White Butte (3,506') | Little Missouri National Grassland Bowman, ND | 05/21/21 | 3.44 miles | 451' gain We had a little bit of a rough start to our trip, but hopes were high that the weather would improve and allow us to do some high-pointing. After all, Diana and I had planned this trip …
Continue reading White Butte (3,506′) | North Dakota’s State High Point | 05/21/21
Toadstool Geologic Park Interpretive Loop | Oglala National Grassland Harrison, NE | 05/20/21 | 1.07 miles | 89' gain Phew, what a day. Diana and I had driven up through Nebraska, visiting both Scotts Bluff and Agate Fossil Beds National Monuments. We had one more planned stop just before the South Dakota border and we …
Continue reading Toadstool Geologic Park | Nebraska | 05/20/21
Agate Fossil Beds National Monument | Harrison, NE | 05/20/21 After a short drive from Scotts Bluff, Diana and I reached our next stop: Agate Fossil Beds National Monument. Our history tour was moving from ~150-200 years ago on the Oregon Trail to ~19-20 million years ago when large prehistoric mammals roamed this land. Back …
Continue reading Agate Fossil Beds National Monument | Nebraska | 05/20/21
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 …
Continue reading Scotts Bluff National Monument | Nebraska | 05/20/21
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 …
Continue reading Black Canyon of the Gunnison: South Rim Overlooks | Colorado | 05/02/21
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, …
Continue reading Ouray Perimeter Trail | Colorado | 05/01/21
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 …
Colorado Chelsea 