Category Archives: Thirteeners

Kicking Things Off in the Southern Mountains

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Brian, Rick, and I decided to load up the car with gear and drive down to the San Juans this past weekend. We were not entirely sure what we’d find in terms of snow stability and coverage, but we managed to talk ourselves into taking the plunge. Tracking the CAIC reports and weather the week prior to our departure helped somewhat, but it’s nearly impossible to drive 350 miles to go ski steep terrain in March and feel totally confident about your decision. That said, we did have some reliable local beta that seemed to be giving us a green light. Keep reading…

Grays and Torreys From Loveland Pass

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On Friday night Shulman sent me a texter that said “KC and Challenger?”, to which I responded, “Grays and Torreys, it’s closer?”. Nine hours later he was shivering on my doorstep and we were moseying on over to Loveland Pass. At about 6:30 AM we exited the warm comforts of the jeep and headed for Point 12,915. This point is about a mile and 1,000 feet vertical from the pass and the remainder of the trek is along the Continental Divide. Keep reading…

Falling For Holy Cross

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Winter is coming. As the last leaves have fallen and the days grow short, our thoughts collectively turn to colder temperatures, skiing, snowshoes, and that coveted little blue snowflake. Yes, the first traces of snow on the ground and the icy breeze signal the approach of a winter soon to follow. But not quite yet. Keep reading…

A Night Out in Deluge: Grand Traverse Peak and Neighbors

On Saturday the 22nd my Dad Tj, his friend Scott, Scott’s friend Rico, and I made our way to East Vail and started up the Gore Creek Trail carrying overnight packs. Our plan was to pack in, camp in the open meadows just below treeline, and climb Grand Traverse the next day. Though Grand Traverse is typically hiked in a day from the bottom, there were certainly advantages to a pack in for our group in particular. Read more…