DAY 4: From Standstill to Summit Push When we got up the next morning, the rain had stopped but the sky had turned gray and moody again. The real concern came from the only other group up there that day — three rock climbers planning to do the East Buttress. Somehow, they’d gotten word from…
Mount Whitney: The Approach to Iceberg Lake
DAY 3: Backpack to Iceberg Lake, Set up camp After breakfast, we packed up, checked out, and headed for the Whitney Portal Trailhead, knowing we had roughly 4 miles and 4,000 feet of climbing to reach Iceberg Lake and get camp set up before dark. The first mile follows the main Whitney Trail before splitting…
From One Extreme to the Other in the Lower 48
From the lowest, hottest place in North America… …to the highest point in the lower 48, for my second time, this time up the Mountaineer’s Route. DAY 1: Get myself to Las Vegas Next up in this Summer Series of State Highpoints started for me last Tuesday after lunch, as I jumped in my car and…
Woo hoo, got Elbert too!!
Woo hoo, got Elbert too!! Gorgeous day here in Leadville to touch the top of Colorado (also the 2nd tallest peak in the lower 48). Went up one way, came down another to make it a loop back to the car. Blue skies, not much wind, no issues with snow. Turned out to be a…
I tagged Wheeeeeeeler, New Mexico’s tallest peak!
I tagged Wheeeeeeeler, New Mexico’s tallest peak! …and the second of my Summer Series of State Highpoints for 2021 Did a big loop for a total of 13 miles and 4,034′ of elevation. So stoked!! Bull of the Woods Trail Up I wanted to see as much of this mountain as possible. So instead of…
Success on Oklahoma’s Black Mesa
After getting denied in Kansas, I found success on Oklahoma’s Black Mesa, which became the official first summit of my 2021 Summer Series of State Highpoints. This hike is not hard, but getting to it could be. More on that later. The weather had finally cleared up after a several days of record rain. In…
Denied Mt. Sunflower
The first of my Summer Series of State Highpoints for 2021 turned out to be unsuccessful attempt of Mt. Sunflower. After having done much harder highpoints with relative ease (CA, MT, UT, ID, NH), I never thought I’d be denied this one! Our 4-state Highpoints loop started in Denver on Memorial Day with Kansas to…
White Baldy from the Kirkham Route
Still pretty new to mountaineering, I jumped all over an opportunity to get more crampon experience from a Spring ascent of White Baldy. This invite also allowed me to knock off another Wasatch 11er, so I was super stoked to do this! Our adventure started from the Silver Lake Trailhead above Tibble Fork. The first…
Cold Fusion Couloir to North Timpanogos
I look forward to the season between winter snowshoeing and summer hiking…when avalanche risk is minimal, skies are blue, temps are mild and adventure is high! This spring brought some adventurous fun up Mt. Olympus from Neff’s Canyon and now Cold Fusion to North Timpanogos. Seeing Timp from my house every day, I’ve wanted to…
Mt. Olympus from Neff’s Canyon
Mt. Olympus is a Wasatch Front favorite, on par with Granduer Peak or Squaw Peak in this collection of challenges selected for Utah’s inaugural Six-Pack. As for me with all three of these peaks, I’ve already done each several times by now and wasn’t too interested in doing any of them again the “standard” way……