Obtaining a backcountry permit for Rocky requires similar levels of intensity as many Colorado hiking feats, including summiting a 14er or finding parking at a trailhead or snagging a front country campsite anywhere during the summer. Permits become available each year on March 1 at 8:00am. So on March 1, 2019 at 7:59am, I was… Continue reading Rocky Mountain National Park Hikes: Thunder Lake
Curecanti National Recreation Area is largely a boating destination and remains, it seems, relatively unknown outside of boating circles. We don’t own a boat, but if you're anything like us then you might be excited to learn that Curecanti just so happens to have one that you can ride. For a fee, of course. The… Continue reading Touring the Gunnison River by Boat – Curecanti National Recreation Area, Colorado
After a stunningly beautiful 24 hours at the Maroon Bells, we packed up camp and headed south to Black Canyon of the Gunnison. I’m not sure what I was expecting Black Canyon to be, but it was wildly different from my expectations... in a good way. In my mind, I guess it was a mini… Continue reading Holy Schist! – Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Colorado
There are multiple Crater Lakes in Colorado. There are also multiple Blue Lakes. And Columbine Lakes. And probably lots of other duplicate names as well. Whoever is in charge of the Colorado Lake Naming Commission needs to up their standards for naming creativity. But it’s probably too late for that now, so I’ll just begin… Continue reading Colorado Day Hikes: West Maroon Creek Trail to Crater Lake
I said when I began this Colorado Bucket List series that some of these “must-do” items are probably a little overrated and/or cliché. Some of them are also excessively popular and crowded. This is absolutely one of the most popular and crowded items on the list, but it’s by no means overrated. There’s a reason… Continue reading Colorado Bucket List: Sunrise at the Maroon Bells
The fact that I have so many outdoor adventures and explorations to post about each week is proof positive of my privilege. Minorities are not well-represented in the outdoor industry or the outdoors themselves, largely because the outdoors are not accessible to these individuals. Think about it; what was the racial composition of people you… Continue reading Social Justice in the Outdoors
When my family and I visited Arches National Park many years back, we didn’t know that you have to reserve tickets for the Fiery Furnace ranger led hike ahead of time. Like… way ahead of time. This hike generally sells out months in advance. So when we decided to visit Arches last July as destination… Continue reading Staying Cool in the Fiery Furnace – Arches National Park, Utah
Well, we just officially cancelled our Memorial Day plans, and I know I'm not the only one who's had to do that. So for now, I'll be desperately clinging to the hope that things will open up enough in the next month that we can hang onto the rest of our summer camping reservations and… Continue reading Backpacking 101
I’m sure my opinion will change as we explore more of Rocky but, so far, Chasm Lake is my absolute favorite hike in the park. It's actually my favorite trail in all of Colorado so far as well. I’ve done this hike twice; first with a friend in late August two summers back, and second… Continue reading Rocky Mountain National Park Hikes: Chasm Lake
We all know I'm obsessed with lists. But present circumstances have made my travel to-do list a little depressing; it's not getting any shorter, and my 2020 list of accomplishments is not getting any longer. But then I stumbled across a handful of A-Z travel lists here on WordPress and decided to jump on the… Continue reading Handstands: the A-Z Edition
