Category Archives: Thirteeners

Another Labor Day Down South: Silverton West 13ers

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At the beginning of September, Kyle Knutson and I headed south for a four day peakbagging romp in the San Juans. Our plan – hit as many 13ers as we could, focusing on the mini-range to the west of Silverton and south of Ophir. We had spent a little bit of time in this range previously, both having climbed Vermillion and Golden Horn, but beyond that would be new terrain. This area of the San Juans is notorious for bad rock and loose scrambling. Throw in a handful of lesser traveled routes and we knew we were in for an interesting one. Read more…

A Weekend in the Cimarrons

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To cap off the month of July Steve and I motored down to the Cimarrons for a weekend of car camping and peakbagging poppycock. What can I say about the Cimarrons? While the Gores are rugged and quaint, and the Weminuche mythical and remote, there’s something that sets this area apart from the rest of the state. I’m not sure if it’s the lore present in the air, or the high rolling green tundra studded with craggy, Dr. Seussian towers, or simply the colors and unique rock common to the region. Regardless, ever since my first visit to the place, I had long awaited a return trip. Keep reading…

Garfield to “Booby Prize” Loop

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Wednesday, late-July. I wanted to take advantage of a perfect weather forecast and try for a big loop I had envisioned in the western-Sawatch. The loop, while eccentric, allowed me to nab a group of peaks that I had been eyeing for awhile but was reluctant to pull the trigger on because of access concerns. Most of the group (namely Middle Mountain, “Booby Prize”, and Prize Benchmark) are almost always accessed via McNasser Gulch, or at least I’ve never seen a report to the contrary. Keep reading…

Winter’s End – Part 2, Cirque and Gilpin

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After driving in from Denver and climbing Mt Emma the prior day, I awoke just before 4 and headed up the shelf road to Yankee Boy Basin at 4:15. Right after making the turn onto the YBB road, I passed two hikers who told me they had turned their Toyota Tundra around about a half mile beyond, at a point where running water had rutted out the road and made it more a stream than a road. Keep reading…