Category Archives: San Juans

2018 San Juan Solstice 50

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The 2018 running of the San Juan Solstice 50 was this past weekend, and I’m happy to say I made it through for a second finish without any major issues along the way. Things went smoothly for me in just about every category and I was able to improve on my time from last year by over an hour.

 

Our move to the Vail Valley, in addition to our lean snow year, had me trail running a lot more in place of backcountry skiing throughout the months of April and May. I was able to log six 20+ mile runs leading into the SJS, which included another go at the Dirty 30 in early-June and a fun morning climbing Grouse Mountain from the streets of Eagle-Vail. I was hopeful all the vert and miles on trails would translate to a better race in Lake City this go around. Keep reading…

Little Cimarron and Baldy Cinco Loops

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Colorado is in the transition phase to winter this month, with most of the northern mountains already fairly snowed in and colder temps and gusty winds settling into the high country to stay. But in an effort to extend our summer 13er-bagging tear just a bit longer, Steve and I were lured down south by a blip of stable weather and dry terrain. Residing at the northern end of the San Juan range is the spectacular Cimarron group, which Steve and I had a great time exploring last year. Read more…

Laboring in the Weminuche: Rock Lake 13ers

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It seems like no matter how many times I get into the Weminuche, I’m always excited to go back. Excited not only at the prospect of knocking off more peaks, but also getting to visit new areas. One such area that had long been on the radar was the Rock Creek drainage to the east of Vallecito Creek. Set apart from the bulk of the high peaks of the Weminuche to the west, this rugged area still holds plenty of good scrambling and great views, with arguably less people. Read more…

Rio Grande Tour

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Joel, a friend I met through another friend, was visiting his parents in CO from his home in Switzerland, and wanted to chip away at the centennials during his stay. I convinced him to accompany me to get not only Rio Grande Pyramid, but also its less lofty neighbors outside of the top 100 or even 200 or 300, for that matter. Read more…