I’m currently writing some notes about my 2017 Tour of the Highest Hundred, where I bikepacked to the trailheads of all 105 Colorado Centennials, and then summited them by foot. This is a work in progress and the notes are currently spread in the post archives of this site: GPX Files/Caltopo Map Found here. Talk Continue reading…
(This article is updated periodically, and updates are listed on the bottom) To not bury the lede and to respect the intelligence of my readers, here are the take home points: Big takeaway: the ropes may not be in a condition to safely use. It will be up to you to decide if they are Continue reading…
The Colorado Trail is an awesome thru-hike route! But I noticed while hiking the CT, that much of the time that the best parts of an area you hike through just aren’t really showcased. The trail just weaves itself along a contour line below treeline, and you miss out on seeing most of the high Continue reading…
Adventure Cycling‘s Great Divide Mountain Bike Route (GDMBR for short) is one of my favorite off-pavement bike routes in the country. I’ve done two tours of it myself while racing it, and have used segments the route itself quite a bit while doing shorter bikepacking tours. It’s well-designed, lots of beta about accommodations exist, and Continue reading…
Stats (approx.): 36.5 miles 12,815’ Starting Date: 9/2/17 Total time: 2 days, 11min Three Centennials Summited: Capitol Peak Snowmass Mountain Hagerman Peak After cruising through the Sawatch, I had to once again cross west over the Continental Divide – this time with an unruly bear canister in tow, to dash off the Elk Range. A Continue reading…
Stats (approx.): 32 miles 10,000’+ elevation Total time: 1 day, 2hr, 30min Three Centennials Summited: “Phoenix Peak” San Luis Stewart Peak I questioned framing this leg of my Tour of the Highest Hundred as a, “Fastpack from Hell”, as the numbers really don’t compare to the Crestones, Sierra Blanca – let alone the mighty Weminuche. Continue reading…
Stats (approx.): 81.4 Miles 34,847’+ elevation Total time: 5 days, 1hr, 44min Nine Centennials Summited: Pigeon Peak Turret Peak Jupiter Mountain Windom Peak Sunlight Peak North Eolus Mount Eolus Jagged Mountain Vestal Peak The Weminuche. This was the make-or-break section of my tour. A large project within an enormous project. Lots of terrain to cover, Continue reading…
The 2018 FKTOFTY Awards have been announced. I’ve very thankful that the Tour of the Highest Hundred was selected in the lineup! Although, it didn’t “win”, I really had no reason to think I would! I’m actually a little confused how different FKT attempts can even be compared to each other, but if all we Continue reading…
Centennials Summited (11): Mount of the Holy Cross Holy Cross Ridge Mt. Oklahoma Mt. Massive Mt. Elbert French Mountain Casco Peak Lackawanna Peak Capitol Peak Snowmass Peak Hagerman Peak Total Mileage: By foot: 76.9 miles, 31,821′ elevation gained By bike: 200.1 miles, 15,165′ elevation gained
This was most likely the largest week in the entire tour, in terms of number of peaks summited. Access in the Sawatch is generally easy, resupply is plenty, and most of the peaks don’t pose too much technical problems. Centennials Summited (19): Cronin Peak Mt. Antero Mt. Shavano Tabeguache Peak Mt. Princeton Mt. Harvard Mt. Continue reading…
Centennials Summited (6): Dallas Peak Teakettle Peak Mt. Sneffels Wetterhorn Peak Uncompahgre Peak Mt. Ouray Total Mileage: By foot: 41.1 miles, 17,815′ elevation gain By bike: 249.1 miles, 27,561′ elevation gain
Centennials Summited (13): Pigeon Peak Turret Peak Jupiter Mountain Windom Peak Sunlight Peak North Eolus Eolus Peak Jagged Mountain Vestal Peak Wilson Peak Gladstone Peak Mt. Wilson El Diente Total Mileage: On foot: 98.1 miles, 42,073′ elevation gain On bike: 42.7 miles, 5,342′ elevation gain
Centennials Summited (8): Jones Peak Half Peak Handies Peak Redcloud Peak Sunshine Peak UN 13832 UN 13811 Vermilion Peak Total Mileage: By foot: 63.2 miles, 21,631′ elevation gained By bike: 72.2 miles, 7,636′ elevation gain
Centennials Summited (11): Mt. Adams Kit Carson Peak Challenger Peak Columbia Point Humboldt Peak Crestone Needle Crestone Peak Phoenix Peak San Luis Peak Stewart Peak Rio Grande Pyramid Total Mileage: By foot: 85.4 miles, 29,916′ elevation gained By bike: 276.3 miles, 12,298′ elevation gained
My time in Salida on tour soon came to an end, after a little time at the hostel with an honest to goodness shower. Time for me to travel north! Out of Salida, there’s some pretty awful highway riding to get directly to the next town, Buena Vista, and the day I set off saw Continue reading…
Slowly, I roll to the gate. The Park ranger sees me from afar and returns to me only a tired stare. He himself walks slowly to the entrance booth, not resting his gaze. I now roll towards the booth even slower. Nervous. I feel as if I’m performing a border crossing, rather than just entering Continue reading…
I’m only in Allenspark, and the sun has already risen. I feel as if I’m very late to my own party. Allenspark is only seven miles away from the Longs Peak Trailhead – my riding destination, but as I summit the last punchy climb and await the downhill just beyond, I conclude that the downhill Continue reading…
The Front Range 14ers Grays and Torreys make an excellent beginner 14er hike – it was one of the first 14ers I ever did. Being so close to the Front Range Urban Corridor – less than an hour from Denver, it still affords some dramatic changes in environment, not the least because of the sweeping Continue reading…
Check out the Spring 2015 issue of the Colorado Mountain Club’s Trail and Timberline, for an interview with me about the Tour 14er trip I took last summer. If you’re a member of the CMC, the issue should be delivered to your mailboxes soon. The embedded digital version is a little awkward to use, but Continue reading…
Thanks to Bikepackers Magazine for mentioning my Tour 14er super ride in their 2014 Year in Review! My thoughts usually span quite the spectrum. I remembering it wasn’t really all that long ago that I bought my first thrift store beater bike for < $15, and it didn’t take too long after that for me to wonder Continue reading…
Total Hike Mileage: 387.9 miles (624.265 km) Total Hike Elevation: 154,727 feet (47,160.8 km) Total Bike Mileage: 1,609.1 miles (2,589.6 km) Total Bike Elevation: 151,335 feet (46,126.9 meters) Total Time: 34:12:26:57
2:00 am is a hell of a time to wake up, especially when you finally went to sleep at a little before midnight. Probably. I now wake up and think about my immediate surroundings. They seem almost Thoreau-ian – if the surroundings weren’t in their own immediate surroundings. I’m wrapped up in a sleeping bag, Continue reading…
6/12/13 – 6/17/13 The trip’s itinerary was to hit up most all the 14ers in the path between Denver, CO and Alma, CO, taking the I-70 corridor to Breckenridge, and then HW 9 to Alma. Ambitious, as the routes picked weren’t the easiest, or shortest: Bierdtstat from the East Ridge, then over the Sawtooth to Continue reading…
Climbed on 6/1/13Mountains can be easy to climb, or they can be hard. It usually has nothing to do with the rock and snow found on them. Only sometimes.
Waking up at 2:00am on the Sunday of the weekend St. Patrick’s Day festivities in a drinkin’ city seemed a strange way to begin a trip. I needed to go from the North side of Denver, through the South side, without incident – and then far beyond. Plan: ride the bicycle from the back door Continue reading…