Exploring Western Colorado

This weekend, I spontaneously decided to go camping with some friends who were running a race in Gunnison, CO. Driving to Gunnison proved to be an adventure in itself as we took a detour to drive through Paonia, CO and ended up driving the Scenic Byway on Highway 92 through the Black Canyon of the Gunnison.

We pulled into Stevens Creek Campground just as the sun was going down, and decided to camp just off Highway 50 on the shore of Blue Mesa Reservoir for the night. People are right when they say Gunnison is the coldest place in CO, and I was definitely kicking myself for not bringing a heavier sleeping bag.

I awoke lakeside to a beautiful view and warm sunshine, and I enjoyed a morning of sipping hot coffee and reading Tom Robbins, "Another Roadside Attraction" while my friends drove into Gunnison for their race.

That afternoon we decided to move camp to the North Rim of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, which we had heard was spectacular and worth the trip; however, we somehow missed the turn and found ourselves in Paonia, CO. After deciding not to backtrack to find the right turnoff for the North Rim, we headed into the hills for some wine tasting. 

We stumbled upon Stone Cottage Cellars Winery, and boy did that place charm our socks off! The tasting room is a beautiful stone cottage (go figure) that the owner built, and the wine is absolutely delicious. We spent a bit of time exploring the winery and taking more photos than the paparazzi before buying a bottle of chardonnay and hitting the road - yet again! 

The owner of the winery told us about Paonia State Park Campground, and we headed that way for the evening. After finding the perfect camping spot right on the creek we settled in for the night and shared a bottle of delicious Colorado wine. 

Cheers to finding adventure daily!

The Mighty Juan

"The river is the soul of the desert." - Ed Abbey

It's become a tradition to raft the lower section of the San Juan river (from Mexican Hat to Clay Hills) each Spring, and if I'm completely honest it's definitely one of my favorite traditions. The red canyon walls, blue skies and sunshine are a welcome escape from Colorado's bipolar Spring weather.

This year we had a pretty exciting start to the trip with THREE unexpected swimmers before we even finished our first mile! My sister, Kennady and her boyfriend Eric came along for the adventure, and an adventure it was. I borrowed a duckie (inflatable kayak) for Kennady and Eric to raft the river in; they started the trip looking a little rough and uncoordinated, and things got exciting when they flipped their duckie in the very first rapid. Luckily, all of their gear was strapped down with the exception of a Nalgene. In a rush attempt to save the runaway Nalgene Justin's dad, Terry fell out of his boat, too!

We laughed - a lot - and decided the exciting beginning was a sign that this year's trip was going to be a good one! And it didn't disappoint. It was the perfect weeklong getaway filled with an abundance of blooming flowers, a brief appearance from a family of Bighorn Sheep and surprisingly few bugs.

The river was flowing higher this year than it had been during any of our previous trips, which allowed for more land-time. I enjoyed exploring the Honaker Trail, Grand Gulch, John's Canyon, Slickhorn and more. I have always been fascinated with the desert, and never miss an opportunity to explore the desert from a raft.

I'm already looking forward to next year! The San Juan feels a little bit more like home every time I raft it.

Christmas in Moablandia

My mom and sister live in Durango, and I live in Carbondale, which means it take approximately 3 hours of driving for all of us to meet in Moab, UT (one of my favorite desert towns)! We decided to meet in the middle this Christmas for a little desert solitaire (one of my favorite Ed Abbey books)!

I try to make it to Moab twice a year to camp and hike, but on this trip we had a room at the Gonzo Inn, which was a nice treat. It gave us time to explore the town, which was completely dead because it turns out nobody goes to Moab in the winter. We didn't mind though. We walked around town until we found a restaurant that was open for dinner before heading back to the Gonzo to settle in for the night.

In the morning we went to Arches National Park to see the sights. Neither my mom nor my sister had ever been to Arches to my surprise. We begun by hiking out to Delicate Arch. There was more snow on the ground than I had anticipated, and there were lots of icy spots on the trail, too. We trudged on nonetheless and made it to Delicate Arch in good time.

My mom was thrilled to have made it to Delicate Arch, but she was even more thrilled to find the car and the heater. We drove around the park a while longer checking out several more arches before heading back into Moab for lunch.

After lunch, we went our separate ways, and vowed to meet in the middle again next year for a second round at desert solitaire. Until then...

Harry Gates Hut

Hut Trip Tip: When overnighting in an isolated mountain chalet beware of guests "exercising" with hatchets! 

I've never been on a winter hut trip nor had I spent any time in a 10th Mountain Hut ever, so when the opportunity to venture to Harry Gates Hut presented itself early this winter, I jumped at the opportunity!  Eight of us woke up early on December 14th and began our trek up to the hut. 

The trail climbed quickly into an aspen forest before spitting us out onto a 4-wheeling road that's used to access the hut during the summer months. We arrived at the hut in the late afternoon, cold, sore and tired! The inviting hut quickly made us feel cozy and comfortable, and we were quickly ready for cocktail hour. 

We all pitched in to whip up a delicious spaghetti dinner complete with garlic bread and salad. Surprisingly we even had some leftovers. We spent the night playing games, sharing stories, laughing and stoking the fire. Just before bed we decided to head outside and celebrate our journey by lighting sparklers and dancing around in the moonlight (it wasn't nearly as weird as I just made it sound)! 

In the morning, we made a huge breakfast consisting of eggs, bacon, veggies and bagels before cleaning up the hut and beginning our hike/ski/snowshoe back down to our cars. It was an adventure for sure that already has us all thinking about which hut to venture to next winter! 

Desert Adventures

I love the mountains, but sometimes my soul just craves the desert. And because of that craving, my husband and I usually find ourselves in Fruita or Moab at least twice a year. On this particular trip to the desert we met our friends Steve and Mel from Durango and hiked Fisher Towers together.

Fisher Towers is a popular Moab hiking and climbing destination, and it's obvious why! We hiked for about an hour and a half then stopped for a lunch and beer break. The crisp wintery Euphoria (Ska Brewing) went down smooth on that warm fall afternoon in the desert. And it paired with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches surprisingly well, too!

After our hike, we said goodbye to Steve and Mel and went searching for the perfect camping spot. Moab has become such a popular destination that camping can be hard to find at times. We lucked out finding a great spot out of the way several miles past the Amasa Back Trailhead.

The next day we decided to explore Dragonfly Canyon (aka Culvert Canyon) down Potash Road in Moab. It proved to be a spectacular hike with pools or water, high canyon walls and even an arch near the end of our hike. My Utah Hiking book does explain of the trail, "I can't tell you exactly how to get there. I can only point you in the right direction and enthusiastically suggest you go!"

The trail is not well marked in all spots, and we seemed to have done a lot of meandering before finding our way up to Jeep Arch. It was truly a spectacular hike, and we plan to make our way back there in the near future.

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

So there I was perusing Facebook as my day was winding down, and that’s when I stumbled upon Osprey’s Blues and Brews Giveaway. I’ve always wanted to attend Blues and Brews, so entering the giveaway was really a no-brainer; the incredible tent by Colorado Yurts along with the 2 Osprey packs only sweetened the deal and added to the already incredible prize pack!

I spent several minutes (okay, maybe a bit longer) daydreaming about the possibility of winning the contest, picturing myself in Telluride Town Park listening to legends like The Black Crowes and Otis Taylor while sipping on (or maybe chugging) tasty glasses of Colorado microbrews. I thought about what colors my new Osprey packs would be – I thought about how wild it would be to even win two new Osprey packs - and I thought about how serene and luxurious it would feel to “glamp” in a tent referred to as, “a dwelling for the soul.” Then reality hit me and my fleeting thoughts reminded me that I’ve never won anything, and I likely wouldn’t start now – it was a nice dream though!

It was only once I completely forgot about even entering the contest that I received a message from Osprey saying, “Congratulations! You won the Blues and Brews Giveaway!” Well, holy guacamole, Batman – the odds were definitely in my favor this time. I quickly began making arrangements to pack up and head to Telluride for what would turn out to be an unforgettable weekend thanks to Telluride Blues and Brews, Osprey Packs and Colorado Yurt.

While I was still riding high on a wave of, “is this really happening?” the mail man assured me it was when he delivered a great big box of new Osprey packs right to my door! My plus one and I packed up our new Porter 46s with all of our overnight glamping essentials and our new Talon 22s with our daily festival supplies and headed out the door for our trip to Telluride!

The tent by Colorado Yurt Company was pitched in a prime camping location in the far corner of the campground behind Telluride Town Park. We could even see the stage from our patio (and yes, you read that right – there was a patio)! In true glamping nature Colorado Yurt Company ensured we had all of the essentials – and then some. It was luxurious to camp in a tent so big you could walk around in it; the tent included a full-size bed with two comforters, a leather chair, a power strip, a heater, a rug and more.

This year was Telluride Blues and Brews’ 20^th anniversary, and they did not disappoint. The music kept people dancing even when Town Park turned into a mud pit and the rain had no end in sight. The grand tasting was incredible; we were able to sample a couple dozen different microbrews in the course of 3 hours, and let me be the first to tell you they were all unique and delicious. Old man winter even made a debut during the grand tasting as the snow capped peaks surrounding Telluride came out of the fog – it really was the icing on the cake. 

This unforgettable weekend came with a little bit of everything: we ran into some old friends, made some new friends, danced in the rain, got sunburnt, enjoyed killer views complete with rainbows and snow, drank just the right amount of beer and enjoyed the local scene.

Thanks to Osprey Packs, Telluride Blues and Brews and Colorado Yurt Company for a truly unforgettable experience! 

Hanging Lake

Hanging Lake is one of Glenwood Canyon's most popular hikes and destinations. People from across the country - and across the world, surprisingly - make sure to hike Hanging Lake when they're in the area. And let me be the first to tell you: they're in the area, a lot!!

If you've ever hiked Hanging Lake in the summer or fall, you know just how crowded it can get. The parking lot tends to fill up before noon and, often times, you end up hiking the trail to Hanging Lake with 100 of your closest friends. If you want to forgo the crowds and find a bit more solitude on your nature walk I suggest being on the trail early, around 6:00 or 7:00am. Chances are still slim that you'll be completely alone, but you'll likely miss out on the general over-crowding that occurs by noon everyday.

I've now hiked the Hanging Lake Trail three times: once at the end of November 2012 (it snowed), once in January 2013 (we snowshoed up) and most recently in September 2013. My sister was in town visiting, and visitors always want to hike Hanging Lake.

We arrived at the parking lot at 9:00am and easily found a parking spot, which was a relief. We walked down the bike path to the trailhead and began our hike upwards. Believe me when I say it's a rather difficult uphill climb. Don't be fooled by the low mileage - the trail itself is only slightly over a mile each way; however, be prepared for that mile to sufficiently kick your butt!

The official Glenwood Springs website explains of Hanging Lake, "Geologically speaking, there are few places in the world that can compare to this marvel of Mother Nature. Hanging Lake is a rare example of a lake formed by travertine deposition where the natural geologic and hydro-logic processes continue to operate as they have done throughout the history of the lake. The site is also noteworthy for its thriving hanging garden plant community. Because of these qualities Hanging Lake was designated a National natural Landmark by the Secretary of the Interior in 2011."

Don't forget to take the short detour up to Spouting Rock just above and to the left of Hanging Lake. The beautiful waterfall shooting out from the canyon wall is simply put: not to be missed. You won't regret the short trek up to Spouting Rock, trust me on this one.

The Hanging Lake trail-head is located approximately 10 miles east of Glenwood Springs along Interstate-70 in Glenwood Canyon.