**Unfortunately, I am having trouble uploading photos to my blog from my phone, so please check out our Google photos drive if you are having trouble viewing them!** Neither of us had ever left the country before this trip, so when the Mexican border patrol ushered us through without even checking our passports in San Luis Rio Colorado, we were surprised to say the least. We left the agricultural area on the US side of the border into the bustling San Luis Rio Colorado. Overwhelmed by the busy streets and busy shops, we road through the city without stopping. We READ MORE
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Still in Yuma, AZ
Mark and I left Tucson well fed and rejuvenated. We stayed two nights near the city, one with a Warm Showers host, and another with a close friend’s parents. We enjoyed delicious home cooked meals and lots of interesting conversation. We rode out past the town of Sells on the Tohono O’odham reservation. We cruised miles as we enjoyed a gentle downhill and a wide shoulder. When we called the local police department to get info about camping on the reservation they told us we could camp alongside the roadway, but it was illegal to camp on their land. They READ MORE
On the Road
After I finished the Colorado trail, I set the bike aside for a month while Mark and I got married and prepped for our current trip! We had an incredible time at our wedding and are so thankful to all the friends and family who made it happen! We are now a week into our journey to Argentina and experiencing the usual highs and lows that come with the start of any trip. After spending so much time off the bike while we sewed bags and did other prep work for the trip, Mark and I have been struggling to READ MORE
Walk Ski Cycle: the Colorado Trail
This fall, I completed the highly un-coveted triple-crown of the Colorado trail. Upon completion of the mountain bike route, I have now skied, hiked, and biked the CT (a majority of the trail I have actually hiked twice where it follows the CDT)! While this achievement came more out of happenstance than predetermination, it has made for several incredible trips and inspired me to a lifetime of adventure. Living in Colorado, the access to the trail and the beauty that it boasts has kept it calling to me for the past couple years, and indeed, my time on trail has READ MORE
Not skiing Star Mountain
I had just gotten back into service after a week on the river when Mark mentioned the idea of getting our with Parker for another ski objective. I was immediately excited, and while I didn’t have any planning done for any particular ski line we had had success with last minute planning previously and I was stoked to get back on snow. We decided to ski Star Mountain, a popular peak amongst skiers off of independence pass, known for its many destructive avalanche chutes. Looking forward to a shorter objective, we decided to meet later than we usually do, aiming READ MORE
The Refrigerator Couloir: Ice Mountain
An aesthetic and intimidating couloir, the refrigerator cuts down the north face of Ice mountain in the Sawatch range. The group of peaks in this area–Mt. Huron and the Apostles to name a few– create dramatic and rugged ski lines, beckoning us back for more. After quite a few skis just the two of us, Mark and I were excited to get out with out good friend Parker for the first time this season. We decided to meet early so that we had good lighting for Parker to take photos and plenty of time to make it to the top READ MORE
The Crack Couloir on Tweto Peak
We woke up tired from our big effort on Huron, but Mark and I were ready to rally when our alarms sounded, not wanting to get caught up in the same warming snow we had seen the day prior. Mark and I had decided to take advantage of my last few days in Leadville to ski another nearby objective, Mount Tweto. We had first spotted the peak a few years before when we first exploring the areas around Leadville. This rarely discussed peak sits in the same drainage as Mount Arkansas, just a short drive up Fremont pass. It’s obvious READ MORE
Skiing Mount Huron’s East Face
Back in Leadville for one more weekend before making my transition down to Salida, Mark and I decided to make the most of it by attempting a few nearby ski objectives. Huron had caught our attention when we were skiing the Colorado Trail last Spring, and just a little ways south, it seemed like a great option. We made an early start knowing that it was a bit of an approach to get to the peak, but an emergency poop and a rougher than expected dirt road had us getting to the trailhead already behind schedule. In the springtime, the READ MORE
Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo.
Our ski mountaineering had come to an abrupt halt when Mark when back to work the first of May. I reached out to all my ski partners, but to my dismay they all had jobs and were busy at work. I took the time to myself to get back on the mountain bike and make plans for Mark’s first weekend off. Thankfully I didn’t have to wait too long to get back on the skis; when Friday rolled around Bart, Parker and I set off to ski Buffalo peak. Buffalo peak is a prominent peak in the southern end of READ MORE
Steep and Rocky: Skiing Mt Arkansas
In what was shaping up to be one of our best ski mountaineering seasons yet, Mark and I were excited to see another day of stable conditions before he started work for the summer season. We had enjoyed a great two weeks off together and were glad that we would be able to end it with another ski. Mount Arkansas sits at the top of the Arkansas river drainage, with a steep, skiable north face dubbed the “moonshine couloir” that is just a short jaunt from Leadville. Mark and I were excited to be attempting an objective close to home READ MORE