Sunset from Mt. Antero

The mountains have been hazy from all the recent forest fires.  This has resulted in some interesting sunsets.  We decided to take a quick camping trip down to Buena Vista to see if we could capture this beauty from the top of a mountain.

Years ago, I hiked Mt. Antero with a friend and remembered the jeep road that goes very high up on the mountain.  In order to get a sunrise or a sunset shot on most peaks, you are required to spend a good many hours hiking in the cold dark.  With the help of the ATV, getting up (and more importantly, down) this one made for quick easy work, avoiding a big chunk of that long walk back in the dark.

This was our first time camping with our family of 4.  Our boy is only 4 weeks old.  We pitched a tent at one of the campgrounds near the trailhead in the afternoon and I left the wife and kids to head up the peak.  I arrivied at the trailhead around 5:00pm and was informed that there was a jeep rollover a short ways up the road that was currently being towed down the mountain blocking all vehicles in both directions.  Well, we'll have to make a plan B.  Just as I was turning around to head back to the camp, I noticed a line of jeeps coming down the trail.  It had just been cleared out!  Back to plan A.

Stream crossing near treeline

The road up was fairly rough.  There are tons of pull offs and great camping spots all along this road.  The ATV started to struggle a little as I reached treeline.  In fact, the higher up it went, the more it wanted to stall.  The thin, high altitude air is not just difficult for lungs, but motors too.

Antero with the 4-wheeler

I made it to the ridge and decided to give the little guy a break.  The remainder of the hike took a little over an hour.  It's always nice to have a 14er Summit all to yourself.  It was totally calm and quite nice up there.

Some Jeeps made it to the top of the road

Antero Summit

The cast silhouette of Mt. Antero in the Arkansas River Valley

Summit Panorama

Mt. Shavano and Tabeguache Peak

Smokey Mountains.  The 3 Apostles and Huron at center.  That area was our destination last week.

Mt. Princeton

Super red coloring

Once the sun was down, I hiked back down the mountain in the still eerie silence of twilight.  It was dark when I reached the 4-wheeler.  I packed up my camera gear, got on, turned the key, and....nothing.  It was dead.  Ok... now what?  Then I remembered that there's the on/off switch.  Sometimes I forget to turn that on.  nope.  It was switched on.  Still not starting.  Could the battery have died?  I started mentally preparing to hike the whole road back in the dark.  How would I get this thing back down?  Would I have to hike back up the next day and have someone give me a tow?   Will my wife worry about me getting back so late?  Will a wild animal eat me?  Do I have enough food and water?  Should I just shove this worthless piece of junk ATV off the edge of the mountain and watch it roll down?

Then it came to me.  Neutral.  Is it in neutral?  I hop on again and down shift...bam...it starts right up.  The ride down to the trailhead was uneventful. 

After I loaded the ATV onto the truck I headed back to camp around 11:00.  I drove up on a moose in the middle of the road.  These animals are huge - taller than my truck.  You don't realize their size until you are right up close.  It was running away from my headlights but staying on the road.  They do run kind of funny, not graceful like a deer or horse. 

We checked out the cool Chalk Cliffs of Mt. Princeton on the way out the next day.  We would have stopped at the hot springs there, but figured it would be too much hassle with a 1 month old and all.

Chalk Cliff detail

White Chalk Cliffs of Mt. Princeton

4 Wheeling in the Sangres...Or Not.

A friend and I went to Westcliffe to do some 4-wheeling up to Hermit Pass, but were called back home before we started up the mountain in the morning.  Cami was in labor with our 2nd child.  We made it back in time.  No mountain summits, but a top of the mountain life experience!

A few shots from the quick trip:

And the little guy:

Mt. Sneffels - August 2015

Sunset on Colorado 14er Mt. Sneffels

It's amazing how big the difference is between sleeping in a tent and sleeping in a camper.  I spent 4 nights at Ridgway State Park with Mom, Dad, and James in Dad's camper after spending most of the summer sleeping (or more like not sleeping) in a tent.  Even during our climb I could tell that I had more energy and felt better because of the full night's rest on the memory foam mattress.  We only climbed on one of the days we were there, and It was fun to have a change of pace and just hang out with the family. 

The park itself is extremely well kept with lots of fun stuff to do - Biking, hiking, swimming, kayaking, fishing, etc. with awesome views all around.  I will have to return here sometime!

One of Mom's favorite activities

Dad, James and I hiked the peak on our second day there and woke up around sunrise to drive down to the trailhead.  Ridgway is so close to Ouray so we had no need to get a pre-dawn start.  We took the 4 wheeler to the upper trailhead.  This cut our elevation gain down to about 1,700 ft. for the climb.  Another nice change of pace from the other longer more physically demanding peaks of the summer.

Waterfall in Yankee Boy Basin

ATV at the upper trailhead in Yankee Boy Basin

We started up the trail and came to the steep loose "kitty litter" slope that leads to the saddle.  Slow going from here.  About half way up this section, Dad's back was bothering him.  He's had multiple surgeries on his neck and back over the years, and he made the wise call to stop at this point and head back.

Rock spires and the setting moon

James working his way up

Once we reached the saddle, the fun began!  I'd hiked Sneffels before with Cami, but forgot how dramatic the scenery is!  The route is a bit punishing, but the views make it worth it.

Teakettle Mountain has to be one of the coolest looking peaks I've seen!

Colorado 14ers Uncompahgre Peak to the east with Wetterhorn peak directly in front of it

The Wilson Group 14ers to the Southwest

Blue Lakes Pass with Gilpin Peak and "Black Tops" from about the same time a couple years ago - Prints available

Once we reached the top of the Col the infamous "V" notch crux awaited us.  James was a little concerned about climbing through this quick section because of his recent shoulder surgery.  Other than a bit of exposure on the left side before entering the notch, the climbing isn't too hard.  I'd say the move is more awkward than difficult.  James had no problems with it.  Once past this section, the remaining scramble to the top is short and sweet.

Summit Panoram from the summit of Mt. Sneffels

Here's a quick video of the climb:

Summit

On the way down I took lots of pictures of all the lush wildflowers in Yankee Boy Basin.  This should probably be included as one of the best wildflower locations in the state!

Wildflowers and Potosi Peak in Yankee Boy Basin

Gilpin Peak and indian paintbrush wildflowers from Yankee Boy Basin

It was a fun hike and a beautiful day which only confirmed that Sneffels is one of my favorite 14er climbs.  The Ridgway/Ouray area is a special place that I would highly recommend visiting.

Parting shot of the Cimmarrons

Teocalli Mountain - July 2015

Old farming house with Teocalli Mountain - Prints Available

KD ready to go!

Cami, KD and I drove down to the Brush Creek road with the intention of 4 wheeling up to the Teocalli Mountain trailhead to set up camp Wednesday night, but by the time we had everything loaded, it was almost dark and raining hard.  We drove a couple hundred yards up the trail on the ATV and turned around to take refuge in the truck where we slept that night.

The next morning after sunrise, we headed back into town to grab some food and explore the scenery around Crested Butte before giving it another try that afternoon.  The entire area was just filled with fields of color.  Crested Butte is called the "wildflower capitol of Colorado."   After this trip I'm inclined to agree with this label:

Sunrise the first morning.

Gothic Mountain

Mt. Crested Butte - Prints Available

Lupine Wildflowers - Prints Available

We 4 wheeled up the road and set up the tent right at the base of Teocalli Mountain. KD is now 2 years old and getting much better at not driving her parents crazy on long trips. She loved riding the ATV and "helping Daddy drive."

I woke at 3am and headed out in the dark hoping for a unique sunrise view of Castle Peak, the tallest 14,000 ft. peak in the Elk Range.  I reached the ridge right about at sunrise, but the cloud cover was pretty dense.  In fact, there was only a quick 30 second period of time where the actual summit of Castle Peak was visible before the clouds engulfed it again.

Fire on the mountain

Castle Peak - Prints Available

Fresh dusting of snow at the top!

Here's a time-lapse of the sunrise.  It's about 2 hours condensed into 30 seconds:

The views south were also stunning!

Distant alpenglow

Mt. Crested Butte and Whetstone Mountain from just below the summit.

Up!

There almost no visibility on the summit.  We were literally walking in the clouds.  Hiking back down through the fields of wildflowers was awesome though.  Hmm... I must have missed them on my way up.

Looking back down the route.

Color!

KD actually fell asleep in my arms while riding the ATV on the way back to the truck.  It was a quick, but beautiful trip that I would highly recommend.

Parting Shot