A Great Crew, Great Work, and Fourth of July in the Wilderness

After two long, eight-day work hitches in the backcountry, I could not be happier with the work our crew has accomplished thus far. We have completed some great staircases, beautiful walls, and cut lots of new tread. The new trail is coming together quickly and I hope...

Not a 9-to-5 kind of gig

4 A.M. I wake up. Slam a cup of coffee. Pull on my work boots. I count in minutes, seconds, moments, shades of skylight. But, I find that often time is something that cannot be reduced down to a stopwatch; rather it is cataloged and recorded out here in rock steps,...

Why We Hike Mountains

Over the last several weeks I’m getting to know a different type of mountain-goer than I am used too: the peak bagger. While I will often look at a distant peak and have a strong internal urge to stand on top of it, I had never kept track of which mountains I’ve...

Photographing Your Climbs

How to take better photos in the mountains. It would seem that taking great pictures on Colorado’s Fourteeners would be an easy thing to do given the natural beauty of the landscape.  But that’s not always the case. If you’ve ever reviewed your...

My Day’s Location is Solely Based on the Sun

We hike in, lopping branches the whole day, arms length for the horses. It is nearly 6 p.m. and we woke at 5 a.m. in order to catch the train from Durango to Needleton. We slowly make our way deeper in, feeling the heat radiate through our clothes and into our pores....