Category Archives: San Juans

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…

San Juan Summertime and the Livin’s Easy

Ben and I have been on a bit of a tear this summer. Blitzkrieg is a word often used to describe a few of our trips and while they have been nothing but excellent, it makes you appreciate a trip in which you are afforded the ability to get to your destination early, snag 1st dibs on a campsite, and enjoy perfect weather all weekend. “Stress-free” was thrown around a lot this past weekend and we savored every minute of it. Keep reading…

Gladstone to Rio Grande Pyramid

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Dillon and I loaded into his Jeep and made our way south after work on Thursday evening, intent on hiking Gladstone Peak on Friday followed by Rio Grande Pyramid on Saturday (both Centennial 13ers). Anyone who knows the San Juans decently well will probably quickly realize that these two peaks aren’t exactly close to each other; not in a straight line but especially not with regard to drive time between trailheads. Continue reading…

Jones Group Summits

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Once in a blue moon I get an opportunity to work out of my company’s headquarters in Durango. As fortunate had it, last Wednesday through Friday were my dates for 2013. A Durango-based work trip, leading into the weekend, in the middle of the driest, most reliable month to hike peaks in the San Juans? Sweet! I was stoked for weeks leading up to the trip. Little did I know mother nature had other ideas. Enter the record monsoonal flows of mid-September, 2013. Read more…