February 21st, 2016. Just one of many bluebird days during the winter of 2015-16, and fitting to tag a peak named Audubon on such a day. The quick reference I had for this name is the speedway in Germany, but I think a likelier origin is John James Audubon, a Haitian-born nature lover and bird watcher – I mean, ornithologist – for whom the Audubon Society is named. Keep reading…
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…
I’ve been meaning to ski Mount Toll’s classic South Face for years now. Toll can be easily previewed from a number of vantage points around Boulder and the Front Range, as well as its neighbors, which saves the aspiring skier a lot of gas money on wasted reconnaissance. Ron Haddad’s “Front Range Descents” includes a number of routes from the Mitchel/Blue Lakes region and Toll seems to get the most raving reviews. Keep reading…