Category Archives: Thirteeners

Gems of the Ruby Range

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A little over a year ago I attended a fall wedding in Crested Butte and snuck away for an early-AM jaunt into the hills. Crested Butte is home to a plethora of hiking and skiing options in and around the valley, including numerous low 13ers and high 12ers. One duo caught my eye in particular for their obvious aesthetics and accessibility – Mt. Owen B and Ruby Peak just north of Kebler Pass. What they lack in height compared to other peaks in the area they make up for in stature, looming large above Lake Irwin and the surrounding valley. With a fresh dusting of snow falling the night before, I wasn’t exactly sure how the ridge run would turn out. Read more…

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…