Category Archives: Thirteeners

Purgatory to Ruby: Pigeon, Turret and the Animas Group

Nate, Ray, Migz and Dana (who couldn’t make it due to “work”) currently call the east coast their homes. These boys get out quite frequently into the mountains in New England, but the east coast only affords them so much. Once a year they are usually looking to get a little wild and that’s when I’ll get the call. On their inaugural trip to Colorado 2 years ago we trekked through Wild Basin in RMNP en route to Alice and Chiefs Head via Lion Lakes and then followed it up the next day with a sunrise climb of Longs Peak. Each has his own temperaments and talents, but in the end it always seems to work out, even with Ray who has no qualms calling the Pigeon/Turret saddle a success and may still be referred to as “the Gatekeeper” of the Keyhole. Keep reading…

San Juan Summertime and the Livin’s Easy

Ben and I have been on a bit of a tear this summer. Blitzkrieg is a word often used to describe a few of our trips and while they have been nothing but excellent, it makes you appreciate a trip in which you are afforded the ability to get to your destination early, snag 1st dibs on a campsite, and enjoy perfect weather all weekend. “Stress-free” was thrown around a lot this past weekend and we savored every minute of it. Keep reading…

Goodbye Mountain Snobbery, Hello Wonders of Quandary

There’s a little gaper in almost all of us. Not many can pop out of the womb as a prefab Blaurock. I grew up in Colorado and “learned” to ski in Levi 501s. Now I hang out with people who ski routes worthy of films, scramble ridges with some legit badass mountain athletes, and laugh at my former self (I still ski horribly, but I at least ditched the Levis). So in the spirit of goodwill with gapers state-wide in hopes that they can similarly evolve, I offer this report. Keep reading…

Bull Hill

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A few weekends ago Anna-Lisa and I decided to head down to the Sawatch for a quick bag of Bicentennial peak “Bull Hill A”. This “hill” measures in at 13,761 feet tall, which makes it the 123rd highest ranked peak in Colorado. Because its direct neighbor to the north happens to be the tallest peak in the state (Mt. Elbert), it is easily overshadowed (and often overlooked). The flip side of that coin is that if even if you go for Bull Hill on a summer weekend, you’ll likely have it all to yourself. Read more…