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....
Chicago Basin 1: Sunlight & Windom Peaks
We finally reached the Siesta Motel in Durango after the long car ride from Denver, stopping only for a Thai lunch in Poncha Springs. We were four — Julie, Jake, Marina, & myself — and we had a coal-fed steam train to catch in the morning. The plan? Ride...
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...
Crestone Peak
For Crestone Peak, I wanted to come in via the Cottonwood Creek approach. Why? Well, I’ll go to lengths to avoid people on the trail and the descriptions of this approach included such words as “arduous,” “difficult wayfinding,” and “testy sections with a heavy pack” — not words that...
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...
Castle Peak & Conundrum Peak, Colorado
17 Sept 2016 From the town of Aspen we followed Castle Creek up the valley, past Ashcroft and bearing right onto Pearl Pass Road. We kept going beyond the bridge (not for the feint of heart) and set up camp where Pearl Pass Road takes a left and the...
Mount Bierstadt
From the trailhead at Guanella Pass the first direction you head is down. As disheartening as it is (and with Mount Bierstadt looming high) you descend into the marsh and willows of Scott Gomer Creek. Without the boardwalks preventing you from going even lower and wetter, this would be...
Mount Antero, Colorado
I get why hiking Mount Antero isn’t high up on folks’ 14er lists. It’s not a wilderness peak. In fact it’s almost the opposite of a wilderness peak because of aquamarine — one of the highest concentrations of it in the country along with other gem deposits. Gemstones mean...
Mount Massive, Colorado
Looking from Leadville, there’s no doubt about Mount Elbert. Straight in front of you driving down US-24 is a proper Paramount Pictures peak of a mountain: a monumental triangular jab into the sky. To the right of that, however, lies the tremendous lumpy heap that comprises Mount Massive. Elbert’s...
