August 24, 2019. Our goal for the day was to summit Challenger Point and Kit Carson Peak. It’s morning, and the day’s first rays are starting to brighten the sky over the cold valley we had camped in north of Crestone. In a matter of mere minutes we went from wrapped in sleeping bags to […]
Read more "Trip Report: Ad Astra"“An easy hike.” “A few hours max.” That was the plan, but at least one of us is pretty bad at making plans. The idea for the day was to reach a small summit in Pike National Forest: Raleigh Peak. This was to be achieved by following part of the Colorado Trail to a segment […]
Read more "Scorched Earth Saunter"The air was starting to warm, and the snow-pack of the Rocky Mountains beginning its slow decline for the upcoming Summer. As you might imagine, the mountains in southern Colorado are some of the first to clear up every year, and this year was not an exception, even with the wild weather the state has […]
Read more "East Peak Story"The three of them approached cautiously: their chestnut-brown eyes assessing me, gauging if I were a threat. With quizzical expressions on their wooly faces, the mountain goats passed within reaching distance of me, now disregarding my presence. I moved slowly as not to frighten them. They grazed on the alpine grasses beneath their hooves, and […]
Read more "Pacific Bleat"West Spanish Peak—the United States’s easternmost 4,000-meter peak—enjoys prominence in elevation and notoriety in history. Standing at an imposing 13,626 feet, the mountain’s apex may not rise as high as many of the other peaks in Colorado, but still takes the rank as the state’s twelfth-most topographically prominent summit. Rising nearly 7,000′ over its north […]
Read more "Conquistador-able"For me, I usually spend less time adventuring when snow begins to fall. This is not because I dislike snow, rather, I merely don’t have a lot of experience dealing with it. An REI gift card recently reminded me “adventure has no off season.” With this lovely adage in mind, I decided to try an […]
Read more "Going Coastal"Mount Hope towers above the popular recreation area of Twin Lakes, Colorado. Despite its alluring contours and inviting slopes, it is often neglected; overshadowed by its slightly taller neighbors. Standing at an impressive 13,933′, Mount Hope is Colorado’s 64th tallest peak, and its proximity to larger and more popular summits in the Sawatch Range keep […]
Read more "High Hopes on Talus Slopes"My car whined and groaned in pain as we drove up the county road toward the trailhead of the standard route up Grays and Torreys Peak. “It’s OK, lil’ Subaru,” I reassured the struggling automobile, “you’ve done this before.” Grays and Torreys, by way of their novice and popular standard route, were my fourth and […]
Read more "Aurora Torreyalis"Maybe the depiction on my atlas was deceiving, or maybe we were just victims of my own foolishness, but I definitely thought that Gardner, Colorado—a town with multiple churches and an herb shop—would have a gas station. With a flickering gaslight, we, the Overcast Adventurers and Ty’s friend Seth, opted to purchase five gallons of […]
Read more "Orphans and Endorphins"This past December, at the start of my last winter break, I struck out for a summit attempt of Horseshoe Mountain. This peak is aptly named for its horseshoe-like curvature and can be seen rising high above the South Park Basin, just southwest of Fairplay. It’s Colorado’s 72nd-largest ranked mountain, standing proud at 13,898 feet. […]
Read more "Leavick All Behind"
The Overcast Adventurers 