July 4, 2024 Saint Vrain Mountain | 12,530 feet Route: Saint Vrain Mountain Trail 8.95 miles; 3323 feet elevation gain Total time: 4 hours I will start by saying I can't believe it took me so long to do this trail, it is absolutely beautiful and such a fun hike. It is a great way to get some solid elevation gain without driving too far. The trailhead is a small lot with some additional parking along the road. I arrived at 5:40am on Fourth of July and was the first one in the parking lot. I then didn't see anyone until around mile 6. When I arrived back at the trailhead around 9:30am, par ..read more

July 14, 2024 Stanley Mountain | 12,530feet Route: via Henderson Mine 7.5 miles; 2405 feet elevation gain Total time: 3 hours 32 minutes I have hiked Stanley Mountain many times before from the other side, via Berthoud Pass - blog here. I recently discovered this route and decided to explore it from this side. I have done part of this trail before, along the CDT, to hike Vasquez Peak which is another incredible hike in this area that I highly recommend. This trailhead is just a quick drive from Denver and the parking lot is huge and accessible in any car. I went in with low expectations ..read more

July 13, 2024 Santa Fe Peak + Sullivan Mountain + Geneva Peak | 13,180 feet + 13,134 feet + 13,266 feet Route: via Montezuma 7 miles; 2713 feet elevation gain Total time: 5 hours 13 minutes This area is so incredible and such a hidden gem. I did part of this route back in 2021 - blog here. At that time I said I would be back to do Geneva Peak and today was the day! I also wanted to do Landslide Peak but ran out of time so again, I will be back. This route is doable if you don't have a high clearance 4WD vehicle but it would be a lot longer and would include 3 miles each way of hiking on an o ..read more

June 30, 2024 Epaulet Mountain + Epaulie + Rosalie Peak | 13,537 feet + 13,579 feet Route: alternate route from Mount Blue Sky Road 5.5 miles; 1949 feet elevation gain Total time: 2 hours 50 minutes Last time I attempted these three mountains it was via the standard route from Deer Creek Trailhead. The snow prevented us from going further than Rosalie that day so the other two were left remaining on my list. This weekend I had 3-day pass for Mount Blue Sky Recreation Area and after studying CalTopo realized I could check these two off my list very easily from there. There is a pull off on the ..read more

June 29, 2024 Mount Warren + Rogers Peak | 13,314 feet + 13,361 feet Route: AllTrails | Mount Warren and Rogers Peak 4 miles; 1322 feet elevation gain Total time: 2 hours 20 minutes I was in the market for some easier peaks this weekend, with family joining me, but wanted to go somewhere new. I stumbled across these peaks in my research and it was a great morning. Currently the wildflowers are absolutely incredible up here, more variety than I have seen anywhere else this year. You do need a Mount Blue Sky Recreation Area reservation to do this hike. These passes are released ahead of time bu ..read more

The first step in any adventure is choosing a destination to explore. Whether you are going out with your family or embarking on a solo adventure, you want to be as prepared as possible. This includes: details about your route, the weather forecast, recent conditions and much more. The AllTrails app is a great resource for all this information. I use this app to plan and feel prepared for all my adventures. AllTrails was founded on the basis that nature makes us all the best version of ourselves; they promote recreating safely, responsibly and respectfully. Their mission is “to kindle the spir ..read more

July 18, 2023 Hoosier Ridge | 13,352 feet Route: from Hoosier Pass 9.5 miles; 3000 feet elevation gain Total time: 5 hours 30 minutes Hidden gem 13ers are my favorite mountains to climb because of their beauty and solitude. This mountain isn't on AllTrails and at first glance most people will think I am writing about the popular and easy loop off Hoosier Pass. This mountain sits off the other side of Hoosier Pass along with a few other 13ers. We started at 6am and were shockingly the first car in the Hoosier Pass parking lot. This hike is very straightforward but there is a downloadable .gpx f ..read more

May 29, 2023 Mount Massive via Southwest Slopes | 14,427 feet Route: AllTrails 7 miles; 4335 feet elevation gain Total time: 7 hours Memorial Day weekend marks the start of summer in my mind, but Colorado doesn't usually agree. This was the first Memorial Day weekend in a few years that it hasn't snowed so in our minds, we got lucky. The mountains are starting to melt after a long snowy winter but there is still a lot of snow hanging on. Prior to heading out we read the most recent trip reports to determine if the route was safe and to assess what gear we would need to carry. Snowshoes were no ..read more

September 8, 2023 Missouri Mountain | 14,071 feet Route: Northwest Ridge 10.5 miles; 4576 feet elevation gain Total time: 5 hours 10 minutes Missouri Mountain has a reputation in the 14ers world, most people either love it or hate it. Those who hate it nickname it 'Misery Mountain'. Well, I am happy to say I loved it. I thought this mountain was a great challenge in terms of distance and elevation gain while not exceeding class two terrain. And, the views along the ridgeline were some of the most incredible views I have seen from any mountain. The Sawatch range is just such a stunning place, y ..read more

September 16, 2023 Rosalie Peak | 13,575 feet Route: via Tanglewood Trail 10.9 miles; 4293 feet elevation gain Total time: 6 hours 28 minutes This is a route that has been on my list for 3 years now and each year it got cancelled for some reason. The plan was to do this as a backpacking trip and summit all three peaks in the Rosalie Group, Rosalie Peak, Epaulie and Epaulet Mountain. The backpacking plan was to pack in and camp near treeline on Friday night then summit all three mountains Saturday and then pack out on the way down. Colorado had other plans in mind and it rained and snowed all d ..read more