My 100th 13er/14er summit - Clinton/McNamee/Traver Peaks - July 2024

 Starting on Longs Peak in college, it's taken me about 20 years to reach 100 differently named summits of peaks over 13,000 ft.  The hiking partner that I've done the most mountains with is my good buddy Brad.  He and I went for a hazy day triple this time up by Breckenridge.  All the haziness was due to the wildfires  from Canada.  We hiked a few miles up to Wheeler lake.  From that point on, it was all off trail on tundra and talus.  The steep climb up Clinton was work, but the rest of the loop was pretty easy going. 

Mt. Democrat

Heading up Clinton

Quandary Peak from Clinton's summit

Looking down on Climax Mine from Clinton's summit

McNamee (right) and Trevor (left)

100th Summit - McNamee Peak

Traver Peak

Old junk left all over the place on these peaks from mining activity

Once we reached the summit of our third and final peak of the loop hike, I realized I forgot my camera on the McNamee peak's summit.  Doh!  Guess we have to repeat that one!  

There it is!

Not excited to hike to the top of Traver again for our 5th summit, we figured out a way to bail between the saddle between Traver and McNamee.  Then the long talus stroll back to Wheeler lake. 

Looking back

Wheeler Lake

Near the lake, there are some falls that we decided to call "Paradise Falls".  They may have an official name, but we don't care.  We will forever call them by our renamed name. 

Bald Mountain A - June, 2024

 Cami and I had a weekend away while our kids were visiting family in Nebraska.  Time to climb a mountain! We settled on Bald Mountain near Breckenridge thinking it would be a good warm up for the summer.  We weren't sure of the snow conditions, but figured because it is a west facing route, that the snow would be mostly melted.  This turned out to be the case and made for a pleasant hike.  The night before we took some shots of Breckenridge for kicks, then headed up to car camp at Hoosier Pass for some restless tossing and turning. 

Breckenridge at Night - Prints Avialable

Sunrise on Quandary

The gate was closed heading up to the summer trailhead which added .7 miles to the hike both ways on an easy dirt road.  The hike to reach the ridge was straightforward with just enough snow crossings to bring out a little complaining from Cami :).  Once we gained the ridge, the route became progressively more challenging leading up to some exciting little talus hops near the summit.  The wind was pretty strong for the entire time above treelike.  Cami ran out of steam and motivation before the summit, but made it quite a ways up there.   

This mountain had the perfect view for a panoramic image of the entirety of the Tenmile Range.  I put together a poster with all the peaks labeled with their elevations:

Tenmile Range with Peak Labels - Prints Available

Mt. Guyot

Mt. Silverheels

14ers

And the 360 panoramic summit video...  It was hard to keep the camera steady in the winds:

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

Fall Colors Trip 2021

 

This fall we took a quick trip to Lake City and Crested Butte to catch some golden aspens.  This area has been on my list for a few years and finally the smoke cleared from all the summer wildfires.  We had some stunning scenes.  Even the kids brought their Ipads with them to take some shots too!

5 Colorado Photography Locations You Can Drive To (No Hiking Required)

 

If you're photographing the high mountains of Colorado and don't really feel like going on a strenuous hike, you might want to look into a few locations that have easy access for your low clearance 2 wheel drive vehicle.  This might especially be true if you are visiting from near sea level.  Altitude sickness is a thing!  Here are of few of my favorite spots that you can shoot just by getting out of your car:

1.  Trail Ridge Road, Rocky Mountain National Park

 

Rocky Mountain National Park is a great place to visit.  If you want a true alpine experience above treeline, take the drive along trail ridge road.  Enjoy alpine wildflowers, unique rock formations and stunning views of Longs Peak and the Continental Divide.  All of this can be had from pull-offs along the road.  Keep in mind, there is a National Park fee and this place can get crowded on summer weekends.  

2. Chautauqua Park, Boulder

 

  

The city of Boulder sits along the base of the Front Range foothills a short drive from Denver. The most iconic features here are the Flatirons - huge rocky crags that shoot out from the landscape.  Great views can be seen from the entrance.  In fact, the above picture was taken standing in the parking lot!

3. Crested Butte

 

 Crested Butte is called the "Wildflower Capitol of Colorado".  A super neat town with abundant foliage and aspen groves all around it.  From here, you can literally just pick any road to drive down and see great views.  Kebler pass is a great spot in the fall.  It boasts the largest aspen grove in the country...err...world!

4. Dallas Divide

 

 

 The Sneffels Range near the historic town of Ouray is known as "Switzerland of America".  The mountains here are unique and jagged rising abruptly from the landscape below.  Taking Hwy 62 from Ridgway to Telluride goes along the Dallas Divide.  Prime country here.  You can't trespass onto this pasture land that is own by Ralph Lauren, but the best views are along the road anyway.  Once when standing here, I could hear elk bugling and cattle mooing at the same time.

5. Great Sand Dunes National Park

 

 

 Want to go to an ocean-less beach in the middle of the mountains?  The Great Sand Dunes are a true natural wonder.  The highest ones rise up to an elevation of 9,000 ft.  They are super fun to play in with kids, (or adults) but are a bit of a workout if you want to climb to the top.  No worries though, the prime photography spots are near the entrance to the park.  

Got any other easy access photography spots?  Let me know what else could be added to the list!