The best part of climbing Blanca and Ellingwood in 2016 was the knowledge that I would never have to walk that Lake Como road for the rest of my life. It’s rocky, it’s long, it’s unpleasant. But somehow, there I was again, walking up that rock-strewn abomination of a...
Sawatch 3-Pack: Mount Yale, Missouri Mountain, & Huron Peak
The hardest part of climbing Fourteeners is the driving. Yeah, there’s the scrambling and the backpacking and the camping and the elevation — but nothing’s harder than that drive. If you take one trip for each Fourteener, that’s over 50 separate trips with most being multi-hour drives each way....
Two Day Hikes in The Needles, Canyonlands NP
Last November we took a quick trip to Utah. One of the places we visited was The Needles district in Canyonlands NP. We done lots in Utah, but never managed to make it to The Needles. The days were short and the nights were chilly, but we had the...
Maroon Peak
Before we hiked Maroon Peak, the folks who I asked about the climb all said, “It’s a long day.” Every one, exact words. Heeding their advice, we arrived at Maroon Lake Trailhead at 04:00. Marina, Kevin, and I camped at Silver Bar — down the road between Maroon Lake...
Uncompahgre & Wetterhorn Peaks
For the first Fourteeners of the 2018 season we traveled across Colorado to the San Juan mountains. Uncompahgre & Wetterhorn Peaks are relatively close together and near the town of Lake City, which we had not visited. One of the reasons why I like to do Fourteeners is that...
Blanca Peak and Ellingwood Point
We almost bailed. The plan to hike Blanca Peak and Ellingwood Point was to drive down to the Sangre de Cristo range then up the 4wd road towards Blanca Peak. We’d drive the jeep as far up as we comfortable, backpack the rest of the way, and camp at...
Pisac Inca Ruins
The Inca ruins of Pisac are scattered on a large and narrow ridge that descends into the Sacred Valley, terminating at the town of Pisac which is also from Inca times. Pisac is a royal estate founded by the first great Inca king, Patacuti. He also founded the royal...
Tambomachay -> Cusco Walk
There are two reasons to walk from Tambomachay to Cusco. 1] It’s a nice day out on an easy walk where you get to see a good number of ruins under your own power and timing. You visit the popular bus tour sites, as well as others that have...
A Hike from Pumamarca
The Pumamarca ruins lie about four miles up the Patacancha Valley northeast of Ollantaytambo. You go here for two reasons: to see the ruins and to hike back to Ollanta. And the hike back from Pumamarca might be the better reason. Pumamarca Ruins We got a taxi in Ollanta....
Visiting Huchuy Qosqo
12 Apr 2017 In reading up on Inca sites in the Sacred Valley, Huchoy Qosqo was occasionally mentioned but usually as an overnight trekking option if at all. Since we would be trekking the Inca Trail a few days after, I didn’t feel like dealing with a guide —...
