Residing deep in the Rio Grande National Forest east of Piedra Pass, South River Peak is known as one of the peskier Colorado 13ers not by it’s technical rating or loose rock, but the length of its approach from any trailhead. There are essentially 2 options – a shorter, steeper route from the north involving some bushwhacking below tree line, or a longer, more gradual route from the south that passes by a natural hot spring along the way. Keep Reading…
When we pulled off of state highway 60 in Northwest Iowa to visit Hawkeye Point, I remarked to Katie that I should write a “trip report” about what were going to experience. I had every intention of doing so as a funny way to mock the high point of the state of Iowa. But as I sit now on the other side of our visit, I actually found tremendous value in the stop. This little “summit” illustrated for me a few very simple, but very important life lessons about expectations, what makes a place special, and how there are still some genuinely good things left in the world. Keep Reading…
It wound up to be sort of a lean year for me on the spring ski objective front. A combination of life, work schedule, weather and snowpack made it so. But one of the half-dozen days I was able to get out and ski a new peak was certainly one to write about. In late-April Dave Bourassa and I realized a dream ski of ours after talking about it for years but never getting around to pulling the trigger until this year. Namely, a ski descent of the northernmost peak in the Gore Range, Eagles Nest A. We ended up picking a perfect day with everything falling into place, allowing us to ski two different lines off opposite sides of the peak.
In terms of skiing, Eagles Nest is about as obscure of a descent as they come in a range that’s already known for obscure descents. There’s not much that’s been previously written about this one, and neither of us know anyone else who has skied it either. That’s not to say it’s never been done, this is Colorado after all. But regardless we knew we were in for an adventure into the relative unknown. Keep Reading….
When Jason proposed a Zion National Park crossing via trail run late last year, it was (as usual) an easy sell. I had only spent a few fleeting hours in Zion years earlier. But even a few glimpses of the park from the tunnel and through the windows of the packed shuttles was more than enough to whet my appetite. Getting back into Zion to do it properly had been on my short list for a while. It would also make a nice sequel to our Grand Canyon Rim to Rim to Rim running effort a few years prior. Keep Reading…