Gems of the Ruby Range
A little over a year ago I attended a fall wedding in Crested Butte and snuck away for an early-AM jaunt into the hills. Crested Butte is home to a plethora of hiking and skiing options in and around the valley, including numerous low 13ers and high 12ers. One duo caught my eye in particular for their obvious aesthetics and accessibility – Mt. Owen B and Ruby Peak just north of Kebler Pass. What they lack in height compared to other peaks in the area they make up for in stature, looming large above Lake Irwin and the surrounding valley. With a fresh dusting of snow falling the night before, I wasn’t exactly sure how the ridge run would turn out. Read more…
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. 
On Friday morning I woke up late, rolled into the “office”, moved the mouse, and with a little help from a picture on my desk, made a game day decision to go outside. For those of you that don’t know me, my profession is accounting (taxes to cut to the chase) and October 15th while it’s no April 15th, can still be a huge pain in the @ss! A much needed break from the monotony was in order and Indian Summer was knocking on the door.