Category Archives: Backpacking

The Four Pass Loop Through 8-Year Old Eyes

I know I say I’m proud of my little girl often, but I’m going to keep saying it.  Every year, we look forward to our annual mountain excursion that we’ve shared since she was 2 (with the exception of when she was 3 because that was the summer her little sister was born).  Our adventures are normally 2 nights out but she’s been begging for a longer trip ever since my last week-long outing 3 years ago.  I told her this was the year and after our hike up West Maroon during our family’s car-camping trip to Gothic last summer to see the wild flowers, I knew what our destination would be. Read more…

Summertime at Deluge Lake

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It had been far too long since David and I had gotten out together for a backpacking camp trip…two years ago we were backpacking in Patagonia and Spain, and I’m not sure I had been out “true-camping” since then! It was well past overdue and David organized a small weekend trip for us outside of Vail up to Deluge Lake in the Eagle’s Nest Wilderness. We left Saturday morning around 8:00 – made a few quick stops for camp food, getting a headlamp back from a friend, batteries for said headlamp, string for dem bears, and Subway sandwiches before making it to the trail head by 11:30. Keep reading…

Spending the Weekend Atop Tincup Pass

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It’s not the sexiest of locations, but I gained an appreciation of the southern Sawatch this weekend. I can’t imagine I’ll be spending too many dry months exploring the area, but where these mountains lack in individual aesthetics is made up for by the quantity of peaks in such a concentrated area. Add a blanket of snow on them and the area truly comes alive. Keep reading…

Purgatory to Ruby: Pigeon, Turret and the Animas Group

Nate, Ray, Migz and Dana (who couldn’t make it due to “work”) currently call the east coast their homes. These boys get out quite frequently into the mountains in New England, but the east coast only affords them so much. Once a year they are usually looking to get a little wild and that’s when I’ll get the call. On their inaugural trip to Colorado 2 years ago we trekked through Wild Basin in RMNP en route to Alice and Chiefs Head via Lion Lakes and then followed it up the next day with a sunrise climb of Longs Peak. Each has his own temperaments and talents, but in the end it always seems to work out, even with Ray who has no qualms calling the Pigeon/Turret saddle a success and may still be referred to as “the Gatekeeper” of the Keyhole. Keep reading…