100 miles in 5 days. Crossing an endorheic basin. Expansive prairie views. Wild horses and wild flowers. Atlas and I had an incredible time crossing the Great Divide Basin.
Continue reading Great Divide Basin (Atlantic City, WY to Rawlins, WY)
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South Wind River Range (Big Sandy, WY to Atlantic City, WY)
3 days and 48 miles. Cruisy walking. Atlas meets cows. Atlas doesn’t meet cayotes. Walking the cusp of the Wind River Range and Great Basin Divide. Bill Hoge gets best trail magic award. A glimpse at my next stretch of trail…
Continue reading South Wind River Range (Big Sandy, WY to Atlantic City, WY)
Wind River Range (Green River Lakes, WY to Big Sandy Lodge, WY)
Back on the CDT! Atlas’ first long-distance hiking adventure. 90 miles of incredible beauty. Massive vistas of granite peaks, seas of wildflowers and pristine lakes. Dramatic sunrises, sunsets and thunderstorms. Crossing Knapsack Col and Texas Pass were highlights. The Wind River Range is unlike any place I’ve been, put it on your bucket list!
Continue reading Wind River Range (Green River Lakes, WY to Big Sandy Lodge, WY)
Meadow Lake, Uinta Wilderness
A quick overnight trip. Endless lakes, wildflowers, birds chirping, dry trail, blue sky… it was the perfect overnighter. Atlas loves these adventures; so do I!
West and Amethyst Basins, Uinta Wilderness
Atlas’ first multi-day backpacking adventure! 22 miles in 3 days. Camping at Kermsuh and Amethyst Lakes. How do you cross a swift moving stream with a dog? The always breathtaking High Uinta Wilderness didn’t disappoint.
Introducing Atlas, Adventure Pup
Atlas’ first backpacking trip! A look back at his first 8 months of socialization and training. Summer is coming and we have lots of adventures planned. Warning, cute picture overload!
Central District, Shenandoah National Park.
40 miles in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia. My first East Coast backpacking trip. Appalachian Trail beauty. Bears, centipedes, a snake and an endangered lizard. Lush dense forests and cascading waterfalls.
Continue reading Central District, Shenandoah National Park.
Parleys to Big Cottonwood, Great Western Trail
24 miles in 24 hours. A great ridge-top camp. If lady beetles have a mothership, I camped on it. A gorgeous sunrise and sunset. This tri-canyon traverse along the Great Western Trail (GWT) is a great workout with epic views.
Continue reading Parleys to Big Cottonwood, Great Western Trail
Needles District Loop, Canyonlands National Park
30 miles of adventure, dropping into and climbing out of countless canyons. Expansive rim-top views. Squeezing through a slot canyon. Did I take a wrong turn? This canyon wonderland doesn’t disappoint!
Continue reading Needles District Loop, Canyonlands National Park
Capitol Reef National Park
A fun-filled 25 miles in the heart of Capitol Reef National Park linking Cohab Canyon, Frying Pan Trail, Grand Wash Trail, Lower Spring Canyon and the Sulphur Creek Route. This loop had a bit of everything: hiking ridgelines with massive vistas, walking dry creek-beds beneath towering sandstone walls, and splashing my way down a creek through a tight red rock gorge. Don’t forget to click on the image albums for bigger photos, there’s some beautiful shots from this trip.
Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument, NM to Silver City, NM
My last days on the CDT for the year. Mixed emotions. One last bodily ailment. Celebration and reflection in Silver City. Thank you for your support. Elevated, over and out.
Continue reading Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument, NM to Silver City, NM
Pie Town, NM to Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument, NM
Road walking, road walking, road walking. IT band issues. The *spectacular* Middle Fork of the Gila River. Water walking, water walking, water walking. Busted in the buff! Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument.
Continue reading Pie Town, NM to Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument, NM
Grants, NM to Pie Town, NM
Picking my way through a giant lava flow. Camping at cliff’s edge on a mesa. Lots of road walking. Uber can’t beat 50c for 20 miles. A pie-eating, crazy-averting and very quirky experience in Pie Town.
Cuba, NM to Grants, NM
100 miles through breathtaking desert landscapes. Water has become a scarce commodity. Summiting Mount Taylor. It’s hot and the spiders are big!
Ghost Ranch, NM to Cuba, NM
A short 50 mile stretch through the Rio Chama and San Pedro Wilderness areas. My first tarantula. A serene morning camped in a meadow. Do they breed dinosaurs in Cuba?
Cumbres Pass (Chama, NM) to Ghost Ranch NM
Wolves howling, coyotes yipping, elk screaming, owls hooting, rifle hunters shooting, a full moon, Ghost Ranch and not a single person anywhere this whole stretch, it must be Halloween and this is the CDT’s haunted house? Horse riding through Georgia O’Keeffe country. Loving the warmer temperatures in New Mexico!
Wolf Creek Pass (Pagosa Springs, CO) to Cumbres Pass (Chama, NM)
Leadville, a roadtrip and Pagosa Springs. The beautiful South San Juan mountains. Snow detour. Snow ass-kicking. It’s really cold. Where is this damn trail? Coolest trail to town ride yet!
Continue reading Wolf Creek Pass (Pagosa Springs, CO) to Cumbres Pass (Chama, NM)
Berthoud Pass, CO to Tennessee Pass, CO… via lots of ski towns!
Beautiful Colorado! Two 14’ers. 10 summits. Sketchy ridgeline scrambling. Epic views. Ski resort row. Fall colors everywhere. Snow in the mountains, again.
Continue reading Berthoud Pass, CO to Tennessee Pass, CO… via lots of ski towns!
Rocky Mountain National Park (Grand Lake, CO) to Indian Peaks Wilderness (Winter Park, CO)
Lakeside hiking. Indian Peaks Wilderness and The High Lonesome Trail. Bailing from a snow storm down to Winter Park. This was a really short stretch…
Rabbit Ears Pass (Steamboat Springs, CO) to Rocky Mountain National Park (Grand Lake, CO)
Rabbit Ears Range. Never Summer Wilderness. Rocky Mountain National Park- wow! Stalked by a mountain lion? Grand Lake ice cream binge.
1000 Mile Update
1000 miles and a thank you. Change of plan. A roadtrip. Steamboat Springs, Colorado! What’s next.
Yellowstone National Park (Old Faithful, WY) to Green River Lakes (Pinedale, WY)
140 miles through gorgeous Wyoming! Yellowstone National Park. Snake River Valley. Whiskey with Hojo! The Parting of the Waters. A creepy cowboy. Victory over a tree. Green River Lakes.
Continue reading Yellowstone National Park (Old Faithful, WY) to Green River Lakes (Pinedale, WY)
Wyoming! (Lima, MT to Yellowstone NP, WY)
800 and something miles down and I’ve finally made it to Wyoming! Centennial Mountains. A sheep experiment. Mack’s Inn. Yellowstone National Park.
Bannock Pass to 1-15 (Leadore, Idaho to Lima, Montana)
100 miles. A roller coaster. A can of Coke. It’s really hot and dry! Am I nearly in Wyoming?
Continue reading Bannock Pass to 1-15 (Leadore, Idaho to Lima, Montana)
Montanaho! (Chief Joseph Pass to Bannock Pass)
130 miles along the Montana-Idaho border in the Beaverhead (Montana) and Salmon (Idaho) mountains. Incredible vistas. Victory over thunderstoms. Body ailments continue. Passed my 600 mile mark. Rest in small town Idaho.
Continue reading Montanaho! (Chief Joseph Pass to Bannock Pass)