Snowshoeing Tanglewood Creek in the Mt. Evans Wilderness
The Deer Creek/Rosalie/Tanglewood trails have been a go-to for my wife and I anytime we need a quick wilderness tour and don’t have a lot of time to travel. The view from Tanglewood’s summit yields unique views of the southern Front Range and the undulating expanse of the Great Plains. The trail becomes faint in … Read more
Climbing Grays, Torreys, and Kelso Ridge
With no full moon to light our way, Steven and I had no reason to set our alarms for 11.30 pm to leave by midnight for the trail. Instead, we decided to sleep-in until 2am. At 1am I was brewing coffee, and just as tired as if I’d woken at 11.30. So much for energy … Read more
Where to Buy Outdoor Gear Online…with a Student’s “Salary”
When I see photos of grizzled mountaineers on top of Denali or Rainier in what appear to be burlap sacks, leather moccasins, and heavy, inefficient wool jackets, I wonder if they survived the trip down. Of course, many of them did–albeit with less digits and limbs that were claimed by Jack Frost. Nevertheless, the fact remains that their gear was, … Read more
Mt. Harvard: Less Gentry, More Dirtbag
We wanted our second ascent to be more challenging, but still within our expanding skill levels. We originally chose Mt. Columbia because it offered a vista that we imagined would be as eye-dazzling as Quandary’s, but which was twice as long a climb with a step up from cat. 1 (Quandary) to a cat. 2. … Read more
Quandary Peak: The Quandary of Stewardship, Recreation, and First Ascents
One of my greatest fears when Fall semester begins is the inexorable aggregation of fat around my midsection and the phlegmy hacking that comes from unused lungs. Much of this is due to the lack of an active community who pushes the members to physical limits all year round. Thankfully, I met a peer who … Read more
glacial maws
Action drove me from my paralysis. Before that, there had been fear. It snuck up, gripped me by my throat, drummed wildly against my heart, and threw its dark magic into my eyes. It crowded the space in between my brain and skull, horror vacuii set in like Ooblek’s goo. I couldn’t move. I was … Read more
Early Season Ski on Guanella Pass
Posted by sainteterre on November 7, 2011 · Leave a Comment
Ah. It’s that time of the year here in Colorado where there is just enough snow to tease then coax the snow-deprived into packing their gear up a hill only to destroy the goods in one run. Steven and I, without many 14ers we feel comfortable to climb right now, decided to head out to … Read more
Filed under Review & Commentary · Tagged with backpacking, Climb, GNAR GNAR, Photography, review, travel, Wilderness Areas