Scotts Bluff National Monument | Gering, NE | 05/20/21 It had never crossed my mind to visit Nebraska. Nebraska was just the state I drove through to get to other places, a flyover state full of flat cornfields and open prairie. This trip didn't start out much different. Diana and I were heading to the …
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Stone Mountain (7,625') | Viestenz-Smith Mountain Park Loveland, CO | 05/15/21 | 8.23 miles | 2,144' gain Stone Mountain is one of my favorite local peaks. I'd climbed it a few times before but not since the winter of '18-'19. It's amazing how much has changed in the past few years! I set out from …
Continue reading Stone Mountain (7,625′) | Colorado | 05/15/21
Estes Cone (11,006') | Rocky Mountain National Park Estes Park, CO | 05/08/21 | 6.71 miles | 2,003' gain In an effort to avoid a ton of fresh snow, Diana and I searched for a hike that was missed by a recent spring snowstorm. The Estes Park area seemed to be outside the storm's reach, …
Coulson Gulch | Roosevelt National Forest Lyons, CO | 05/06/21 | 6.12 miles | 1,070' gain Coulson Gulch had been on my list for a long time. I'd originally planned to hike just the standard six-mile out & back trail, but after some further research, it looked like I could complete a loop around North …
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park: South Rim Overlooks Montrose, CO | 05/02/21 On my way home from Montrose, I wanted to stop at Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. Of Colorado's four (4) National Parks, Black Canyon was the only one I hadn't yet visited, so it was a high priority. Since …
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Ouray Perimeter Trail | Uncompahgre National Forest Ouray, CO | 05/01/21 | 6.36 miles | 1,763' gain Allie and I decided to spend our only full day together in Ouray; hiking, eating, and warm spring soaking. We'd both done a bit of hiking around town but neither of us had completed the Ouray Perimeter Trail, …
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Big Dominguez Canyon | Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation Area Whitewater, CO | 04/30/21 | 5.71 miles | 215' gain Shortly after our Texas/New Mexico trip, my friend Allie moved to western Colorado for her new job in Telluride. While it sucked that she was now six hours away, a fun bonus was that I could come …
Red Mountain Loop | Red Mountain Open Space Wellington, CO | 04/18/21 | 7.78 miles | 899' gain I've come to enjoy my winter hikes at Red Mountain Open Space. This would be my third visit and the last one needed to have hiked every trail. Most people probably wouldn't think to head to the …
Mahogany Loop | Soapstone Prairie Natural Area Wellington, CO | 04/08/21 | 8.59 miles | 704' gain After returning from an awesome trip to Texas and New Mexico, I was back to the grind of work and bland winter hiking. I was ready for green grass and colorful flowers, and sick of the endless brown …
Dripping Springs Trail | Organ Mountains - Desert Peaks National Monument Las Cruces, NM | 04/04/21 | 3.99 miles | 1,187' gain We decided to take it easy on the last day of our trip; sleep in, hike a little, and then slowly make our way back down to El Paso for our 6pm flight. …
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Colorado Chelsea 