Photo Journal & Trip Reports (Backpacking & trekking)

Please enjoy these photo journals and trip reports from some of my outdoor photography adventures, starting with the most recent. You can subscribe to follow my latest blog posts (and any other blogs as well) by using a feed reader such as Inoreader or Feedly.

Categories:
Eastern Sierra Reflections
Eastern Sierra Reflections
September 2026  |  Sierra Nevada, California

In September I went on a fantastic 7-day, ~60 mile solo one-way backpack trek through the Eastern Sierra, from Cottonwood Lakes to Onion Valley, passing through parts of the John Muir Wilderness, Sequoia National Park, and Kings Canyon National Park. I didn't just stick to the popular John Muir Trail, though – my often off-trail route included three detours into some spectacular secluded basins.

Read more ...
2 Months in the Pacific Northwest
2 Months in the Pacific Northwest
June - July 2026  |  California, Oregon, and Washington

The Pacific Northwest is a majestic part of the world, with its giant dark forests, towering glacier-clad volcanoes, emerald rivers, and craggy peaks often shrouded in misty clouds. In early June, my wife Claudia and I hit the road for 2 months of camping, hiking, and backpacking in the Pacific Northwest, from the redwoods of California, through the coast and volcanoes of Oregon, to the rugged Cascades of Washington!

Read more ...
Smoked out of the Winds
Smoked out of the Winds
September 2025  |  Wind River Range, Wyoming

In early September we set out on a planned 6-day backpack trek in the Wind River Range of Wyoming. After three days of camping amongst rugged granite peaks and lovely alpine lakes, we had to retreat unexpectedly when the mountains became inundated with wildfire smoke from the Dollar Lake Fire on the northwest end of the range. Here are some photos and stories from this unique and surreal trek!

Read more ...
Trekkin the Écrins
Trekkin the Écrins
July 2025  |  Écrins National Park, France

In early July we embarked on a two-week trek around the Parc National des Écrins (Écrins National Park) in the French Alps. Our route roughly followed the GR54 trek, but we did a lot of extra sidetrips and detours. Along the way we stayed in alpine huts as well as some quaint villages.

This was the longest and most ambitious hut-trekking route that we've yet done in the Alps, and I have a lot of photos to share from our travels in these magnificent mountains!

Read more ...
Summer Above Moab
Summer Above Moab
June 2025  |  La Sal Mountains, Utah

Last weekend I drove out towards Moab, Utah again for the fourth time this year. This time, though, instead of a canyon trip, I ventured up into La Sal Mountains which rise over 8,000 vertical feet above Moab like an alpine island towering over the surrounding desert and canyons...

Read more ...
Trans Catalina Trail Again
Trans Catalina Trail Again
April 2025  |  Catalina Island, California

12 years ago, Claudia and I hiked the Trans Catalina Trail across Catalina Island, off the coast of southern California. With fond memories of that trip, we returned to do it again this spring! This time we were joined by my cousin Kelly and her friends Ginny and Larry, so we had a fun little "tramily" to keep us company during the 38-mile, 5-day backpack trip...

Read more ...
Back to the Canyonlands!
Back to the Canyonlands!
February 2025  |  Canyonlands National Park, Utah

Last week's backpacking trip near Moab whetted my appetite for more of this kind of stuff, so on Monday I drove out to Utah again for another quick trip - this time a solo one-nighter to a seldom-visited corner of Island in the Sky in Canyonlands National Park...

Read more ...
Colorful Moab
Colorful Moab
February 2025  |  Moab, Utah

With an unseasonably warm weather forecast at the beginning of February, we headed out to the Utah desert for three days of backpacking and camping on slickrock in a wonderful canyon and sandstone landscape near Moab. We were treated to some wonderful sunsets and sunrises, making for a collection of very colorful photos!

Read more ...
Aurora over the Sneffels Range
Aurora over the Sneffels Range
October 2024  |  San Juan Mountains, Colorado

Leading up to October 10, 2024 a severe geomagnetic storm was forecasted after a strong solar flare erupted from the sun the previous day. The news was full of reports forecasting a KP8-level aurora that should be visible even as far south as the southern United States! With such an optimistic aurora forecast and good weather I decided spontaneously to hike and camp up high in the San Juan Mountains for a chance to view this incredibly rare event.

Read more ...
Sleepless with Longs Peak
Sleepless with Longs Peak
September 2024  |  Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

In mid-September after visiting friends and running errands in Denver and Fort Collins, Claudia and I headed to Rocky Mountain National Park, where I had reserved some last minute wilderness camping permits for three nights...

Read more ...
Sangres Seven Pass Loop
Sangres Seven Pass Loop
September 2024  |  Sangre de Cristos, Colorado

Looking at a topographic map of Colorado, the Sangre de Cristo Range in southern Colorado is the easiest mountain range to recognize - a straight and solitary line of mountains stretching down the center of the southern portion of the state...

Read more ...
Ragged Elks Trek
Ragged Elks Trek
September 2024  |  Elk Mountains, Colorado

At the end of August and beginning of September, Claudia and I joined our friends Ann and Holly for an ambitious 5-day trek through the Elk Mountains, Ruby Range, and Ragged Mountains - a 50 mile traverse through some of the most beautiful mountain landscapes in Colorado, between the towns of Aspen, Crested Butte, Marble, and Paonia...

Read more ...
3 Days In the Grenadiers
3 Days In the Grenadiers
August 2024  |  San Juan Mountains, Colorado

With a brief window of decent weather between monsoon storms, last week I ventured back into the Weminuche Wilderness for a quick but strenuous solo 3-day backpack trip through the rugged Grenadier Range via a series of high passes and lots of off-trail rock hopping...

Read more ...
Threading the Needles
Threading the Needles
July 2024  |  San Juan Mountains, Colorado

At the end of July I ventured out for a 6-day solo backpack trek through the Needle Mountains, a remote and rugged sub-range of the greater San Juan Mountains in southwest Colorado. This was the seventh trek I've done in this specific range (not counting other nearby trips within the Weminuche Wilderness), though it has actually been six years since my last visit...

Read more ...
Wandering in Wildflowers
Wandering in Wildflowers
July 2024  |  San Juan Mountains, Colorado

This week my wife and I ventured into the mountains near Silverton, Colorado for a wonderful 3-day trek through the wildflowers! We shuttled cars and did a one-way trailhead to trailhead walk - another variation of a trek that we've done two previous variations of, and we also included two exploratory side hikes each evening...

Read more ...
Down in the Narrows
Down in the Narrows
May 16, 2024  |  Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Colorado

The Black Canyon of the Gunnison is easily one of the most awe inspiring sights in Colorado. Carrying snowmelt down from a broad watershed of the West Elk, Elk, Sawatch, and San Juan Mountains, the Gunnison River roars through 2,000 sheer vertical feet of 1...

Read more ...
Knowles/Mee Canyons Loop
Knowles/Mee Canyons Loop
April 23, 2024  |  Black Ridge Canyons Wilderness, Colorado

Hungry for a desert adventure, in mid-April I headed to the canyons west of Grand Junction in the Black Ridge Canyons Wilderness, an area I'd never visited before, for a 36-mile loop trek going down Knowles Canyon, along the Colorado River, then up Mee Canyon. This was a fantastic but strenuous trek through seriously awesome canyon country.

Read more ...
Roaming the Ritter Range
Roaming the Ritter Range
September 2023  |  Ansel Adams Wilderness, California

In mid-September after our 7-day trek near Bishop, Claudia and I drove up to Mammoth for a few days of rest and restaurants, then headed out on another backpack trip in the eastern Sierra - this time a 4-day jaunt along the base of the Ritter Range in the Ansel Adams Wilderness...

Read more ...
Evolution Loop
Evolution Loop
September 2023  |  John Muir Wilderness, California

In early September Claudia and I continued our Sierra highlights tour, driving down from Tahoe to Bishop along the foot of the rugged and impressive peaks of the Eastern Sierra. We loaded up our backpacks for the longest trek of our summer road trip: a 7-day, 54-mile route through the John Muir Wilderness in the Eastern Sierra from North Lake to South Lake - a near-loop that would take us through Evolution Basin, an area which we've heard numerous people describe as the heart of the Sierra and one of the favorite highlights of the John Muir Trial and Pacific Crest Trail...

Read more ...
Granite Islands in the Sky
Granite Islands in the Sky
August 2023  |  Desolation Wilderness, California

As fun as our time in Idaho was in August, it was actually the opening act for the main event of our big summer road trip - a month in the Sierra Nevada in California! So in late August, Claudia and I hit the road again and continued on from Idaho to California for the first of our Sierra adventures: a backpack trip up to Lake Aloha in the Desolation Wilderness, just southwest of Lake Tahoe...

Read more ...
Above the Uncompahgre Gorge
Above the Uncompahgre Gorge
July 2023  |  San Juan Mountains, Colorado

Last week in mid-July I did a pleasant 3-day solo backpack loop through the Uncompahgre Wilderness above and east of the town of Ouray, Colorado. This is a favorite trek I've done numerous times before but this time I varied my camping destinations and did a bit of exploring along the way, and I also had a notable encounter with the local wildlife!

Read more ...
Sneffels Summertime
Sneffels Summertime
July 2023  |  San Juan Mountains, Colorado

At the beginning of July I spent a pleasant evening and morning on a high ridge in the Sneffels Range with a wonderful view facing my favorite mountain: Mount Sneffels.

Read more ...
Some Early Season Backpacking in Colorado
Some Early Season Backpacking in Colorado
May 2023  |  Colorado

The weather this spring has been quite wet in the mountains of southwest Colorado with frequent rain and thunderstorms, almost like an early monsoon pattern. The unsettled weather has dissuaded me from attempting any high camps in the snow so far, but with a hankering for some backpacking I have been seeking out some lower elevation destinations this May for some quick backpack outings...

Read more ...
Exploring in the Needles District
Exploring in the Needles District
April 2023  |  Canyonlands National Park, Utah

With its fantastic red and pink spires, the Needles District is a spectacular and popular part of the Canyonlands National Park in Utah. In the busy spring and fall seasons, most backcountry campsites are completely reserved months in advance...

Read more ...
Remote Wanderings in the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts
Remote Wanderings in the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts
February 2023  |  California & Arizona

Although the weather was still a bit on the chilly side, in February we headed southwest for two weeks of camping, backpacking, and exploring craggy desert mountain ranges. Our road trip took us through the deserts along the lower Colorado River, first through the Mojave Desert in California, then down into the western Sonoran Desert in far southeast California and west Arizona.

Read more ...
Desert Freeze Fest
Desert Freeze Fest
November 2022  |  Southeast Utah

Despite a 20º weather forecast I drove out towards Moab to do an exploratory backpack trip up an obscure canyon all the way to a high rim overlooking the Fisher Towers, camping two nights along the way. Between the frigid temperature, fresh snow, rugged terrain, and torturous bushwhacking, the trek ended up being one of the more physically and mentally challenging backpack trips I've done.

Read more ...
Aspen Immersion
Aspen Immersion
October 2022  |  Colorado

Autumn really put on a show this year in Colorado, with snowy peaks and brilliant aspen colors. Most notably, the golden aspen colors were nearly two weeks late and lasted for longer into October than I ever remember happening before...

Read more ...
Hut to Hut in the Hohe Tauern
Hut to Hut in the Hohe Tauern
September 2022  |  Austria

In early September we headed south to Alps for an 8-day hut-to-hut trek through the Hohe Tauern National Park in Austria. A north to south crossing of the Hohe Tauern range, our route started from near the town of Kaprun, took us right past Grossglockner (the tallest mountain in Austria), and ended in the town of Mörtschach – while staying at alpine huts for seven nights along the way.

Read more ...
High Hanging Fruit
High Hanging Fruit
August 2022  |  Sneffels Range, Colorado

When I first moved to southwest Colorado in 2006 I had a good 5-10 year stretch when the San Juan Mountains were pretty much a blank canvas for me for planning grand backpack treks and discovering loads of unique scenes to photograph...

Read more ...
Wild in the Gore Range
Wild in the Gore Range
August 2022  |  Gore Range, Colorado

High above the bustling ski town of Vail and the drone of cars and trucks zooming along Interstate 70 rise the rugged mountains of the Gore Range, surrounded by civilization yet harboring some of the burliest peaks and wildest valleys in Colorado...

Read more ...
Light in La Platas
Light in La Platas
July 2022  |  La Plata Mountains, Colorado

La Plata Mountains are located just northwest of the town of Durango, Colorado, in the southwest corner of the greater San Juan Mountains. I guess it shows how vast the San Juans are that it's taken me 16 years to finally go visit La Platas! I've spied their rugged ridges off in the distance many times from the Weminuche Wilderness or the western San Juans, but for some reason I just never got around to driving down there...

Read more ...
Chasing Sunsets in the Weminuche
Chasing Sunsets in the Weminuche
June/July 2022  |  Weminuche Wilderness, Colorado

After a dry and extremely windy spring, this summer so far a strong monsoon weather pattern has settled in over the San Juan Mountains of southwest Colorado, bringing much needed rain along with plenty of lightning and thunder...

Read more ...
A Semi-Traverse of La Sals
A Semi-Traverse of La Sals
June 2022  |  La Sal Mountains, Utah

At the end of May/beginning of June, we headed over to La Sal Mountains above Moab, Utah, for our first mountain backpack adventure of this summer. The route I had in mind more or less traced the same route I did as a ski traverse of the northern La Sals back in 2008 with my friends Ann and Seth - except this time we were walking instead of skiing, we did a loop trek instead of a one-way shuttle, we stuck to the ridges instead of dropping into various basins, and we camped two nights along the way instead of powering through in one day...

Read more ...
Sandstone & Ponderosas
Sandstone & Ponderosas
May 2022  |  Bears Ears National Monument, Utah

In mid-May we drove west to Bears Ears National Monument in southern Utah for a quick 3-day backpack trip into a unique canyon full of giant ponderosa pines amongst giant sandstone spires. A spring-fed creek provided a pleasant base camp location to relax and spend a day exploring some fascinating and seldom-visited ancient cliff dwellings...

Read more ...
Summer Stories from the San Juans
Summer Stories from the San Juans
July/August/September 2021  |  San Juan Mountains, Colorado

As summer fades to autumn, I thought I'd share some new photos and stories from the last three months of backpacking in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado. Including and continuing from my last blog post ("Monsoon Explorations in the Weminuche"), my backpacking adventures this summer have been mainly focused on exploring hidden nooks and crannies of these mountains and finding unique perspectives to photograph...

Read more ...
Monsoon Explorations in the Weminuche
Monsoon Explorations in the Weminuche
June/July 2021  |  San Juan Mountains, Colorado

In late June a record-breaking heat wave settled in over the southwestern United States. With a week of 95º heat in Ridgway and smoky skies from a huge wildfire in the nearby La Sal Mountains in southeast Utah, it was shaping up to be another dry and smoky summer here in the San Juan Mountains...

Read more ...
Journey Around the San Miguel Range
Journey Around the San Miguel Range
June 2021  |  San Juan Mountains, Colorado

Recently I've had an itch to do an adventurous high-mileage trek - something with long hiking days to whip my winter beer belly into shape. With snow still clinging to the alpine basins in early June here in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado, I knew the best place to trek would be something in the lower-elevation subalpine zone where the aspens are green as can be and the meadows are filled with flowers...

Read more ...
Southern Utah Getaway
Southern Utah Getaway
April 2021  |  Southern Utah

Usually in the wintertime my driving force is to ride my snowboard/splitboard as much as possible whenever I'm not riding my office chair. But every year by about March or April cabin fever sets in and my powder lust wanes as I start to dream about warm weather and dry ground backpacking...

Read more ...
Into the Black Canyon
Into the Black Canyon
September-October 2020  |  Colorado

With sheer walls towering over 2,000 vertical feet above the Gunnison River, there's no easy way to visit the bottom of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison; every possible hiking route is a steep, rugged scramble...

Read more ...
At Home in the San Juans
At Home in the San Juans
September 2020  |  San Juan Mountains, Colorado

In mid-September just a few days after getting back home to Ridgway, Colorado after my big trek around Glacier Peak in the Washington Cascades, I packed my backpack once more and headed up into the Sneffels Range for a quick overnight backpack trip...

Read more ...
Hanging Around Glacier Peak
Hanging Around Glacier Peak
August/September 2020  |  Washington Cascades

In late August/early September I spent 9 days backpacking a 95-mile loop route around Glacier Peak, a volcano in the central Cascades of Washington. One of the more remote and wild volcanos of the Northwest, Glacier Peak is also unique in that it rises not solitarily but amongst a plethora of other surrounding rugged peaks and ranges in its namesake wilderness area...

Read more ...
Around Capitol and Snowmass
Around Capitol and Snowmass
August 2020  |  Elk Mountains, Colorado

At the beginning of August we ventured into the beautiful Elk Mountains near Aspen, Colorado, for a 5-day backpack trek in the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness circumnavigating Capitol Peak and Snowmass Mountain...

Read more ...
Columbines and Comets
Columbines and Comets
July 2020  |  San Juan Mountains, Colorado

In mid July I ventured up to a 13,000-foot ridge to photograph Comet NEOWISE above the Sneffels Range, in the San Juan Mountains above Ouray, Colorado. Here are some photos from that evening, along with some additional photos from later in July...

Read more ...
Through the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness
Through the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness
July 2020  |  Sawatch Range, Colorado

This last week, in mid-July, we ventured out into the Sawatch Range for a 4-day, 25-mile, one-way shuttle trek through the southern bulk of the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness west of Buena Vista, Colorado...

Read more ...
Across the San Miguel Range
Across the San Miguel Range
July 2020  |  San Juan Mountains, Colorado

Over the 4th of July weekend, Claudia and I headed out into the Lizard Head Wilderness near Telluride, Colorado, for an adventurous 3-day backpack trek across the San Miguel Range. A week ago I did a solo backpack trip there near Lizard Head Peak, which got me thinking about a longer one-way shuttle trek route directly across and over the bulk of the range, starting from Lizard Head Pass on the southeast end of the range and ending at Woods Lake on the northeast side...

Read more ...
Lounging around Lizard Head
Lounging around Lizard Head
June 2020  |  San Juan Mountains, Colorado

Last week I went out on a solo 3-day backpack trip into the Lizard Head Wilderness, which encompasses the San Miguel Range of the San Juan Mountains near Telluride, Colorado. With the below average snowpack this last spring, the alpine summer is slightly ahead of schedule and already by late June the wildflowers are starting to pop out on the high tundra...

Read more ...
Macey & Horn Lakes
Macey & Horn Lakes
June 2020  |  Sangre de Cristos, Colorado

In mid-June we drove over to the Sangre de Cristo Range in south-central Colorado for four days of backpacking in some new (to us) valleys along the eastern side of the range. As usual in June, there was less snow in the Sangres compared to most other Colorado mountain ranges, and it was great to get out for our first real multi-day alpine lake type of backpack trip this summer...

Read more ...
Gladstone High Camp
Gladstone High Camp
June 2020  |  San Juan Mountains, Colorado

Situated in the center of the San Miguel Range near Telluride, Colorado, Gladstone Peak (13,913 ft.) is overshadowed by its two popular neighboring fourteeners Wilson Peak and Mount Wilson. But Gladstone is an awesome peak with a dramatic pyramid shape, and in my opinion one of the more photogenic mountains of the San Juans...

Read more ...
Early Summer in the San Juans
Early Summer in the San Juans
June 2020  |  San Juan Mountains, Colorado

Here in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado there's still snow lingering in the high peaks, as usual in June, so lately I've been doing a bunch of short backpack trips in the sub-alpine regions at or below treeline...

Read more ...
San Sophia High Camp
San Sophia High Camp
May 2020  |  San Juan Mountains, Colorado

It's pretty rare to be able to camp up high in Colorado. In the summer the threat of thunderstorms above treeline is too terrifying, and in the winter it's just too damn cold. But in mid-May I had a perfect window of opportunity to hike up and camp at 13,200 feet up on a high ridgeline here in the Sneffels Range of the San Juan Mountains in Colorado...

Read more ...
Canyons Close to Home
Canyons Close to Home
April 2020  |  Southwest Colorado

Yearning for some closer-to-home adventure this spring, we ventured out for a few quick overnight backpack trips to explore some canyon and desert areas along the Dolores and Gunnison Rivers, both major river drainages of the San Juan Mountains where we live in southwest Colorado...

Read more ...
2 Weeks in Grand Staircase Escalante
2 Weeks in Grand Staircase Escalante
September 2019  |  Escalante, Utah

In the second half of September Claudia, her father Gundolf, and I spent two weeks in one of our favorite canyon areas of southern Utah - Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument*...

Read more ...
Wind River West Side Trek
Wind River West Side Trek
September 2019  |  Wind River Range, Wyoming

In early September I backpacked for 10 days in the Wind River Range in Wyoming. This was my fourth long backpack trip in these fantastic mountains, but this time I did a one-way shuttle trek along the western side of the range through the Bridger Wilderness starting from the Elkhart Park trailhead and ending at Big Sandy to the south...

Read more ...
Roaming the Uncompaghre Wilderness
Roaming the Uncompaghre Wilderness
August 2019  |  San Juan Mountains, Colorado

During the first two weeks of August I revisited several of my favorite backpacking treks in the Uncompahgre Wilderness in the northern San Juan Mountains of Colorado, for a total of 8 days of hiking through a good portion of the wilderness...

Read more ...
High Above Ouray
High Above Ouray
August 2019  |  San Juan Mountains, Colorado

Last night I camped up on a high ridgeline in the San Juan Mountains about 4,000 feet above Ouray, Colorado, and enjoyed a fantastic sunset and sunrise from my airy perch.

Read more ...
Summer Green in the San Juans
Summer Green in the San Juans
July 2019  |  San Juan Mountains, Colorado

After the enormous winter of 2018-2019 in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado, by the end of July the snowpack has finally melted off enough to call it summertime in the alpine now. Last weekend we hiked a very pleasant three-day shuttle route through the vibrant green mountains west of Silverton...

Read more ...
Mosquito Warfare in the High Uintas
Mosquito Warfare in the High Uintas
July 2019  |  High Uintas Wilderness, Utah

In late July we backpacked into the High Uintas Wilderness in Utah, to a couple high basins at the head of the Stillwater Fork of the Bear River. These lakes form the headwaters of the Bear River which flows north out of the Uintas, through Wyoming and Idaho, then back around south into Utah and the Great Salt Lake, making it the largest river in the North America that doesn't eventually reach the ocean...

Read more ...
Late Early Summer in the San Juans
Late Early Summer in the San Juans
June-July 2019  |  San Juan Mountains, Colorado

Last year in the spring of 2018 I was talking about how that winter's meager snowpack had caused summer to arrive a full month early in May, and I was able to trek from Ouray to Telluride in mid-May when normally that would be a mid-June type of thing to do...

Read more ...
Through and Around the Great Sand Dunes
Through and Around the Great Sand Dunes
June 2019  |  Colorado

Eager to go backpacking while the mountains are still filled with snow, in early June we returned to the Great Sand Dunes in southern Colorado to trek for three days all the way through the dunefield then back around them...

Read more ...
Explorations in the Mojave Desert
Explorations in the Mojave Desert
March 2019  |  Nevada, California, Arizona

As is usual in late winter, Claudia and I have been itching for some desert hiking and backpacking time, so this March we spent three weeks camping and backpacking in various mountain ranges and wilderness areas in the Mojave Desert in Nevada, California, and Arizona...

Read more ...
Snowy Ice Lakes
Snowy Ice Lakes
October 2018  |  San Juan Mountains, Colorado

With fresh snow in the San Juan Mountains and dreams of winter I couldn't resist heading up high for a quick early season winter camp at Ice Lakes Basin near Silverton. I got a little more than I bargained for with two feet of fresh powder and knee-deep postholing through a snowstorm up there! In the morning I was treated to some fiery light for a few moments at sunrise, for a different kind of autumn color...

Read more ...
Hut Tour around Grindelwald
Hut Tour around Grindelwald
September 2018  |  Switzerland

In mid-September after our treks in the Bernina Range and Val Masino in southeast Switzerland and north Italy, Claudia and I traveled north to the famous Jungfrau region near Interlaken in Switzerland...

Read more ...
Val Masino
Val Masino
September 2018  |  Bernina Range, Italy

Eight days into our trek around the Bernina Range, we took a little train and bus detour and visited Val Masino in Italy on the southern end of the same greater range. The mountains around here are sometimes referred to as the Val Masino Alps, or the backside of the Bergell or Bregaglia Range...

Read more ...
Around the Bernina Range
Around the Bernina Range
September 2018  |  Switzerland/Italy

In early September we flew to Zurich, Switzerland, took a train to St. Moritz, then embarked on a 9-day trek around the Bernina Range in the Rhaetian Alps. Named after the tallest peak in the range, Piz Bernina, the Bernina Range is a rugged and heavily glaciated mountain range along the border of southeast Switzerland and Italy...

Read more ...
8 Days in the Weminuche
8 Days in the Weminuche
August 2018  |  San Juan Mountains, Colorado

In mid-August Claudia and I backpacked for eight days into the Needle Mountains in the Weminuche Wilderness of the San Juan Mountains in Colorado. This was I think the sixth or seventh time I've done a week-long trek in this particular range, but I was still able to find some new routes to take and new places to camp and photograph along with some old favorites...

Read more ...
Through the Grenadier Range
Through the Grenadier Range
July 2018  |  San Juan Mountains, Colorado

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...

Read more ...
Trek Around Ausangate
Trek Around Ausangate
June 2018  |  Ausangate, Peru

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...

Read more ...
Salkantay Trek to Macchu Picchu
Salkantay Trek to Macchu Picchu
June 2018  |  Cordillera Vilcabamba, Peru

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...

Read more ...
Hiking from Ouray to Telluride the Long Way
Hiking from Ouray to Telluride the Long Way
May 2018  |  San Juan Mountains, Colorado

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...

Read more ...
Buckskin Gulch/Paria River Backpack
Buckskin Gulch/Paria River Backpack
April 2018  |  Utah/Arizona

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...

Read more ...
Narrowing Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah
Narrowing Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah
April 2018  |  Escalante, Utah

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...

Read more ...
Backpacking in the Superstition Mountains
Backpacking in the Superstition Mountains
March 2018  |  Arizona

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...

Read more ...
Kofa Mountains
Kofa Mountains
March 2018  |  Arizona

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...

Read more ...
Backpacking through Salt Creek
Backpacking through Salt Creek
November 2017  |  Canyonlands National Park, Utah

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!

Read more ...
Highlights from 2 Months of Backpacking in Colorado
Highlights from 2 Months of Backpacking in Colorado
August/September 2017  |  Colorado

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...

Read more ...
Autumn Backpacking in Northern Colorado
Autumn Backpacking in Northern Colorado
September 2017  |  Colorado

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...

Read more ...
Crestone Needle & Humboldt Peak
Crestone Needle & Humboldt Peak
September 2017  |  Sangre de Cristos, Colorado

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...

Read more ...
Hanging Around Huron Peak
Hanging Around Huron Peak
August 2017  |  Sawatch Range, Colorado

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...

Read more ...
Exploring the Holy Cross Wilderness
Exploring the Holy Cross Wilderness
August 2017  |  Sawatch Range, Colorado

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...

Read more ...
Exploring Mount Powell
Exploring Mount Powell
August 2017  |  Gore Range, Colorado

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...

Read more ...
Over the Dachstein
Over the Dachstein
July 2017  |  Austria

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...

Read more ...
Trek Around Watzmann
Trek Around Watzmann
July 2017  |  Berchtesgaden, Germany

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...

Read more ...
Wilder Kaiser
Wilder Kaiser
July 2017  |  Austria

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...

Read more ...
Hut Trekking through the Karwendel
Hut Trekking through the Karwendel
July 2017  |  Austria

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...

Read more ...
An Evening at Lake Blanche
An Evening at Lake Blanche
July 2017  |  Wasatch Range, Utah

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...

Read more ...
Backpacking in Grand Gulch
Backpacking in Grand Gulch
May 2017  |  Cedar Mesa, Utah

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...

Read more ...
Mount Robson & Berg Lake
Mount Robson & Berg Lake
September 2016  |  BC, Canada

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...

Read more ...
Backpacking in the Tombstones
Backpacking in the Tombstones
September 2016  |  Yukon, Canada

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...

Read more ...
A View of Denali from Kesugi Ridge
A View of Denali from Kesugi Ridge
August 2016  |  Alaska

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...

Read more ...
Backpacking in Kluane National Park
Backpacking in Kluane National Park
August 2016  |  Yukon, Canada

After hiking up King's Throne near Kathleen Lake, we were starting to get excited about the possibility of doing a backpacking trip in Kluane National Park. (Pronounced: "clue on ee"). Plus, we still had a pretty good weather forecast in the Haines Junction and Kluane area of southwest Yukon, while all of Alaska still looked rainy...

Read more ...
Backpacking in the Height of the Rockies
Backpacking in the Height of the Rockies
July 2016  |  Canadian Rockies

In July we drove over the border into British Columbia, Canada and headed east towards the Height of the Rockies Provincial Park in eastern BC. The trek I had in mind is a somewhat obscure one involving several hours of driving along dirt forestry roads to access a seldom traveled trail which eventually fades into a convoluted off-trail routefinding adventure, finally arriving at a spectacular series of high lakes in a rugged glaciated basin...

Read more ...
Alpine Lakes Wilderness Trek
Alpine Lakes Wilderness Trek
July 2016  |  Washington Cascades

In mid July after having done two backpack trips on the Olympic Peninsula, we were excited to do some more in the Cascades; however, most of the treks we had researched in the central and northern Cascades were still snowbound on the higher passes and lakes...

Read more ...
High Divide Loop, Olympic Peninsula
High Divide Loop, Olympic Peninsula
July 2016  |  Washington

Mount Olympus is the king of the Olympus Peninsula in Washington; laden with thick glaciers, the 7,980 foot peak soars above the surrounding rainforest valleys. Some of the finest views to be had of this remote mountain are from the High Divide trail which follows a high ridge opposite the Hoh River valley — that is, when the notorious Olympic Peninsula rain stops long enough to see it...

Read more ...
Olympic Peninsula Coastal Trek
Olympic Peninsula Coastal Trek
June 2016  |  Washington

At the end of June we did a 4-day backpacking trek up the wild coast of the Olympic Peninsula from Rialto Beach to Sand Point, in Olympic National Park.  This was a fairly demanding hike with many rugged and rocky headlands that could only be passed at low tide, along with the ever present coastal fog and rain...

Read more ...
The Cursed Mountains - a trek through the Prokletije
The Cursed Mountains - a trek through the Prokletije
July 2015  |  Montenegro and Albania

Forming a natural border between Montenegro and Albania is a jagged spine of mountains called the Prokletije in Montenegran and the Bjeshkët e Namuna in Albanian. Both names translate to “cursed mountains”, likely due to their foreboding vertical spires, deep winter snows, and inhospitable ruggedness...

Read more ...
Durmitor Loop Trek
Durmitor Loop Trek
July 2015  |  Montenegro

Durmitor National Park is certainly the most famous and beloved mountain range in Montenegro. The mountains here aren’t the biggest or baddest ever, but they have an undeniably wonderful and unique character, like a combination of the rugged might of the Alps with the wild solitude of the Rockies...

Read more ...
Maglič & Trnovacko Jezero
Maglič & Trnovacko Jezero
July 2015  |  Bosnia and Montenegro

For the first mountain adventure of our Bosnia/Montenegro trip, Claudia and I went backpacking for two nights at Trnovacko Lake along the border of Bosnia and Montenegro. The lake itself is located on the Montenegro side of the border, but is only accessible via Sutjeska National Park on the Bosnian side...

Read more ...
Tapeats/Deer Creek Loop, Grand Canyon
Tapeats/Deer Creek Loop, Grand Canyon
April 2015  |  Grand Canyon, Arizona

Last week we repeated a backpacking trip down into the Grand Canyon which we had done several years ago — a “lollipop” loop from the north rim down to Thunder River and Tapeats Creek, along the Colorado River, and up Deer Creek...

Read more ...
Wetterhorn Ski Mission
Wetterhorn Ski Mission
April 2015  |  San Juan Mountains, Colorado

Wetterhorn Peak stands above its surrounding basins like an ancient crumbling volcano. Rising to 14,015 feet, the pyramidal fourteener is not only one of the most photogenic mountains in Colorado, but its steep eastern face holds a classic ski descent that I’ve been wanting to snowboard for years...

Read more ...
Annapurna Base Camp
Annapurna Base Camp
November 2014  |  Himalaya, Nepal

In November after our 20-day trek in the Khumbu/Everest region, we headed to the town of Pokhara to embark on yet another trek in the Himalaya — this time a short but strenuous 7-day trek to Annapurna Base Camp, also referred to as the ABC Trek or Annapurna Sanctuary Trek...

Read more ...
Khumbu Three Pass Trek
Khumbu Three Pass Trek
October/November 2014  |  Himalaya, Nepal

In October and November of this last year, Claudia and I fulfilled lifelong dreams to trek in the mighty Himalaya of Nepal – the world’s biggest mountains. We spent 20 days trekking the so-called “Three Pass Trek” over three high passes and through the four major valleys of the Khumbu/Everest region...

Read more ...
Conundrum Hot Springs
Conundrum Hot Springs
September 2014  |  Elk Mountains, Colorado

There are few things in life finer than soaking in natural hot springs, especially when those hot springs are situated at treeline in an alpine basin surrounded by high peaks and valley vistas! Such is the case at Conundrum Hot Springs, a remote but popular wild hot springs in the Elk Mountains between the towns of Aspen and Crested Butte in Colorado...

Read more ...
8 Days in the Wind Rivers
8 Days in the Wind Rivers
August 2014  |  Wind River Range, Wyoming

The Wind River Range forms 110 miles of the Continental Divide in central Wyoming. Notable for its plethora of alpine lakes, its soaring granite walls, and some of the largest glaciers in the US Rockies, the Winds are a supremely majestic mountain range and a paradise for backpackers, climbers, and fishermen...

Read more ...
Wildflower Wonderland
Wildflower Wonderland
July 2014  |  San Juan Mountains, Colorado

Earlier this week Claudia and I backpacked for 5 days in the mountains west of Silverton, Colorado, following an improvised route that took us through numerous high alpine basins filled with endless fields of wildflowers...

Read more ...
Mt. Lindsey & Lily Lake
Mt. Lindsey & Lily Lake
June 2014  |  Sangre de Cristos, Colorado

With our San Juans still covered in quite a bit of snow up high, earlier this week we drove east for 3 nights of backpacking in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains where the snow is mostly gone and summer backpacking season is well underway...

Read more ...
Great Sand Dunes Trek
Great Sand Dunes Trek
June 2014  |  Colorado

The Great Sand Dunes in southern Colorado are perhaps the most unique landscape in the Rockies, with 700-foot tall sand dunes nestled at the foot of 13,000-foot mountains. Winds that blow across the vast San Luis Valley carry sand grains which become trapped by the towering Sangre de Cristo Mountains, and the streams that flow out of the mountains keep the sand in one place, resulting in the tallest dunes of North America...

Read more ...
Death Hollow Canyon
Death Hollow Canyon
April 2014  |  Escalante, Utah

The morning after returning from our previous Escalante backpack, we embarked on another even more adventurous trek – this time into the slickrock country just east of the town of Escalante, Utah...

Read more ...
Backpacking in the Needles District
Backpacking in the Needles District
March 2014  |  Canyonlands National Park, Utah

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
Winter Camping above Ouray
February 2014  |  San Juan Mountains, Colorado

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
Powderfest at the Fowler/Hilliard Hut
January 2014  |  Gore Range, Colorado

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
Winter Camping at Blue Lakes
October 2013  |  San Juan Mountains, Colorado

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  |  France/Spain

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 we could in the next three weeks, staying in mountain huts and occasional small towns along the way...

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

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
Ferrata Trek through the Rosengarten
August 2013  |  Dolomites, Italy

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 ...
Lechtal Alps
Lechtal Alps
July 2013  |  Austria

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
Allgäuer Alps
July 2013  |  Germany

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
Wetterhorn Peak
June 2013  |  San Juan Mountains, Colorado

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
Hiking Whitehouse Mountain
June 2013  |  San Juan Mountains, Colorado

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.

Summer is in full swing in the mountains! Except for a few lingering patches, most of the snow is gone and the tundra has come alive with its vibrant green grasses and early summer wildflowers like these Spreading Globeflowers (I think that’s what they are called)...

Read more ...
An Evening with Sneffels
An Evening with Sneffels
June 2013  |  San Juan Mountains, Colorado

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 ...
Trans Catalina Trail
Trans Catalina Trail
April 2013  |  Catalina Island, California

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

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
3 Week Desert Road Trip
October/November 2012  |  CA, AZ, UT, CO

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
Backpacking into the Grand Canyon
November 2012  |  Grand Canyon, Arizona

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 ...
The Lime Loop
The Lime Loop
September 2012  |  San Juan Mountains, Colorado

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
The Wild Heart of the San Juans
August 2012  |  San Juan Mountains, Colorado

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
Belly/Mokowanis Backpack, Glacier National Park
July 2012  |  Glacier National Park, Montana

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 ...
Cracker Lake
Cracker Lake
July 2012  |  Glacier National Park, Montana

Our first backpack trip in Glacier National Park was a one-nighter to Cracker Lake, in the Many Glacier area. This is easily one of the most spectacular mountain cirques I’ve ever had the pleasure of camping in, with a 3-4,000 foot sheer vertical wall encircling the milky turquoise glacial lake and green grass meadow slopes...

Read more ...
Dunes and Sangres
Dunes and Sangres
June 2012  |  Sangre de Cristos, Colorado

This last weekend we went on a little road trip to the Great Sand Dunes of Colorado, followed by a couple nights of camping and hiking in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. We arrived at the dunes in the afternoon on Friday and started the hike into the dunes under a sky full of wild ominous clouds, along with sandblasting winds...

Read more ...
Coyote Gulch
Coyote Gulch
April 2012  |  Escalante, Utah

In early April, we headed to Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument in southern Utah for another backpacking trip into one of my favorite canyons of all – Coyote Gulch. It’s been about 12 years or so since I’ve been here, but I still remembered how awesome it was...

Read more ...
Dientes de Navarino
Dientes de Navarino
January 2012  |  Tierra del Fuego, Chile

Last week Claudia and I and took a zodiac boat ride from Ushuaia to Isla Navarino, an island that is actually in Chile even though it’s right across the Beagle Channel from Ushuaia and Argentina. So, coming and going, four more stamps in our passports, which are nearly full of Chile and Argentina stamps after three months of border crossings between the two countries...

Read more ...
El Chaltén Dream
El Chaltén Dream
December 2011  |  Patagonia, Argentina

We’ve just returned to civilization after 8 days camped out in the mighty Fitz Roy range near El Chaltén in Argentine Patagonia. One of my main goals of this return trip to El Chaltén was to capture a photo that I have been dreaming about since my last trip to Patagonia four years ago...

Read more ...
The W Trek - Torres del Paine
The W Trek - Torres del Paine
December 2011  |  Patagonia, Chile

Last week we spent 10 days hiking the popular “W” Circuit in Parque Nacional Torres del Paine. These spectacular mountains rise abruptly 3000 vertical meters (almost 10,000 feet) above a series of huge turquoise lakes...

Read more ...
Jungle Granite at Cochamó
Jungle Granite at Cochamó
November 2011  |  Chile

After waiting in the rain in Puerto Varas for a week, we finally got a better weather forecast and headed out for a six day backpacking trip to the impressive Cochamó valley in Chile. We might have jumped the gun by a day or two, since it rained the entire way up; the ten mile hike was totally wet and muddy, with countless bogs and knee deep creeks to cross...

Read more ...
Valle de Aguas Calientes
Valle de Aguas Calientes
November 2011  |  Chile

After our long bus ride south from northern Chile and a quick pitstop in Santiago, we’ve spent the last several days in and around Las Trancas, a sleepy mountain town set in a gorgeous forested valley below two volcanoes...

Read more ...
A View of Aconcagua
A View of Aconcagua
October 2011  |  Argentina

One of the reasons for heading through Mendoza on this trip was to photograph Aconcagua, the highest mountain in the western hemisphere. Though I have little desire to actually climb the peak, I was hoping to do some hikes in the valleys around the peak...

Read more ...
Weminuche High Loop
Weminuche High Loop
August 2011  |  San Juan Mountains, Colorado

In late August we did a 7-day loop trek in and around the Needle Mountains, the rugged heart of the Weminuche Wilderness in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado. This was the fourth time I've done a week-long backpack trip in these mountains, and as usual we had some crazy weather during our trip, including lots of lightning, thunder, and several stunning sunrises and sunsets...

Read more ...
Trekking through the Sawtooths
Trekking through the Sawtooths
August 2011  |  Idaho

For many years I’ve been longing to visit the Sawtooth Range in Idaho, and last week I finally got the chance! We went on a 7-day backpacking trek through the range, starting from Pettit Lake and ending at Redfish Lake, taking a few detours along the way...

Read more ...
Maroon Bells Four Pass Loop
Maroon Bells Four Pass Loop
July 2011  |  Elk Mountains, Colorado

In late July we spent 6 days backpacking around the famous Maroon Bells in the Elk Mountains of Colorado. The photos pretty much tell the story so I won’t say too much else except that it was another great trek in Colorado!

Read more ...
Wetterhorn / Uncompahgre Loop Trek
Wetterhorn / Uncompahgre Loop Trek
July 2011  |  San Juan Mountains, Colorado

Last week Claudia and I went on a 5-day backpacking loop in the Uncompahgre Wilderness in the San Juan Mountains east of Ouray. Our route circumnavigated the fourteeners Wetterhorn and Uncompahgre Peaks and took us through a paradise of expansive green tundra, wildflowers, and peaks...

Read more ...
A Night in the Great Sand Dunes
A Night in the Great Sand Dunes
June 2011  |  Colorado

On Monday I headed to the Great Sand Dunes for a quick overnighter. I hiked in at about 10pm, slept on a dune for about 4 hours, then woke up around 3:30am to shoot the setting (nearly full) moon, followed by sunrise...

Read more ...
Bernese Oberland Ski Hut Tour
Bernese Oberland Ski Hut Tour
April 2011  |  Switzerland

In early April I went on a ski hut tour in the Bernese Oberland mountains of Switzerland. This is the heart of the Swiss Alps, and during the course of 6 days we skied a variety of routes across the largest glacier system in the Alps...

Read more ...
Capitol Peak
Capitol Peak
September 2010  |  Elk Mountains, Colorado

In late September I spent four days doing various hikes around Capitol Peak, a rugged fourteener in the Elk Mountains of Colorado.

Read more ...
Ouray/Uncompahgre Loop
Ouray/Uncompahgre Loop
August 2010  |  San Juan Mountains, Colorado

This last weekend we repeated one of my favorite backpacking loop routes in the San Juan Mountains - a big circle starting from near the town of Ouray, Colorado, hiking up 5,000 vertical feet to the expansive high rolling tundra of the Uncompahgre Wilderness, then back down into the town of Ouray via the Bridge of Heaven...

Read more ...
Weminuche Wilderness Trek
Weminuche Wilderness Trek
August 2010  |  San Juan Mountains, Colorado

During the second of week of this August 2010, Claudia and I went backpacking for 7 days in the Weminuche Wilderness, duplicating the same route that I did solo back in September 2007.

We had all kinds of crazy weather during the trek, ranging from torrential monsoons to perfect bluebird days...

Read more ...
Beautiful Blue Lakes
Beautiful Blue Lakes
August 2010  |  San Juan Mountains, Colorado

Photos from three days of summer camping at Blue Lakes, in the Sneffels Range of the San Juan Mountains, Colorado.

Read more ...
Sunrise on Wetterhorn Peak
Sunrise on Wetterhorn Peak
July 2010  |  San Juan Mountains, Colorado

On Sunday I hiked into Wetterhorn Basin, in the Uncompahgre Wilderness east of Ridgway, Colorado. With all the stormy monsoon weather and fantastic sunsets we’ve been having in the San Juans lately, I had hopes of catching another great sunset in the mountains...

Read more ...
Wandering in the Weminuche
Wandering in the Weminuche
July 2010  |  San Juan Mountains, Colorado

After another fun 4th of July in Ouray, I went on a 5-day backpacking loop in the Weminuche Wilderness in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado. I left from the Beartown trailhead, hiked south along the Continental Divide Trail for a couple days until reaching the area of Flint Lakes and Rock Lake...

Read more ...
Quilcayhuanca/Cojup Loop, Cordillera Blanca
Quilcayhuanca/Cojup Loop, Cordillera Blanca
June 2010  |  Cordillera Blanca, Peru

After our big Cordillera Huayhuash trek, followed by a rest day in Huaraz, four of us headed out into the Cordillera Blanca near Huaraz for a three day hike up the Quilcayhuanca valley, over a high pass, and down the Cojup valley...

Read more ...
Cordillera Huayhuash Circuit
Cordillera Huayhuash Circuit
June 2010  |  Cordillera Huayhuash, Peru

In June of 2010 I fulfilled one of my dreams – to trek around the remote and rugged Cordillera Huayhuash mountain range in Peru. In the city of Huaraz, the base for most of the expeditions in the Cordillera Blanca and Huayhuash, I signed on to a 10 day trek with burros to carry all our camping gear, an arriero (burro driver), a guide, and a cook for all our meals! Deluxe! Not only that, but our random assortment of people turned out to be a good group and we all had a great time together...

Read more ...
Winter Camping on Hurricane Pass
Winter Camping on Hurricane Pass
March 2010  |  Tetons, Wyoming

This last weekend of March I went winter camping again, this time for two nights up on Hurricane Pass, on the west side of the Tetons. Hurricane Pass is pretty close to Table Mountain where I went camping in January, but it has a very different perspective of the Tetons...

Read more ...
Winter Camping on Table Mountain
Winter Camping on Table Mountain
January 2010  |  Tetons, Wyoming

With a full moon and a partly sunny weather forecast, I decided this last Thursday to do a winter camping trip up on Table Mountain, on the west side of the Teton Range. The hike in was grueling, having to put in a skin track all by myself up 4,000 vertical feet through deep heavy powder, with a heavy backpack...

Read more ...
Icy Ice Lakes Basin
Icy Ice Lakes Basin
November 2009  |  San Juan Mountains, Colorado

The light snowfalls amounts in the San Juan Mountains this November provided a good opportunity for me to do a quick overnight backpacking trip to Ice Lakes Basin, near Silverton, Colorado. This spectacular basin is a popular location for summertime hiking, but not many people visit in the snow...

Read more ...
Grand Gulch Loop Hike
Grand Gulch Loop Hike
October 2009  |  Cedar Mesa, Utah

Over three days and two nights this October I went on a ~25 mile loop hike through a portion of Grand Gulch in Cedar Mesa in southeastern Utah. The hike passes through dramatic canyon scenery with vertical cliffs and dramatic rock formations...

Read more ...
Lightning Disco at Blue Lakes
Lightning Disco at Blue Lakes
September 2009  |  San Juan Mountains, Colorado

On Saturday I hiked up to Blue Lakes for a quick overnight backpacking trip in the Sneffels Range of southwest Colorado's San Juan Mountains. The alpine tundra has turned a beautiful array of autumn colors, and even a few aspens are starting to change...

Read more ...
Bridge of Heaven Winter Camp
Bridge of Heaven Winter Camp
April 2009  |  San Juan Mountains, Colorado

Over the last few days, a late season storm has come through the San Juans in Colorado, dumping almost 2 feet of snow.  On Sunday, while still snowing hard outside the weather forecast called for a sunny clear Monday, so I headed out for a spur-of-the-moment winter backpacking trip, hoping to get a photo of the fresh snow smothering Ouray and the Uncompahgre Gorge...

Read more ...
Great Sand Dunes Megaloop
Great Sand Dunes Megaloop
March 2009  |  Colorado

In mid-March I was desperate for some wilderness action, so I headed out on a backpacking trip in the Great Sand Dunes in southern Colorado. My initial plan was to do a simple three day hike up and back the Sand Ramp Trail along the eastern side of the dunes...

Read more ...
Milford Track, New Zealand
Milford Track, New Zealand
December 2008  |  New Zealand

Over the last four days in late November/early December I’ve been hiking the Milford Track, perhaps the most famous of New Zealand’s Great Walks. This walk belongs in its own class of Awesome, and all the other “Great Walks” I’ve been on should be renamed merely “Good Walks” in comparison...

Read more ...
Partial Kepler Track, New Zealand
Partial Kepler Track, New Zealand
November 2008  |  New Zealand

Te Anau is at first glance similar to a small version of Wanaka – both on the eastern side of large lakes with mountains to the west. However, while Wanaka is known for its proximity to several famous ski fields, Te Anau is the access point to three of the famous Great Walks – the Routeburn, Milford, and Kepler Tracks...

Read more ...
Routeburn Track, New Zealand
Routeburn Track, New Zealand
November 2008  |  New Zealand

The Routeburn is one of New Zealand’s renowned “Great Walks”, and as such it has wide trails, huge huts, lots of people, and lots of signs telling the people where to go.

Since it is a one way hike with vast distances between the start and end points, I turned in my rental car, shipped one bag to Te Anau from Queenstown, and got a shuttle to the start...

Read more ...
Backpacking in Mt. Aspiring National Park, New Zealand
Backpacking in Mt. Aspiring National Park, New Zealand
November 2008  |  New Zealand

Over the last four days I’ve been tramping in Mount Aspiring National Park near Wanaka. I started in the Matukituki River valley, an idyllic mountain valley with green grass, turquoise river, soaring glacier-clad mountains, and waterfalls pouring down from the sides...

Read more ...
Hut Trek in Arthurs Pass National Park, New Zealand
Hut Trek in Arthurs Pass National Park, New Zealand
November 2008  |  New Zealand

For the last four or five days I’ve been hanging around Arthurs Pass, one of the three mountain passes that crosses over the South Island mountains here in New Zealand. The first two days were spent mostly lounging about the hostel as it dumped snow and the wind raged outside...

Read more ...
Adventures on the West Coast, New Zealand
Adventures on the West Coast, New Zealand
October/November 2008  |  New Zealand

In late October I left Wanaka and drove over Haast Pass toward the infamous West Coast. I say infamous because this region is notorious for its huge amounts of rainfall (up to 7 meters annually in some spots!)...

Read more ...
Tramping by Aoraki / Mount Cook, New Zealand
Tramping by Aoraki / Mount Cook, New Zealand
October 2008  |  New Zealand

The last several days I’ve been based out of Mt. Cook Village, a little tourist outpost based mainly around the Hermitage Hotel, situated in a remote valley at the foot of New Zealand’s highest mountain – Aoraki/Mt...

Read more ...
Weminuche Wilderness Loop
Weminuche Wilderness Loop
August 2008  |  San Juan Mountains, Colorado

For 7 days in August, I hiked a high loop route through the high and rugged Needle Mountains in the Weminuche Wilderness in the San Juans south of Silverton, Colorado. This trip had a couple unexpected events in store for me, but fortunately, Lady Luck was really by my side this time...

Read more ...
Continental Divide Trail through the South San Juans
Continental Divide Trail through the South San Juans
August 2008  |  South San Juan Mountains, Colorado

This last week I hiked the Continental Divide Trail (CDT) through the South San Juan Wilderness with two of my friends. It’s a 60+ mile trek from Cumbres Pass near Chama, New Mexico to Wolf Creek Pass near Pagosa Springs, Colorado...

Read more ...
Cow Creek Bushwhack
Cow Creek Bushwhack
July 2008  |  San Juan Mountains, Colorado

During the last three days, I bushwhacked through the Cow Creek valley, a rugged and remote mountain valley in the Uncompahgre Wilderness of the San Juan Mountains east of Ridgway. My original plan was to hike through the valley and continue up to the high alpine zone, where I would hike a high loop route around to Wetterhorn Basin and then take a trail back to my truck...

Read more ...
Winter Camping in the West Needle Mountains
Winter Camping in the West Needle Mountains
March 2008  |  San Juan Mountains, Colorado

Lured by a full moon and a forecast of clear skies, in late March I went backpacking for two nights in the West Needle Mountains in the San Juans near Silverton, Colorado. This area is incredibly photogenic; from my campsite on a 12,200 ft ridgeline, I enjoyed broad vistas of the Needle Mountains, the West Needles, and all the peaks of the Molas Pass area...

Read more ...
A Month in Patagonia
A Month in Patagonia
November/December 2007  |  Argentina/Chile

From mid-November to mid-December 2007, I spent a month backpacking in Patagonia. During the first few weeks, I was hiking amongst the jagged peaks of the Fitz Roy Range in Parque Nacional los Glaciares near Chaltén, Argentina...

Read more ...
Weminuche Wilderness Trek
Weminuche Wilderness Trek
September 2007  |  San Juan Mountains, Colorado

Over a span of 7 days in late August/early September, I hiked alone through a high route in the Weminuche Wilderness of the San Juans. The mountains here are perhaps the most rugged and remote in all of Colorado...

Read more ...
Maroon Bells Four Pass Loop
Maroon Bells Four Pass Loop
July 2007  |  Elk Mountains, Colorado

This popular hike in the Elk Mountains near Aspen is referred to as the Four Pass Loop. It is about 25 miles long, and passes over four high mountain passes, circumnavigating the famous Maroon Bells fourteeners...

Read more ...
Shaken in the Julian Alps
Shaken in the Julian Alps
July 2004  |  Slovenia

Based out of the village of Kranjska Gora, in mid-July of 2004 I did a couple treks in the rugged Julian Alps in Slovenia. For the first hike I ventured up to the Triglavski dom hut below the summit of Triglav, the highest peak in Slovenia...

Read more ...
Mount of the Holy Cross
Mount of the Holy Cross
October 2003  |  Sawatch Range, Colorado

Notch Mountain, in the Sawatch Range just south of Vail, Colorado, has a perfect front-and-center view of Mount of the Holy Cross and its east facing cross couloir, made famous in 1873 by legendary wilderness photographer William H...

Read more ...