Fiery Badlands - Prints available

 

Our big vacation this summer wasn't our usual backpack into the Rockies, but a family trip to visit Nathan and Kameryn and the cousins in Pine Haven.  We just hung out the first couple days and the kids got to play their Playstation VR, then we went for some fun in Rapid City to a water park and Reptile Gardens.  We did do a couple photography outings a couple of evenings.  KD and I spent an evening at Devil's Tower to shoot the sunset and some night sky photos.  She was super patient waiting for dark to come that night waiting for the milky way to show.  Another night we were able to get out to Badlands National Park, which I didn't even know exhisted until we were up there in the hotel and looking at some pamphlets.  I'm glad we checked that one out.  It was such a hidden gem out in the middle of nowhere!

Devil's Tower Milky Way - Prints available

Snowmass Lake - June, 2023

 

 Jimmy Brad and I had a perfect weather window where we fit in a hike to Snowmass Lake (and Snowmass Mountain for Brad) right at the summer solstice.  This one had been on my list of iconic Colorado backpacks for over a decade, and it did not disappoint.  This spring has been so rainy and one of the craziest weather seasons I can remember.  A couple days before our hike in to this lake, it snowed a couple inches at this location.  Though this was the first day of summer, it looks more like winter up there!

When we arrived at the lake, there was only one area that was snow free for campers to set up tents.  We had to get close with a few other groups, but everybody was friendly with no problems.  That night sleeping was miserable, being right next to the lake with the wind blasting over it all night was restless.  Brad woke and left for the Snowmass summit at 1:30 AM.  From about then until dawn, there were various parties getting up and getting ready to hike not too quietly so, again, sleep was not good.  Jimmy and I got up to watch a fantastic sunrise over the lake.  The clouds made cool shapes that contoured the edge of the peaks.  Though we didn't know it, right at about that time Brad was standing on the summit.  After having breakfast, we attempted to hike out and find the trail toward Buckskin Pass hoping to hike Buckskin Benchmark.  Unfortunately, the snow was continuous and became a post-holing slog.  After a few miles of this, combined with a trail we couldn't find, we decided to turn back to camp.   We arrived back there at 9AM just after Brad returned.  We all decided we had accomplished our goals for the trip, so we packed up and headed home instead of staying for a second night. 

Sunrise on Snowmass - Prints available

If you look closely, you can see people climbing up the snowfield

And some of Brad's pictures from his 14er hike:

Twin Sisters - June, 2023

 

Needed a warmup hike before our backpack to Snowmass Lake next week so I did a quick hike up 11er Twin Sisters Peak.  Tried out a new backpack and got some elevation in.  I took hwy 7 (peak to peak) on the way up:

Well... Road closed.  (photo taken with Cami's camera that I don't know how to use).  I took 36 instead.  Here's another photo of the rock slide from CBS news later that day:

Photo dump from the rest of the hike:

Longs, Meeker and Mt. Lady Washington

The Mummy Range

Lake Estes

Freeloaders

Twins Sisters from back at the trailhead