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Colorado Hikes: Harmonica Arch
I debated with myself about whether to share this hike with all of you, because this wasn’t exactly a typical excursion. Reaching Harmonica Arch required quite a lot of navigation. We climbed very steep hills… and then had to hike back down them, which was extremely slippery. We walked across large rock slabs that were… Continue reading
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Rocky Mountain National Park Hikes: Lumpy Ridge Loop
Calling anything “lumpy” is… well, usually not intended as a compliment. But in this case it’s an apt description of the haphazard rock ridge rising above the northern edge of Estes Park, Colorado. Nestled within a low spot amongst the rocks is Gem Lake, the first hike my fiance and I did when we moved… Continue reading
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A year in review: 2021
The past two years I’ve been rather ambitious with my annual roundup posts, listing all my adventures. What can I say? Colorado is amazing and I just want to share everything with you all! But in the interest of being a little more concise this year, I’m going to break it down by month and… Continue reading
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Colorado 13ers: Hagar Mountain
I skipped a hike. I don’t know how it happened, but I did. Back in early August 2021, Chelsea and I summitted 13er Hagar Mountain together. When I got home, I recorded it on my hike spreadsheet. I even started writing this post. But somehow, I never actually finished the write up or uploaded it… Continue reading
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Colorado 13ers: Mount Bancroft, Parry Peak, and Mount Eva
Sometimes, a hike ends up being more laid back than you thought it would be and goes more quickly than you expected. And sometimes, a hike is far more intense than you anticipated and it takes 8 hours to hike 7 miles (11.3 km). This hike was one of the latter. Chelsea and I set… Continue reading
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Colorado Hikes: Pitkin Lake
This past fall, my friend diagnosed herself with FOMOOL: fear of missing out on leaves. Peak fall colors season is generally sometime in the last couple weeks of September, although it varies throughout the state and depends on the weather. A wet summer followed by a dry fall is apparently the ideal combination… which is… Continue reading
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Colorado Bucket List: fall colors at the Maroon Bells
While finally getting to see Independence Pass was lovely, the real reason for our weekend trip was because I had secured us an entrance permit for the Maroon Bells. These two iconic 14ers are the centerpiece of the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness Area near Aspen, Colorado. This was our third trip to the Bells; the first… Continue reading
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Colorado Hikes: Lost Man Lake
Last week, I wrote all about our mid-September drive over Independence Pass and mentioned our stop at Lost Man Trailhead to hike to three alpine lakes. This week, it’s time to talk about this hike in more detail and share photos (lots of photos… maybe too many photos) of the lakes and the views and… Continue reading
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Colorado Bucket List: driving Independence Pass
Like so many other things since we’ve moved to Colorado, this was somewhat of a third time is the charm situation for us. The first time we drove Independence Pass we were en route to the Maroon Bells, but we’d left home after work and by the time we made it this far it was… Continue reading
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Big river of the north – Rio Grande del Norte National Monument, New Mexico
With one day remaining of our Labor Day weekend getaway to Taos, we headed out of town to the west. Today, instead of climbing to the highest point, we would be descending to the lowest elevation area in the Taos Valley region: the gorge cut by the Rio Grande. Actually, we’d be descending and then… Continue reading
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Driving New Mexico’s Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway
Wheeler Peak, located in the southern reaches of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, is the highest point in New Mexico. We summited it over Labor Day weekend, which I wrote all about last week. Encircling Wheeler Peak is the Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway, connecting the towns of Taos, Red River, and Angel Fire, and passing… Continue reading
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On Top of New Mexico: Wheeler Peak
Summer out here in the west has become very unpredictable. Afternoon thunderstorms used to be the main concern, but in the last couple years forest fires and air quality have become the two main factors that influence our travel plans. Colorado was lucky this year to receive adequate rain and avoid a repeat of our… Continue reading
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Colorado Hikes: High Lonesome Loop
In general, my day hikes average 8-10 miles (12.8-16 km) in length. Too much more than that and the exhaustion begins to outweigh the enjoyment. But every once in a while, I stumble across a longer hike that sounds like it’s worth the extra distance. With a name like High Lonesome, I was hopeful this… Continue reading
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Rocky Mountain National Park Hikes: North Inlet Trail to Lakes Nokoni and Nanita
Sometimes, you just need a break from reality for a few days. And what better way to escape than with a weekend in the mountains? My fiance, our friend K, and I arrived at the trailhead around 8:00am Saturday morning and right off the bat, things got interesting. We were at the car, making final… Continue reading
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Colorado 13ers: Father Dyer Peak
On so many occasions since moving to Colorado, my fiance and I have been sitting at a lake gazing up at the surrounding mountains, pointed, and said “whoa look, there’s a person up there!” Well… this time I was the person up there, gazing down on half a dozen lakes from a 13,596 foot (4144… Continue reading
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Colorado Hikes: Isabelle Glacier
Do you ever have one of those hikes where the scenery just blows you away? There’s so much beauty in Colorado that the bar for that kind of awe has been set pretty damn high. But Isabelle Glacier exceeded that bar. Lake Isabelle is one of the most popular hikes near the Front Range, and… Continue reading
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Rocky Mountain National Park Hikes: East Inlet Trail to Lake Verna and Spirit Lake
A while back, my mom and I were signed up for a summer solstice group backpacking trip on East Inlet Trail, with Lake Verna and Spirit Lake as our ultimate destination. Unfortunately, the first day of summer was marked by a massive snowstorm that forced a last-minute change of plans. Fast forward a couple years,… Continue reading
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Colorado Hikes: Herman Gulch
I first hiked Herman Gulch a few years back, a challenging but beautiful outing in the midst of peak fall color season. More recently, my fiancé, my mom, and I completed this hike in the summer and instead of yellow leaves we found ourselves surrounded by wildflowers. So I decided now would be a good… Continue reading
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Colorado Hikes: Silver Dollar and Murray Lakes
My mom and I left home just before sunrise and headed up to Guanella Pass and the Silver Dollar Trailhead, looking forward to a lovely hike to multiple lakes. There are two starting points for this hike… the lower trailhead and the upper trailhead. Had we planned ahead better and driven the Subaru we could’ve… Continue reading
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Rocky Mountain National Park Hikes: Flattop Mountain and Hallett Peak
It was a long time coming, but this was the year my friend C and I finally stood atop Hallett Peak! I don’t remember when we originally decided we wanted to do this hike, but it was a while ago. The first time we made plans for it, C had to cancel. The second time,… Continue reading
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