Elk Falls | Staunton State Park Pine Junction, CO | 06/10/21 | 11.98 miles | 1,806' gain It's not too often that I hike to a waterfall, so I was excited to finally get up to Elk Falls with Diana. (It'd only been on my to-do list for years.) As far as Colorado waterfalls go, …
We decided to take it easy on Sunday and explore some of the local sites near Allie's parents' house in Alma. First up was the Magnolia Mill and Montgomery Reservoir. This site is right off Highway 9 between Alma and Breckenridge, just below Hoosier Pass. I have driven past countless times without stopping, but it's …
Continue reading The Magnolia Mill & Montgomery Reservoir | Colorado | 06/06/21
Chicago Lakes | Mount Evans Wilderness & Arapaho National Forest Idaho Springs, CO | 06/03/21 | 10.04 miles | 1,862' gain Mid-June typically marks my transition from low-elevation winter hikes to high-elevation summer hikes. There's usually still a bit of snow to contend with, but this spring was pretty dry and early June was already …
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
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
Colorado Chelsea 