Trip Reports

Page:    1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8    |   View All   |   Categories:
Backpacking in the Needles District, Canyonlands NP, Utah
Backpacking in the Needles District, Canyonlands NP, Utah
March 2014

As winter drags on, there are times when no matter how good the snow is, all I can think about is getting out to the desert for some warm weather backpacking. Such was the case last week when Claudia and I drove over to Utah for four days of backpacking in the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park south of Moab...

Read more ...
Winter Camping above Ouray, Colorado
Winter Camping above Ouray, Colorado
February 2014

I headed out yesterday for a night of winter camping up on the “lower” Bridge of Heaven overlooking the town of Ouray, Colorado. I've winter camped up here once before five years previously, but this time I found a ridiculous spot to pitch my tent, right on the point of a precipitous rock outcropping! This airy perch provided a spectacular scene for tent photos, as well as an island of dry rock amongst the snow to cook and relax in ease...

Read more ...
Powderfest at the Fowler/Hilliard Hut, Colorado
Powderfest at the Fowler/Hilliard Hut, Colorado
January 2014

It had been snowing for nearly three weeks straight in the northern mountains of Colorado. With the northwest storm flow forecasted to dump a few more heavy punches before finally clearing out, last week I checked the 10th Mtn...

Read more ...
Winter Camping at Blue Lakes, Colorado
Winter Camping at Blue Lakes, Colorado
October 2013

Hungry for an adventure, on Tuesday I hiked up to Blue Lakes in the Sneffels Range to camp out in the snow. Late autumn can be a good time for winter camping – kind of like “diet” winter camping since there’s less snow to deal with and usually less avalanche danger (*depending, of course)...

Read more ...
Tough Luck in the Pyrenees
Tough Luck in the Pyrenees
September 2013

On the first day of September Claudia and I started walking into the Pyrenees, the great mountain range that forms a natural border between France and Spain. Our plan was to trek along the Pyrenean Haute Route as far eastward through the range as far as we could in the next three weeks, staying in mountain huts and occasional small towns along the way...

Read more ...
Climbing the Zugspitze, Germany
Climbing the Zugspitze, Germany
August 2013

At 2962m (9717 ft), Zugspitze is the tallest mountain in Germany. The white limestone massif of Wetterstein (of which Zugspitze is the summit) rockets out of the green hills below, towering above all surrounding peaks and dominating the landscape in this part of southern Bavaria near the towns of Garmish and Erwald...

Read more ...
Ferrata Trek through the Rosengarten - Dolomites, Italy
Ferrata Trek through the Rosengarten - Dolomites, Italy
August 2013

The Rosengarten is a group of mountains in the Dolomites with a dense cluster of exceptionally jagged peaks. 10 years ago I did two hikes through this range, and since then I’ve longed to return for some better photography and more challenging via ferrata climbing...

Read more ...
Via Ferrate in the Dolomites, Italy
Via Ferrate in the Dolomites, Italy
August 2013

Last week Claudia’s father and brother drove down from Dresden to join us in the Dolomites in northern Italy for a fun week of hiking and climbing via ferrata routes together. The via ferrate are climbing routes with fixed cables and ladders, and by using a climbing harness with two short ropes with locking carabiners, it’s possible to safely climb exposed routes without technical climbing skills...

Read more ...
Lechtal Alps, Austria
Lechtal Alps, Austria
July 2013

Our latest adventure in the Alps was an 8-day trek through the Lechtal Alps in Austria, the neighboring range just south of the Allgäuer Alps of our previous trek. In fact on many days of our trek we could look across the valley and see the peaks and ridges which we had just hiked and climbed over the previous week...

Read more ...
Allgäuer Alps, Germany
Allgäuer Alps, Germany
July 2013

We are relaxing in the lovely Bavarian town of Oberstdorf in southern Germany after having trekked for the last 7 days through the Allgäuer Alps, a fantastic mountain range which runs along the border of Germany and Austria...

Read more ...
Wetterhorn Peak, Colorado
Wetterhorn Peak, Colorado
June 2013

Unlike other mountain ranges in Colorado, the San Juan Mountains have a volcanic history. Around 35 million years ago this region was home to several dozen stratovolcanoes, similar to those in the present day Pacific Northwest...

Read more ...
Hiking Whitehouse Mountain, Colorado
Hiking Whitehouse Mountain, Colorado
June 2013

In mid-June we did a quick backpack trip and climbed up Whitehouse Mountain in the Sneffels Range of the San Juan Mountains in Colorado.

Read more ...
An Evening with Sneffels, Colorado
An Evening with Sneffels, Colorado
June 2013

On Saturday we ventured into the Sneffels Range in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado for a quick overnighter backpack trip. Taking advantage of a clear weather forecast, we camped all the way up at 12,900 feet on a high sub-peak of Sneffels...

Read more ...
8 Dayhikes in the Canyons of Utah - Escalante & Capitol Reef
8 Dayhikes in the Canyons of Utah - Escalante & Capitol Reef
April 2013

In mid-April we spent about 10 days car camping and doing some fantastic day hikes in the canyons of Utah - Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and Capitol Reef National Park in particular...

Read more ...
Trans Catalina Trail, California
Trans Catalina Trail, California
April 2013

Earlier this April, Claudia and I trekked the Trans Catalina Trail – a 45 mile hike across the entire length of Catalina Island, off the coast of southern California.

Read more ...
2012-2013 Winter in Ouray, Colorado
2012-2013 Winter in Ouray, Colorado
Winter 2012-2013

A selection of skiing, landscape, and town photos in and around Ouray in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado during the 2012-2013 winter season.

Read more ...
Ski Hut Tour in the Gore Range, Colorado
Ski Hut Tour in the Gore Range, Colorado
March 2013

Last week we spent four days and three nights on a 10th Mountain Division ski hut tour in the southern Gore Range of Colorado! The first leg of our trip took us to the Jackal Hut, which is perched on a high ridge with expansive views towards Leadville and the highest peaks of Colorado in the Sawatch Range...

Read more ...
3 Week Desert Road Trip (CA, AZ, UT, CO)
3 Week Desert Road Trip (CA, AZ, UT, CO)
October/November 2012

In late October and early November, we spent 3 weeks on a road trip through the deserts and canyons between California and Colorado. Highlights included camping in Death Valley in California, a backpack trek into the Grand Canyon, hiking through a slot canyon in Page Arizona, visiting the cliff dwelling of Mesa Verde in Colorado, and more!

Read more ...
Backpacking into the Grand Canyon, Arizona
Backpacking into the Grand Canyon, Arizona
November 2012

At the beginning of November, Claudia and I were excited to go on a backpacking trip into the Grand Canyon, which neither of us has seen before. It was a great introduction to walk down all the way down into the heart of it, and WOW, we were impressed! Our loop route took us down from Monument Point on the North Rim, down the Bill Hall Trail, over the Esplanade, across Surprise Valley, down into Tapeats Creek, along the Colorado River, up the Deer Creek Trail, then back up to the top again...

Read more ...
Colorado Fall Colors
Colorado Fall Colors
September 2012

Photos of aspens and autumn color, mostly in the San Juan Mountains.  This fall was a very colorful one, with the aspens showing off much oranger and redder colors than usual.

Read more ...
Autumn on Stony Pass, San Juans, Colorado
Autumn on Stony Pass, San Juans, Colorado
September 2012

Desiring a leisurely change of pace after our recent tiring backpacking treks, Claudia and I decided to go car camping this weekend up on Stony Pass in the San Juan Mountains east of Silverton, Colorado...

Read more ...
The Lime Loop, San Juans, Colorado
The Lime Loop, San Juans, Colorado
September 2012

Over Labor Day weekend some friends joined us for a strenuous 3-day loop trek in the Weminuche Wilderness, south of the area we hiked through last week. Our route took us over a high ridgeline with spectacular views of the Needle Mountains on the other side of the valley...

Read more ...
The Wild Heart of the San Juans, Colorado
The Wild Heart of the San Juans, Colorado
August 2012

Last week we went on another 7-day trek through the high peaks of the Weminuche Wilderness in the San Juan Mountains of southwest Colorado. During our backpacking trip we were treated not only to spectacular mountain vistas, but to some pretty cool wildlife encounters too!

Read more ...
Belly/Mokowanis Backpack, Glacier National Park, Montana
Belly/Mokowanis Backpack, Glacier National Park, Montana
July 2012

Glacier National Park had an above-average winter snowpack this year, so unfortunately most of the high treks we wanted to do were still closed in mid July – but we managed to figure out a nice 5-day backpacking route anyways...

Read more ...
« Previous   1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8   Next Page »