Category Archives: Front Range

An Island Among Giants: The Spearhead

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Way back in 2011 I made my first trip into Glacier Gorge and like most folks who exit their vehicles at the trailhead, I was there to see something called Alberta Falls. Don’t get me wrong, Alberta Falls is great. Heck, I even took my Grams there later that summer, but let’s be serious now. Some risk takers may even get a little crazy and go as far as the Loch or Mills Lake, also pretty spectacular in their own right. But for those willing to make the 5 mile trek deep into the heart of Glacier Gorge to where the upper plateau begins, that’s where the crown jewel of the park gets real. Keep reading…

Jolly Old Saint Mary

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The holidays are here and I must admit it’s been tough to get away from the house to “git sum”, much less sit down to process photos and compliment them with even a few paragraphs of semi-intelligent scribble. Well, this past Sunday I managed to pry myself away for the morning and join the Miller Bros for a few sets of turns that were most decidedly “early-season” in nature, although still a ton of fun. Continue reading…

Apache and Navajo: A Pair of IPW Classics

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In mid-September I was able to free myself for a quick morning and get out on what would end up being my summer hiking finale. Though not all that flashy or ambitious in the grand scheme of things, I decided to check out a slick little loop in the Indian Peaks Wilderness that had long been on the proverbial wish list.  I left our temporary address on Lookout Mountain around 4am and arrived at the Brainard Lake Recreational Area an hour and half later after paying the $10 entrance fee. Continue reading…

Keeping Copeland Interesting

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If you’ve ever driven down the Wild Basin Road in Rocky Mountain National Park and wondered what that huge bulky 13,000 foot mound in front of you was, you were probably gazing at Copeland. The USGS lists this peak as “Mount Copeland”, but all other sources seem to call it “Copeland Mountain”. Whatever you want to call it, you’d have to agree it’s massive for Wild Basin standards and the summit views, should you choose to slog up this behemoth, give you a front row seat into everything the southern end of the Park has to offer. Keep reading…