Category: Travel

  • The San Juans Never Disappoint: Handies Peak

    The San Juans Never Disappoint: Handies Peak

    The San Juans never disappoint. Before heading back home, we wanted to hike one more 14er and we chose Handies Peak. With the recent snow and potential for more snow today, we wanted to hike something less likely to be affected which meant the Southwest slopes route would be perfect. We were in for a treat!…

  • Sunshine Peak and Redcloud Peak: A Snowy Trek!

    Sunshine Peak and Redcloud Peak: A Snowy Trek!

    There is snow in Colorado in September – but if we want to hike twenty 14ers this season, we can’t let a little snow stop us, right? Sunshine and Redcloud Peaks, here we come! This weekend we headed to Lake City, Co, a VERY tiny mountain town out in the middle of nowhere. Now, I…

  • The Summit Life Store is Live!

    Well, I finally did it. I launched my first retail business, Summit Life. I have fallen in love with Colorado so much. Just being outdoors every chance I get inspired me to design apparel, pet items, and other things outdoor and 14er-related! I would love feedback on the items offered including things you would like…

  • The 4WD Road from Hell to Mount Antero

    I am not going to sugarcoat it at all. The Mount Antero (#278 and #288 Jeep Road) 4WD road is pure hell. We drive a Ram Rebel with air lift, descent control, and all kinds of bells and whistles and this drive up and down was AWFUL. We research the 14ers before we go. We…

  • Mount Princeton: Not Just a Pile of Rocks

    I read recently that people sometimes call Mount Princeton “a pile of rocks”. After seeing this, I assumed the hike would be uneventful, boring, and just one “to do and be done”. While yes, there are LOTS of rocks to negotiate for at least 50% of the hike, there is more to Mount Princeton! First,…

  • The Double: Mount Shavano and Tabeguache Peak

    There are some 14ers that are great to tag together and one of those pairs is Mount Shavano and Tabeguache Peak, just outside of Poncha Springs, CO. This hike is no joke – it took us right at 10 hours, 5600’ of elevation gain and 12 miles. We luckily had a bluebird day and only…

  • There is No Easy 14er

    Let me repeat that. There is no easy 14er. Yes – it is true. I read this on the 14ers.com website and I wasn’t sure what to think about it at first. Now I do. This last weekend we hit Mount Elbert, the highest peak in Colorado at 14,438’ (and second highest in the contiguous U.S.).…

  • How to Prepare to Hike a 14er

    How to Prepare to Hike a 14er

    If you are new to 14ers (or any higher elevation hiking), knowing what to pack and what to wear can be overwhelming! I am going to take you through how to prepare to hike a 14er. When we did our first 14er (Grays Peak), we were not ready. We had a general idea and had…

  • Pikes Peak has Donuts! 

    Because the weather looked ideal, we decided to head up Pikes Peak rather than taking a weekend off to take care of house stuff. Who says we have to adult? There are two main routes: Barr Trail which is a Class 1 but 24 miles roundtrip and then there is Crags Trail via Devil’s Playground which is a Class…

  • Time to Celebrate: DeCaliBron 14er Route is Open!

    On Thursday, July 27, we received word that the three closed 14ers, Mount Democrat, Mount Cameron and Mount Lincoln in Alma, CO have been opened via a waiver system through the end of this years’ climbing season. Mount Bross, part of the four 14er route is still closed, but there is a bypass trail that gets…