DAY 3 – Flight In, Basecamp Setup, Anchors 101 The weather finally broke on the third day, allowing us to fly into the Range. We loaded an Otter aircraft, considered by many to be the quintessential “bush plane” due of its short take-off and landing (STOL) capabilities. Within an hour, our Talkeetna Air Taxi had us…
Category: Epic Hikes
Traversing Mexico’s Sleeping Beauty
DAY 8 – Izta Summit Day Midnight came quickly as it always does. Not sure why we had to start that early again and our guides really didn’t have a good answer. We only had 4,000′ of elevation in 4 miles, very much like a typical day in Utah. Granted, we were starting from 13,000′…
2023 Year In Review
My focus for 2023 was clear! I just declined an invite for Denali at the beginning of the year and knew I had to fill a large gap between where I was (beginner level) and where I want to be (advanced level). That meant a lot more intermediate level experience was needed. So I immediately…
Everest Ridge Repeat
What an unbelievable winter we’ve had along the Wasatch Front this year. It’s been record-breaking with totals reaching 900″! For many of us, that excitement has transitioned from powder skiing to mountaineering as warmer weather consolidates this incredible snowpack. Conditions couldn’t better right now for local objectives that involve an ice axe and crampons. A…
2022 Year In Review
I’m pretty satisfied with what was accomplished in 2022. I wanted to do a lot, but only did a little. Yet the little that I did, was significant from the list of things I want to do. Here’s a summary of what I was able to get done. STATE HIGHPOINTS As the year started out,…
Getting to Gannett
Getting to Gannett is legit! We chose the standard route up from the southwest through Titcomb Basin. This is the “easiest” way to Wyoming’s tallest peak, which is still pretty tough considering how far in you have to go and how much gear you need to bring. Here are the overview stats from our trip…
Planning for Gannett
This was the year I wanted to get three highpoints that involve glacier travel: Hood, Rainier and Gannett. I shoulda just picked a week in May and drove out to climb Mt. Hood by myself. I coulda done Mt. Rainier too if other plans had solidified. And Gannett… Gannett woulda fallen through had I not…
Grand Canyon Double R2R: Second Leg, BA to NK
Everything was going according to plan as the group enjoyed an evening together on the South rim. While the majority felt excitement about tomorrow, a few were contemplating their readiness for this Grand Challenge. This is the opposite kind of hike in every way you can think of. It reminds me of what the Park…
Grand Canyon Double R2R: First Leg, NK to BA
Hiking the Grand Canyon is one of those experiences where once just isn’t enough. I’m not sure you can take it all in even after doing it twice. How many times does it take? Not sure yet. This past weekend, I hiked across for the 4th and 5th time and still loved every minute of…
Timp from Everest Ridge
This year’s Six Pack of Peaks Challenge for Utah wasn’t announced until late March. Before then, I honestly didn’t think this would continue for Utah again in 2022. I was sure it died a quick death after its inaugural year. From what I can tell, this challenge didn’t get much participation despite how many people…