At long last! I’ve compiled my footage from this audacious attempt to cross the Sawatch Range on foot and unsupported via the Continental Divide.
The gear you bring for an adventure like the Sangre de Cristo Range Traverse can be critical to the success of the trip itself. The momentously mountainous route asks much from you to be ready for anything. With a low point of 7,073′, a high point of 14,304′ and an average elevation of 11,857′, temperature Continue reading…
The dream of completing the Sangre de Cristo Range Traverse just didn’t seem like something I could put down even after my first successful tour in 2019 going South to North. I made it then my mission to do the traverse from the opposite direction, starting in Salida and ending at Lake Como Road. This Continue reading…
Join Justin Simoni as: THE LONG RANGER as he attempts to tackle the Sangre de Cristo Range Traverse North to South. Thinks don’t always go to plan…
Presented here is episode 1 through 6 of the Slowlans series for your viewing convenience and enjoyment. When I started editing all this, I had no idea it would be such a large project, coming to almost an hour of runtime that took two+ months to finish. Enjoy.
A new version of my Slowlans guide is out! New to this version is a website under my new guise, Long May You Range, revised routes, new maps, PDF downloads, and revised segment narratives to name but a few major changes. What’s Slowlans? Slowlans is a guide to for backpacking the Nolan’s 14 line where Continue reading…
If you’re interested in running Nolan’s 14, one of the best way to preview the line is to fastpack it! You’ll get a taste of what it’s like to link up big parts of the route, without having to backtrack, and the load makes for good training. Episode 3 starts off on the summit of Continue reading…
If you’re interested in running Nolan’s 14, one of the best way to preview the line is to fastpack it! You’ll get a taste of what it’s like to link up big parts of the route, without having to backtrack, and the load makes for good training. Episode 2 starts off on the summit of Continue reading…
Justin and Drew Bob embark on their ultralight backpack/fastpack of the Sawatch 14ers on the Nolan’s 14 route. Episode 1
Gear Mentioned My gear goes through some tough challenges with me, and I often find myself modifying it to better fit my needs to survive my adventures. My Ultimate Direction Fastpack 40 is no different. Here are some changes I’ve made to my pack: Patched and Reinforced Back Pocket Scrambling is not friendly to the Continue reading…
As soon as the bus pulls into Salida, I’m out the front door, heading down to the old school motel – the one at the outskirts of town with the larger than life flamingo statues, classic cars decorating the front, and rock-bottom room prices. I check in, throw my pack on the bed, then I’m Continue reading…
Named peaks in black have 300′ or more rise and a half a mile of isolation Named peaks in gray have less than 300′ of rise and/or less than a half a mile of isolation. “bonus” peaks are peaks summited, but not located directly on the main ridge. “South Little Bear”, 14,020′ Little Bear Peak, Continue reading…
https://caltopo.com/m/KUF7
Total: 6,025 grams/13.3 pounds For this trip, food was essentially fuel, so no fancy/delicious freeze-dried meals to be reconstituted during extended breaks – that just wasn’t going to happen. Each day had the same menu in its kit, and calories totaled ~4,750 calories/day. I brought five days of kit. Breakdown of each day consisted of: Continue reading…
For the majority of my outdoor trips and adventures, I’m mountain running: moving as quickly as I can in mountainous terrain all with the minimal amount of gear. I also go on multi-day trips and then my mountain running transforms into what’s called, fastpacking. The goal is simply efficient all day movement over long distances, Continue reading…
2021 was a tough year to get through – but I tried to make the best of it! Long, self-contained adventures are already my main jam, so it was easy to adapt to the topology of 2021. Here’s some of the favorite trips I took out in Colorado. I took a TON of footage this Continue reading…
I recorded the above video somewhat on a whim – but it goes through some of the gear I use on my fastpacking trips. The way I pack is covered here, and what I bring to eat is covered here. I have gone through my entire kit for a few projects I’ve done, like my Continue reading…
I’ve been planning my future Sawatch adventure and the more I looked at it, the more I realize that the reputation of the Sawatch being full of gentle heaps of talus hills and nothing else is only true if you decide to ignore some nightmare ridges just off to the side from the more popular Continue reading…
La Sportiva recently released a new take on their reputable Ultra Raptor trail runner: the Ultra Raptor II Mid GTX. Building upon the battle-tested base of the current Ultra Raptor model, it adds a few new features and flourishes: mid top ankle cuff, Gore-Tex upper, a new black and grey colorway, and it comes in Continue reading…