Twig Adventures

LT Day 1: Journey’s End

September 23, 2020 kaulua26 Long Trail

Wed, Sept 23, 2020 , 0645-1800 Journey’s End Trailhead to Hazen’s Notch Camp, SOBO LT mile 17 18.6 miles 7100 gain, 6400 loss We had to be out the door and on our way to the Canadian border by 0530 am. This wasn’t just for our benefit, our hosts had very busy and productive lives and needed to attend a zoom work meeting at 0830 am. Luckily the 1.5 hr drive to the border went well and we were ready to start at the trailhead before 7 am. It was still a bit dark, this being my earliest first day start since 2017 on the Colorado Trail. I didn’t get a good night’s sleep the previous 2 nights and felt[…]

LT Introduction & Pre-planning

September 22, 2020 kaulua26 Long Trail

2020 was a bust for many thru-hiking plans, including my own for the Appalachian Trail. By late summer, I reasoned that if I couldn’t hike the whole AT, 100 miles of it was better than nothing. This is the part it shares with the Long Trail (LT). The LT is 273 miles, running the length of the Green Mountains from the Canadian border to Massachusetts. It was the first long distance, continuous footpath that was purposely designed. Built by the Green Mountain Club between 1910 – 1930, it later became the inspiration for the AT. In following, the AT incorporated 100 miles of the LT as it was routed through Vermont (much like how the CDT and CT ‘share’ sections[…]

#20 of 20: Longs Peak 14,255′

August 19, 2020 kaulua26 14ers, Short Hikes

05:00-15:00, Wednesday, 8-19-20 CO 14ers: 25 of 53 Distance RT: 15 miles Elevation gain/loss: 5,100′ Starting Elevation: 9,400′ Summit: 14,255′ Rank: 15 of 53 Location: Front Range, NW of Boulder Route: Keyhole, Class 3 My final 14er of 2020 was a fitting one. I started the season with one of the biggest challenges, in terms of distance and elevation gain: Pikes Peak. I finished on an equally challenging peak, which was also probably my favorite hike the whole season…that’s saying a lot. Interestingly, Longs and Pikes Peak share a connection in that they both sit on the front range, rising over 9,000 feet above the Great Plains. It’s this similarity that resulted in the naming of Longs Peak. In 1820,[…]

#19 of 20: Quandary Peak 14,265′

August 18, 2020 kaulua26 14ers, Short Hikes

06:30-11:30, Tuesday, 8-18-20 CO 14ers: 24 of 53 Distance RT: 6.75 miles Elevation gain/loss: 3,450′ Starting Elevation: 10,850′ Summit: 14,265′ Rank: 13 of 53 Location: Tenmile Range, south of Breckenridge Route: East Ridge, Class 1 This will be a short post, since so too was the hike. As had been our style all summer, we came up with plans the day before. After regrouping briefly in Buena Vista, we decided to go for an easy hike the next morning. Yes, easy as 14ers can get, that is. We also had to be cognizant of the wildfires that were starting to blaze throughout the state. Several 14ers were inaccessible due to road closures on I-70 and 82. We considered Mt. Sherman[…]

#17 & #18 of 20: Mt Columbia 14,073′ & Mt Harvard 14,420′

August 17, 2020 kaulua26 14ers, Short Hikes

06:30-15:30, Monday, 8-17-20 CO 14ers: 22 & 23 of 53 Distance RT: 15 miles Elevation gain/loss: 6,100′ Starting Elevation: 9,900′ Summits: 14,073′ & 14,420′ Rank: 35 & 3 of 53 Location: Sawatch Range, Collegiate Peaks, west of Buena Vista Route: N. Cottonwood Creek Trail to west slopes of Columbia, north and east on ridge to Harvard, back down the south slopes, counterclockwise, Class 2 After a week away from 14ers, we were ready for some more. I joined Sandy and TS the day before in Buena Vista, where we did some tubing on the Arkansas River park rapids. We’d found the tube on a hike down Grape Creek, outside of Canon City, a few days prior. We’d taken it to[…]

#15 & #16 of 20: Challenger Point 14,081′ & Kit Carson Peak 14,165′

August 10, 2020 kaulua26 14ers, Short Hikes

06:00-15:00, Monday, 8-10-20CO 14ers: 20 & 21 of 53Distance RT: 15.5 milesElevation gain/loss: 6,250′Starting Elevation: 8,850′Summits: 14,081′ & 14,165′Rank: *33-34 & 23 of 53 * Challenger Point doesn’t meet the standard of being a separate peak, but I’ve included it in my count.Location: Central Sangre De Cristos Range, east of CrestoneRoute: Willow Lake Trail to the North Slope of Challenger Point, along the Kit Carson Avenue to Kit Carson Peak, Easy Class 3 Leaving Blanca behind, one thing was sure: I didn’t have the energy to do another 14er the very next day. Like the week before, 2 days in a row was fine, but not 3. We headed to the tiny hamlet of Crestone to regroup and get a[…]

#13 & #14 of 20: Blanca Peak 14,345′ & Ellingwood Point 14,042′

August 8, 2020 kaulua26 14ers, Short Hikes

06:00-15:00, Saturday, 8-08-20 CO 14ers: 18 & 19 of 53 Distance RT: 18 miles Elevation gain/loss: 6,800′ Starting Elevation: 8,000′ Summits: 14,345′ & 14,042′ Rank: 4 & 43 of 53 Location: Southern Sangre De Cristos Range, east of Alamosa Route: Lake Como 4WD road to the Northwest Ridge of Blanca, then South Face of Ellingwood, difficult Class 2 After driving a few hours to basically get from the eastern side of the Blanca/Lindsey massif to the western side, with a stop for an early dinner in between, we were staged for a repeat performance. We would hike 5.5 miles up a 4WD road, then conquer the peaks the next morning. The standard routes for the three 14ers in the Blanca[…]

#12 of 20: Mt. Lindsey 14,042′

August 7, 2020 kaulua26 14ers, Short Hikes

06:30-13:00, Friday, 8-07-20 CO 14ers: 17 of 53 Distance RT: 13 miles Elevation gain/loss: 3,500′ Starting Elevation: 10,700′ Summit: 14,042′ Rank: 42 of 53 Location: Southern Sangre De Cristos Range, southwest of Gardner Route: CR 580 to Upper Huerfano/Lily Lake Trailhead to the Northwest Gully, easy Class 3 Sandy and TS decided to extend their vacation in CO, as there was still plenty to explore. We shifted our focus to the Sangre De Cristo range, with a visit to Jolly Rancher in Rosita and some 14ers to the south. We spent a night at JR’s awesome place for a nice night talking trail. Sandy, TS, JR and Me, showing off our hiker legs! The next day we headed south, taking[…]

#11 of 20: Mt. Yale 14,196′ & Trail Angels on the CT/CDT

August 2, 2020 kaulua26 14ers, Colorado Trail, Continental Divide Trail, Short Hikes

06:30-13:00, Sunday, 8-02-20 CO 14ers: 16 of 53 Distance RT: 10 miles Elevation gain/loss: 5,000′ Starting Elevation: 9,400′ Summit: 14,196′ Rank: 21 of 53 Location: Sawatch Range, Collegiate Peaks, west of Buena Vista Route: Avalanche Trailhead, north on CT, up East Ridge, down Southwest Slopes to Denny Creek Trailhead/HWY 306, Class 2. I was feeling pretty good after our marathon of 5 14ers in 2 days, that is until the 3rd day. Then I felt like this: After Bierstadt and Evans, we decided to head for Buena Vista for the night. The plan was to hike one of the Collegiate Peaks the next day. After dinner and a night tenting at a KOA, none of us were too excited about[…]

#9 & #10 of 20: Mt. Bierstadt 14,060′ & Mt. Evans/Blue Sky 14,264′

July 31, 2020 kaulua26 14ers, Short Hikes

06:00-14:00, Friday, 7-31-20CO 14ers: 14 & 15 of 53Distance RT: 10.25 milesElevation gain/loss: 3,900′Starting Elevation: 11,699′Summits: 14,060′ & 14,264′Rank: 38 & 14 of 53Location: Front Range, Guanella Pass Scenic Byway between Bailey and GeorgetownRoute: Mt Bierstadt West slope to Sawtooth ridge to Mt Blue Sky, back down through Scott Gomer creek gully, mostly class 2, Sawtooth section is briefly Class 3. After a sweet ‘3 for’, it was time for another ‘2 for’. To put things into perspective, it took me years to work up to my first 5 14ers, then months to do the next 5. With this series (the DeCaLiBron the day before), I knocked out 5 in 2 days! This combo route involved a pretty easy hike[…]