Basque-ing in the Glory

Hi, Tyler here. Some of you will be aware that I’ve been away in Scotland these past several months. Some of you may also be aware that I’ve never published a solo post on this blog before (though Skyler often does), as I don’t consider myself to be much of a photographer. So join me […]

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Conquistador-able

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 […]

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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 […]

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High Hopes on Talus Slopes

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 […]

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For The Crater Good

With Skyler and I both moving on to adventures far distant from one another, we decided to do one more big hike before the upcoming year. Lone Eagle Peak towering to a fine point over Mirror Lake is an iconic image of the Rocky Mountains. The neighboring water body, Crater Lake, is another well-regarded destination […]

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Rite of Spring

Limestone is a soft rock made up of calcium carbonate. Water, which is regularly acidic after interacting with carbon dioxide, eats through limestone easily, and creates many of the world’s most awe-inspiring caverns. There is precious little of this rock in Colorado, but some exists in the north-western part of the state where a few […]

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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 […]

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Leavick All Behind

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. […]

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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 […]

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Bone Morrow Biopsy

A lazy weekend. My last day of classes. Encroaching finals week. These are the perfect ingredients for end-of-the-semester cabin fever. While there is no known cure for this cabin fever–medically speaking–adventuring seems to usually treat such an ailment. The Hermit’s Rest trail had been on my list for several years. Near the eastern terminus of […]

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