Engineer Mountain, a 12,968-foot peak rising just north of the Purgatory/Durango Mountain ski resort, is nestled in the San Juan Mountain Range, between the towns of Durango and Silverton, Colorado. Engineer Mountain shows off striking good looks, amazing geology, and incredible hiking access. A challenging 13 mile out-and-back trail from Coal Bank Hill off U.S. …
The Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve is a hiking, photography, and ecological wonderland. The park holds the tallest largest dunes in North America (some reaching over 750 feet in height!), has a seasonally flowing stream, and numerous access points. Biggest sandbox around! Geology The following is an excerpt from Colorado Rocks. Check the …
This past weekend we ventured to White Sands National Park. The park is famous for its sparkling white sand dunes, which exist in the middle of the southern New Mexico desert. I'll talk a bit about kid-organization, and a bit about the geology of White Sands.
The best time of year. I'm spending as much time in the woods as I can, catching the changing seasons and savoring the cooler temperatures. This past weekend we did a 'divide and conquer' hike, with me and kids starting a hike in an aspen wonderland, then returning to the car while my husband hiked …
Our eldest daughter asked to climb a fourteener for her 10th birthday. This quickly progressed to a "14er Project" with the goal of climbing 14 Fourteeners by the time she was 14. We climbed Mt. Yale as our first mountain peak, and had a great time.
I hiked Mt. Whitney a couple of weeks ago in late August, and have spent the past two weeks basking in the glory of topping the tallest mountain in the contiguous 48 states (also, letting my calves recover, and getting into the back-to-school routine with my children). The hike was marvelous. It was long, gorgeous, …
As I’ve been training for my Mt. Whitney hike, which will take place later this month, I’ve been doing a lot of hiking. One of the questions I get most often both from runners and hikers is how to prevent blisters. I have bony, narrow feet. In particular, one of the things that I need …
What you eat before, during, and after a long day hike has a huge impact on how your hike goes. Ideally, you want to be optimally fueled so as to have an awesome, energy-filled hike and quick recovery after your long effort. Hiking food and distance running fuel look a lot alike in basic nutritional …
As mentioned in a previous post, I’m preparing to hike Mt. Whitney in late August. I’m really excited about this adventure, and am spending a lot of time thinking about how to best prepare myself for the hike. To recap, we have a 24 hour permit, so we need to hike the 22-mile, 6,000 foot …
I am excited to be planning to hike Mt. Whitney this August! Mt. Whitney is the highest peak in the contiguous 48 states, reaching 14,505 feet elevation, and is a major "bucket list" item for many hikers. I am so lucky to get a chance to climb this peak: One of my friends from college drew a permit and invited me to join her group. How to prepare for this adventure? The two biggest challenges I see a major need to train for are 1) the time on my feet (12-14 hours hiking is a long time!) and 2) to be walking on an unstable surface for that length of time/distance.