Trip Reports (Backpacking & Trekking)

Photo journals from some of my outdoor photography adventures, starting with the most recent.

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Grenadier Range, San Juans, Colorado — Grenadier Range, San Juans, Colorado

July 2018

In late July we went on a 6-day backpack trek in and around the rugged Grenadier Range in the Weminuche Wilderness of the central San Juan Mountains of Colorado. Along the way we scrambled up several 13ers, hiked over numerous high passes, and visited some gorgeous remote alpine lakes...

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Trek Around Ausangate, Peru — Trek Around Ausangate, Peru

June 2018

In June after our Salkantay trek to Macchu Picchu, our next big Peruvian adventure was a 7-day trek around Nevado Ausangate, a giant 20945 ft (6384m) peak in the Cordillera Vilcanota south of Cusco...

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Salkantay Trek to Macchu Picchu, Peru — Salkantay Trek to Macchu Picchu, Peru

June 2018

In early June we flew to Cusco, Peru for some mountain adventures south of the equator. Our first hike was the famous Salkantay to Macchu Picchu trek. Of course Macchu Picchu is the #1 tourist destination in all of Peru and perhaps all of South America for that matter...

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Hiking from Ouray to Telluride Around the Sneffels Range, Colorado — Hiking from Ouray to Telluride Around the Sneffels Range, Colorado

May 2018

The towns of Ouray and Telluride in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado are only 10 miles apart as the crow flies, but are separated by the rugged Sneffels Range. In the summertime it's possible to hike, run, bike, or even drive 17 miles over 13,114 ft...

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Buckskin Gulch/Paria River Backpack, Utah/Arizona — Buckskin Gulch/Paria River Backpack, Utah/Arizona

April 2018

With 15 miles of continuous narrows, Buckskin Gulch in southern Utah is renowned as the longest slot canyon in the world. Buckskin flows into the even longer Paria Canyon and hiking through both these canyons forms a famous backpacking trip requiring permits reserved months in advance...

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Narrowing Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah — Narrowing Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah

April 2018

In mid April we hit the road again for more desert time, and spent a week camping and hiking through various narrows and slot canyons in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in central southern Utah...

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Backpacking in the Superstition Mountains, Arizona — Backpacking in the Superstition Mountains, Arizona

March 2018

After our time in the Kofa Mountains in March, we drove east through Phoenix and immediately embarked on a two-night backpack trip through part of the Superstition Mountains. We hiked a clockwise loop from the Peralta Trailhead around the prominent Weavers Needle spire via the Peralta and Dutchman's Trails...

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Kofa Mountains, Arizona — Kofa Mountains, Arizona

March 2018

In the remote Sonoran desert of southwest Arizona rises a rugged volcanic mountain range called the Kofa Mountains. The mountains are named after the King of Arizona mine located in the center of range, from which millions of dollars worth of gold and silver were extracted in the early 1900s...

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Salt Creek, Canyonlands NP, Utah — Salt Creek, Canyonlands NP, Utah

November 2017

In early November a friend and I backpacked about 30 miles through Salt Creek and the Peakaboo Trail in the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park, Utah. This canyon is renowned for its numerous Ancient Puebloan ruins and pictographs; in fact I've never seen so many ruins outside of the Cedar Mesa area!

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Highlights from 2 Months of Backpacking in Colorado — Highlights from 2 Months of Backpacking in Colorado

August/September 2017

For all of August and September 2017, my wife and I lived out of our truck and tent while traveling around and backpacking in our great state of Colorado. We did over a dozen backpacking trips in various mountain ranges throughout the state, including the Flat Tops, Gore Range, Sawatch Range, San Juans, Sangre de Cristos, and Indian Peaks...

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Autumn Backpacking in Northern Colorado — Autumn Backpacking in Northern Colorado

September 2017

In mid-to-late September we went on a bunch of short backpacking and camping trips in various central/north mountain ranges of Colorado, including the Sawatch Range, Gore Range, Indian Peaks, and Rocky Mountain National Park...

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Crestone Needle & Humboldt, Sangre de Cristos, Colorado — Crestone Needle & Humboldt, Sangre de Cristos, Colorado

September 2017

In late August/early September, we spent five days camped at South Colony Lakes in the Sangre de Cristo range in Colorado. Surrounded by three 14ers, including the rugged Crestone Needle towering directly overhead, this basin is supremely awesome -- one of the classic gems of Colorado...

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Hanging Around Huron Peak, Colorado — Hanging Around Huron Peak, Colorado

August 2017

In mid-August we backpacked around the headwaters of the South Fork Clear Creek near Huron Peak in the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness and Sawatch Range of Colorado. The last time I hiked in this area was back in 2008, but this time we hiked the long way in here from the south from Taylor Park and Texas Creek, via the Continental Divide Trail and a high pass above Lake Ann...

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Exploring the Holy Cross Wilderness, Colorado — Exploring the Holy Cross Wilderness, Colorado

August 2017

In early August we set out into the Holy Cross Wilderness (in the Sawatch Range of Colorado generally between Vail and Leadville) for a 3-night backpack trek. We spent our first night at the super popular Missouri Lakes then explored an off trail route over a high ridgeline to a remote and pristine lake where we spent the second day and night...

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Mount Powell, Gore Range, Colorado — Mount Powell, Gore Range, Colorado

August 2017

In early August we backpacked into the rugged north end of the Gore Range and Eagles Nest Wilderness for three nights. We hiked the Upper Piney River Trail for while, branched off on a faint boot trail then camped the first night in the high basin below Mount Powell and Kneeknocker Pass...

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Over the Dachstein, Austria — Over the Dachstein, Austria

July 2017

The final destination of our three-week northern limestone Alps tour was the Dachstein mountain range of Austria. Starting from near the Südwandhütte, above the lovely village of Ramsau on the south side of the range, we hiked for three days around and over the Dachstein to the famous village of Hallstatt on the north side, via the Hofpürglhütte, Adamek-Hütte, and Simony Hütte...

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Trek Around Watzmann - Berchtesgaden, Germany — Trek Around Watzmann - Berchtesgaden, Germany

July 2017

Berchtesgaden is a famous Bavarian mountain resort town in southeast Germany. If you look at a map of Germany, the Berchtesgaden area is the little protrusion at the bottom that’s almost totally surrounded by Austria...

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Wilder Kaiser, Austria — Wilder Kaiser, Austria

July 2017

After our trek in the Karwendel we took a bus and train to the town of Kufstein, stocked up on some snacks, and started hiking into the Kaisergebirge, a small but incredibly rugged mountain range that rivals just about anything in the Dolomites as far as sheer jaggedness goes...

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Hut Trekking through the Karwendel, Austria — Hut Trekking through the Karwendel, Austria

July 2017

Over the course of 5 days in early July, we hiked from west to east below the jagged spine of the Karwendel range just north of Innsbruck, Austria - from the villages of Scharnitz to Pertisau, via the Karwendelhaus, Falkenhütte, Eng Alm, and Lamsenjochhaus...

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An Evening at Lake Blanche, Wasatch Range, Utah — An Evening at Lake Blanche, Wasatch Range, Utah

July 2017

In early June we did a quick overnight backpack hike from Big Cottonwood Canyon to Lake Blanche and Sundial Peak, in the Twin Peaks Wilderness of the Wasatch Range in Utah. Though the wind was relentless during our stay, we had fun exploring this lovely basin and enjoyed a gorgeous sunset and moonrise above the lake...

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Backpacking in Grand Gulch, Bears Ears National Monument, Utah — Backpacking in Grand Gulch, Bears Ears National Monument, Utah

May 2017

At the end of May we spent three days hiking through the upper portion of Grand Gulch, in Cedar Mesa, Utah. This was the third time I’ve backpacked in Grand Gulch, but the first since the area was designated as part of Bears Ears National Monument by President Obama in 2016...

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Mount Robson & Berg Lake, BC, Canada — Mount Robson & Berg Lake, BC, Canada

September 2016

The trek to Berg Lake and Mount Robson is one of the most famous backpacking treks in the Canadian Rockies, and one that was high on our backpacking wish list. But when we drove through Jasper on our way north in July, we were disappointed to discover that the backcountry permits there were 100% reserved...

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Backpacking in the Tombstones, Yukon — Backpacking in the Tombstones, Yukon

September 2016

The Tombstone Range is a small but spiky mountain range located in the northern Yukon in Canada, almost up by the Arctic Circle. I have been dreaming of visiting and photographing these remote mountains since I first saw some photos of them almost 20 years ago...

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A View of Denali from Kesugi Ridge, Alaska — A View of Denali from Kesugi Ridge, Alaska

August 2016

In mid-August after looking at rainy forecasts in Alaska for weeks, there was finally a one-day window of sun in the weather forecast. We high-tailed it towards Denali and went on a quick one-night backpack trip up Kesugi Ridge, in Denali State Park just across the valley from Denali National Park...

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