If you’re continuing the read from yesterday’s trip report, “Red Sky at Night, Sailors’ Delight” is supposed to mean there will be good weather the next day, right? WRONG! This was the weather as we left Nevada heading east on Hwy 6/50 over Connors Pass. Fortunately the weather didn’t follow us into Utah so…
Author: Backcountry Fever
Wicked Wind of the West on Wheeler
This was our second peak of choice after doing Boundary the day before. The original plan was to do a Whitney-Boundary combo but the wildfire situation in California forced them to close all their trails. That’s when our goal changed to 3 peaks in 3 days with Boundary and Wheeler in Nevada, followed by a…
A Boundary Peak Private Rental
This time last year, we summited Mt. Whitney. The plan was to do that again this year but the wildfires in California still have all their recreational areas closed under Forest Order 05-04-50-20-21. As a result, we decided to do 3 other peaks in 3 days starting with Nevada’s Boundary Peak. This would be my…
10 Minutes on Jerimoth Hill
After successful summits of Vermont and New Hampshire state highpoints, and bidding farewell to our family, my wife and I headed straight for Portland, Maine to drive down along the coast to Boston. We had a fantastic time stopping off at places like Fort Williams Park to get a Lobster Roll from the Bite into Maine…
An Unexpected Trifecta in New Hampshire
The second in my COVID Fall Series of State Highpoints took place in New Hampshire on the glorious Presidential Range. This prominent peak was my primary reason for coming to the East Coast from the very beginning. Vermont’s highpoint was only added at the last minute when I saw how close it was to where…
Fall Series starts in the East on Mansfield
Since September was a bust with Colorado, my focus turned to the plans I had in the East for October. This idea began taking shape back in May after COVID shut down the world and killed my EBC trip. At that time, I thought we would surely be through all this Coronavirus stuff by Fall…
Colorado just wasn’t in the cards for me this summer
When I set the goal to do a state highpoint every month this summer, Colorado was included on this list for September. I figured Mt. Elbert would still qualify for my COVID Summer Series of State Highpoints if I got it in before the first day of Fall. I’ve also been doing a Colorado 14er…
Got Granite from the Southwest Ramp
Coming in at #4 of my COVID Summer Series of State Highpoints is Montana’s tallest, Granite Peak at 12,799′. Granite is one of the tougher high points of the West but we made it up and back in less than 48 hours! I went with Oliver Hansen, a hiking friend from Grantsville, who did Dessert…
Kings Peak and a Utah Trifecta
#3 in my COVID Summer Series of State Highpoints is Utah’s own, Kings Peak. The goal was for my neighbor Chad and I to do the Utah Triple Crown; which is all three of our tallest peaks, in order, in one day. Those peaks are Kings (13,528′) , South Kings (13,518′) and Gilbert (13,499′). However,…
Third Reunion with Borah Peak
An annual family reunion on my wife’s side leads me to the second in my COVID Summer Series of State Highpoints. On the 3rd weekend in July, for as long as she can remember, families from her mother’s lineage gather together for the Armstrong Reunion in the remote community of Mackay, Idaho (pronounced Mackie; pop….