Category Archives: Sangres

Ellingwood Point’s Southwest Ridge

      4 Comments on Ellingwood Point’s Southwest Ridge

I felt the urge to write this trip report for two reasons. First, because the southwest ridge up Ellingwood is a very cool route. But we don’t really have any documentation of it on the site. So, this felt like a good chance to highlight its many enticing features. And second, because the Lake Como road is NOT a cool route. And in spite of how much documentation exists in the world about how much it sucks, I still feel the need to remind everyone of what a nightmare that road still is.

Read more…

Willow Lake Never Disappoints

      3 Comments on Willow Lake Never Disappoints

4th of July fell on a Monday this year, and I found myself in the Sangres for the holiday weekend. The forecast was not especially enticing for Sunday, so John and I made a single peak objective for the day: unnamed 13,546, adjacent to centennial Adams and next to scenic Willow Lake. The night had been rainy and the dawn revealed an overcast gray sky. While not cheerful, it made the long approach from the trailhead much more cooler and enjoyable than my prior two visits. Keep reading…

Colorful Colorado: Fall Thirteener Roundup

      4 Comments on Colorful Colorado: Fall Thirteener Roundup

Summer is more or less over in Colorado, with snow starting to accumulate in the high country as winter’s grip slowly tightens. But as per usual the late-summer/fall window made for a nice venue to bag some peaks and ultimately hit my 500th thirteener summit this past Sunday, a nice milestone to reach just ahead of ski season. As I fell behind on keeping up with blog posts throughout the fall I figured I’d summarize things in one go. So without further ado, here are the highlights… Read more…

Medano and Herard

      8 Comments on Medano and Herard

With our late-summer dry spell continuing into October and showing no signs of cooling off, it was time to head south and finally pay the Sangre de Cristos a visit in 2020. Down to just seven 13ers left in the range, I decided on Mt. Herard and “Medano Peak” from the Wet Mountain Valley side via Medano Pass. Medano and Herard reside about four miles to the northeast and a vertical mile above the Great Sand Dunes. Read more…