11,000 feet. We anticipated some snow, but what we found was certainly more than we were hoping for. Justin post-holed us a trail for nearly two miles through deep snowfields. He was determined to make it over Castle Pass.
Our feet were sopping wet by the time we made it over the pass, and we were relieved to be heading back down into lower elevation. The views of the Castles from the other side of the pass were magnificent. We made it into a beautiful basin, and decided to set up camp for the night.
On our last day, we hiked up and over Swampy Pass and back over Beckwith Pass before descending back to Kebler Pass. Overall, the trip was 29 miles long with roughly 5000 feet of elevation gain. The path we took was from Horse Ranch Park (Cliff Creek Trail) to Beckwith Pass to Cliff Creek Trail to Castle Pass to Lowline Trail back to Beckwith. I highly recommend the trip as an early or late season backpack, as I hear it is a popular grazing area for livestock in the summer months.
Saturday, April 9, 2016
Barnard Hut
Although managed by the 10th Mountain Division, Barnard Hut is a Braun Hut, and therefore quite different, and much smaller than a traditional 10th Mountain Hut. Barnard Hut is cozy, sleeping only eight people on a single level.
The hut is accessed from the top of Ajax Mountain, so the elevation gain is minimal. We started our ski in around 9:00 and had good weather. We made it to the hut in decent time, stopping to soak in the views along the way. We enjoyed the sun on the porch all afternoon, and the clouds began to roll in as the sun was setting.
The remaining members of our group made it just after the sun went down, and we all enjoyed a warm dinner before going to sleep. The next day, we awoke to a fox on the porch. We watched him for some time before trying to cook breakfast and realizing the fox must have stolen our Nalgene of eggs. We had put the Nalgene in the snow the previous day, so it stayed cool, but we forgot to move it into the wood storage closet that evening. The eggs were gone. The fox lingered on the outskirts of the woods and watched us search for the Nalgene for over an hour before disappearing into the forest.
We finally gave up on the eggs and decided to get on with our day. We toured up to a saddle above tree line and took in the gorgeous views before heading back to the hut for an afternoon of sledding. That evening, I spent time reading through old log books and seeing that encounters with foxes had been commonplace at this hut for decades. I felt fortunate to have shared a special moment with the majestic, wild animal - even though that trickster pulled one over on us by stealing our breakfast.
The hut is accessed from the top of Ajax Mountain, so the elevation gain is minimal. We started our ski in around 9:00 and had good weather. We made it to the hut in decent time, stopping to soak in the views along the way. We enjoyed the sun on the porch all afternoon, and the clouds began to roll in as the sun was setting.
The remaining members of our group made it just after the sun went down, and we all enjoyed a warm dinner before going to sleep. The next day, we awoke to a fox on the porch. We watched him for some time before trying to cook breakfast and realizing the fox must have stolen our Nalgene of eggs. We had put the Nalgene in the snow the previous day, so it stayed cool, but we forgot to move it into the wood storage closet that evening. The eggs were gone. The fox lingered on the outskirts of the woods and watched us search for the Nalgene for over an hour before disappearing into the forest.
We finally gave up on the eggs and decided to get on with our day. We toured up to a saddle above tree line and took in the gorgeous views before heading back to the hut for an afternoon of sledding. That evening, I spent time reading through old log books and seeing that encounters with foxes had been commonplace at this hut for decades. I felt fortunate to have shared a special moment with the majestic, wild animal - even though that trickster pulled one over on us by stealing our breakfast.
Saturday, March 5, 2016
Betty Bear Hut
Betty Bear Hut is part of the 10th Mountain Division hut system. As one of the newer huts in the system, the design and layout is different than many others that I have been to. In this hut, the sleeping quarters are on the lower level, which makes for a cooler night's sleep.
The ski in was gradual for the first several miles, but just when I thought this might be an easy hut to access, we turned off the main road and started going up switchbacks. The switchbacks were steep and grueling; it seemed like we had been going up for over two hours when the hut finally came into view. Seeing the hut for the first time after a long day of hauling a pack on skis is always an exciting moment. We cheered and picked up our speed, since our destination was finally in sight.
We made it to the hut in the early afternoon and settled in for a celebration as friends arrived and the hut began to fill. We enjoyed a night lounging around the wood stove and singing along with a guitar. The next day, we decided to tour up to the Continental Divide to Hagerman Pass, where we discovered beautiful, expansive views of the surrounding mountains.
On our way back to the hut, some of our group decided to skin up a nearby mountain for a backcountry lap, while the rest of us meandered back through rolling hills and open meadows. Back at the hut, we enjoyed resting on the deck while the sun was out then ate a delicious, hot dinner, played cards and went to bed.
The ski in was gradual for the first several miles, but just when I thought this might be an easy hut to access, we turned off the main road and started going up switchbacks. The switchbacks were steep and grueling; it seemed like we had been going up for over two hours when the hut finally came into view. Seeing the hut for the first time after a long day of hauling a pack on skis is always an exciting moment. We cheered and picked up our speed, since our destination was finally in sight.
We made it to the hut in the early afternoon and settled in for a celebration as friends arrived and the hut began to fill. We enjoyed a night lounging around the wood stove and singing along with a guitar. The next day, we decided to tour up to the Continental Divide to Hagerman Pass, where we discovered beautiful, expansive views of the surrounding mountains.
On our way back to the hut, some of our group decided to skin up a nearby mountain for a backcountry lap, while the rest of us meandered back through rolling hills and open meadows. Back at the hut, we enjoyed resting on the deck while the sun was out then ate a delicious, hot dinner, played cards and went to bed.
Cheers to adventure!
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