Category Archives: Hikes & Scrambles

An Island Among Giants: The Spearhead

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Way back in 2011 I made my first trip into Glacier Gorge and like most folks who exit their vehicles at the trailhead, I was there to see something called Alberta Falls. Don’t get me wrong, Alberta Falls is great. Heck, I even took my Grams there later that summer, but let’s be serious now. Some risk takers may even get a little crazy and go as far as the Loch or Mills Lake, also pretty spectacular in their own right. But for those willing to make the 5 mile trek deep into the heart of Glacier Gorge to where the upper plateau begins, that’s where the crown jewel of the park gets real. Keep reading…

Conquistadores Mounting Earth Knockers

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Steve and I were looking for something new and relatively close and decided there were some breasts of the Earth to mount in the southern part of the state. West Spanish is a Bi and East Spanish is a prominent 12er. The two combined make for a nice rack, and with some crazy dikes in the region, we figured we were in for a treat.

We agree to haul a pair of bikes down there just in case the road to East Spanish and the Wahatoya TH was too rough. What we would later come to realize is how many shits the Honey Badger (Steve’s Rav-4) really gives (that would be none). Keep reading…

Apache and Navajo: A Pair of IPW Classics

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In mid-September I was able to free myself for a quick morning and get out on what would end up being my summer hiking finale. Though not all that flashy or ambitious in the grand scheme of things, I decided to check out a slick little loop in the Indian Peaks Wilderness that had long been on the proverbial wish list.  I left our temporary address on Lookout Mountain around 4am and arrived at the Brainard Lake Recreational Area an hour and half later after paying the $10 entrance fee. Continue reading…

Longs Radical Slam

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As almost anyone who has ever climbed a 14er knows, Gerry Roach’s Colorado’s Fourteeners book is pretty much the bible for all things high in Colorado. It is the book that started it all for many of us and it guided us on many early trips during our mountaineering journeys. The second edition I own shows all the signs of nearly 15 years of use: the cover is coming off, nearly 50 pages are loose, the pages have been written on, and a good chunk of the material is now outdated. Keep reading…