My watch died so I'm missing half of the loop but it ended up being a bit over 8 miles with my extra hiking Based on where I dropped Ben and Mom off, their approximate hiking speed and where the water sources on the trail are, I did a guthook deep dive (sorry, farout, I …
The longest drive of the trip was from Spring Creek Pass to Little Molas Lake, where I would be doing the next pick up. The driving options were the 4 hour northern route around the San Juans (which I'd already done part of) the direct route across the mountains (67 miles that google maps thought …
Continue reading Crewing the CT: Chimney Rock and AirTag Drama
After our lovely relaxing time in Lake City, where I introduced my brother and mom to the absolute magic that is Love Island UK (specifically season 5) we were headed back up to Spring Creek Pass for the drop off. We weren't in a huge rush since they had reserved bunks in the Colorado Trail …
Well I did a silly thing and my entire post got deleted without a backup so I'm rewriting it now. If there's a slight tone of frustration here that's where it's coming from. From Curecanti I headed to Lake City (and easy hour drive down 149) for a day of wifi and then the plan …
There's a big boat ramp at Curecanti and I wasn't sure if it was free or not so I drove up to the guy and said, is it free to take a kayak out here? And he looked at me like I was crazy and said yes but...where is your kayak? So I explained that …
Continue reading Crewing the CT: Curecanti National Recreation Area
While Ben and Mom hiked CT section 18, I headed up to explore the Gunnison National Forest area. From the drop off it was a two hour drive to Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (although a road closure on 50 added between 20 minutes and 2 hours depending on when you hit it). …
Continue reading Crewing the CT: Black Canyon of the Gunnison
When my mom and I were snowed off the Colorado Trail we ended up at a hotel called Monarch Lodge, up the mountain from Salida. I don't know exactly how to describe the hotel to give the full experience but essentially it makes the Shining seem real. It was clearly a great hotel in the …
In the approach to hibernation, bears enter a phase called hyperphagia, when they begin eating the massive amount of calories that they'll feed on for the winter. This drives bears across mountains down into lower elevations as fruits and nuts ripen. In Yosemite this means bears coming into the valley to feast on acorns. Near …
After being in Death Valley in October I truly can't imagine the horror of being there in the summer. October was pretty much perfect, cool at night and warm to hot during the day. The stars were incredible as well. Nothing beats desert stars and there was no moon or highway to interfere at all. …
I know you can drive to Glacier Point, and if you have mobility challenges you should absolutely drive and experience the incredible views of Half Dome. But if you can, you should definitely hike up from the valley. There's the obvious, the added value of a view when you've actually put in the physical work …
onehappycamper 