Short Lake, Long Lake

The rising sun in the rear-view mirror promised a mild winter day for Denver. Unfortunately for us, we knew that the mountains in front of us promised the opposite. Despite unseasonably warm weather in the lowlands, the peaks remained snowbound, and we were bundled up accordingly. It didn’t help as much as we had hoped. […]

Shelf Confidence

Colorado’s 14ers are one of the state’s most popular features. Over the past few decades, summiting 14ers has become an increasingly popular pastime, and Mt. Bierstadt is one of the peaks that consistently draws the highest crowds. That means Guanella Pass, the thoroughfare along which the Bierstadt trailhead lies, is a household name in Colorado. […]

When Helene Freezes Over

The day, characteristically for a hiking day, started before sunrise. Out of convenience and partiality we journeyed again to Rocky Mountain National Park. Our goal this time was to reach a mountain lake called Helene Lake. Not often visited in the winter, Helene Lake’s lack of traffic is the result of the lake shore being […]

Mills To Pay The Bills

We left for the mountains before sunrise. With a sparse 2020 now behind us, we were anxious to get outside and start making 2021 a brighter year. Looking at forecasts and trail conditions, we decided that brighter year would be best begun at Rocky Mountain National Park, specifically the hike to Mills Lake near the […]

The Amenable Venable Lake

This week we have just a quick post from the b-e-a-utiful Sangre de Cristo Range. The Overcast Adventurers, plus Skyler’s friends Jesse (a returning guest star) and Barkley (a dog), braved glaring sunlight to hike up to Venable Lake. The trailhead for this hike started just past the old towns of Silver Cliff and Westcliffe. […]

Going Coastal

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 […]

Orphans and Endorphins

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 […]

Beyond the Veil

The grimy and over-labored workers of the small mining camp of Buckskin Joe took solace in few things. The miners drudged to find the hidden treasures beneath the granite, the prospectors scoured the land for the promise of riches… but at the end of a hard day these men knew they could reconcile their struggles […]

Powder to the People

While much of the United States prepared to protest recent political affairs, I stared at the snow incessantly falling outside my apartment window. My thoughts drifted away from academia and to adventure-emia. West Elk Wilderness, one of Colorado’s largest and most immaculate wilderness areas, lies just fifteen minutes away from the campus of my university. […]

For Emerald Lang Syne

Seasons greetings from the Overcast Adventurers! With the new year just around the corner, and the sizable intermission since our last post, Skyler and I thought it might be nice to get one more 2016 blog in. Our hike was one that is iconic to Colorado: the Emerald Lake trail in Rocky Mountain National Park. […]