Several of my closest climbing buddies and I have a couple of things in common that made this particular trip worth sharing here. For one, we have a close relationship with the Gore Range of central Colorado, particularly with the peaks that fall within Eagles Nest Wilderness. Typically I limit my posts on this range as I feel that this is an area worthy of a higher level of respect and protection than most others. Continue reading…
hough they may not be particularly grand in stature, the Gores are a special set of peaks. The more I venture into the range, the more I look forward to heading back. A recent thread on this site highlighted different aspects of the area that make it unique. I won’t go into them here, but suffice it to say I’ve been humbled and impressed by what I’ve seen of the Gore thus far, and I was more than ready to get back in there for another adventure. With the entire day free and a good weather forecast this past Saturday, I decided to try my hand at Peaks X and Z which reside at the head of Boulder Lakes basin. Keep reading…
The last time Rick, Mike and I got together in Rocky Mountain National Park before this trip was a 17 hour epic on the Kiener’s Route on Longs. The climb was “as advertised” and for me, one of the better days I’ve ever experienced in the hills. I remember the bacon bleu burger from Southern Sun like it was yesterday. Fast forward to the summer of 2012 and we found ourselves plotting another masochistic stroll through the park. Ben and I had done 80 to 90% of the “Glacier Gorge Traverse” (depending on who you are talking to) from Chief’s Head to Taylor the summer before. Keep reading…
Well my buddy Brian managed to do it again…talk me into another line in the Gores that is. For the past several months Dr. Miller has been slowly but surely convincing me to stop focusing so intently on skiing 14ers, and start focusing more on skiing obscure, aesthetic lines in places I’ve never explored. Brian has never been a list ticker, in fact he detests the concept. He argues that it cheapens the true (and also healthy) spirit behind mountaineering. Keep reading…