Searching for Home

In early October our adventure went through sharp transition.  The signs were everywhere, winter was coming.  Life in the van and on the trail was going  to get real cold very soon.  Initially I thought we'd spend a leisurely month exploring Colorado and down into New Mexico looking for places to live eventually settling in sometime in late November.  It was obvious that the time to pick a ski town was sooner that later.  If we waited too long not only would we be spending some very cold nights at 10,000 feet but all the good jobs and places to live would be snatched up.

We rolled into Wellington to visit Gavin & Sheila at their new house. Wellington was sunny and warm and we just moseyed  around town exploring good places to eat and the pumpkin patch.  Their new house is incredible and we had lots of time to visit and prepare for the next phase of the journey.

I'd been working on a list since summer so we had some idea of where to start but there are just so many good options deciding on the one would be difficult.  Fortunately, several friends we would visit while in Colorado were not shy about advice or opinions on the best place to spend the winter.  Among the top candidates were - Wolf Creek, Carbondale (Aspen), Crested Butte, Telluride, Taos, Jackson and Squaw.

After Wellington we made a few stops in the Boulder/Nederland area, not because Boulder is high on the list, the Front Range seems too crowded, but that's where many of our friends are.  We were treated to some amazing hiking, free mountain biking (thanks Dale & Staci), a little town action in Boulder and lots of hospitality from everyone we were able to meet - Thank you all!  Despite the dense population in the area I was very impressed with all the cool stuff going on.  If someday we need to move back to a bigger city Boulder will certainly be on the list of candidates.

Front Range Hiking

The next consideration was Carbondale with Aspen close by.  Charlie & Elizabeth were very generous to host us for several days and show us all the great parts of their town.  It's a low key small town with great mtb riding nearby, hot springs on the river, beautiful mountains all around, 4 world class fly-fishing rivers and of course Aspen.  It was hard not to plant ourselves right then but gut instinct said, keep looking.

Charlie ripping Red Hill

As we crossed Kebler Pass through the largest aspen grove in Colorado (considered to be a single organism, one of the largest in the world) we were were back on familiar ground - dirt roads winding slowly through amazing mountain scenery with limitless opportunities to stop and explore.  We woke up in a campground near Crested Butte to fresh flakes.  As we went into town and flakes continued to fall both of us knew this could be a sign.

Fist Snow in Crested Butte

It took us a while to make the decision because there were still a number of places high on the list we hadn't explored.  Wolf Creek gets incredible snow, more than any resort in Colorado.  Telluride has amazing terrain and a cool town.  Taos is supposed to be in the El Nino path this year.  But we were starting to feel pressure.  Rooms were being rented quickly.  Hiring for the season was nearing a close.  Snowfall was beginning to pile up.

We spent some time exploring town, talking to friends, looking at available housing and everything was in our favor.  The mountain looks like a play ground!  One third of the terrain is designated "extreme limits" which just shouts adventure skiing.  I'm sure there will be "crowded" days but nothing compared to Alpy on a pow morning.  Snowfall was a big question mark (300in annual) but the El Nino forecast is promising for this area and locals claim the backcountry gets significantly more snow because Mt. CB is actually in a rain shadow.  Housing was available and affordable.  We may need to bring in a roommate to keep expenses low but we are far from the 10 person houses I lived at during college.  Ski town jobs seem to be in good supply.  We just need to seek out the ones that have higher pay.  The town is small and quaint.  We are already running into people we've met at different places.  We have some local connections here, friends from past adventures.  And the valley is full of opportunities - limitless backountry, nordic in town, a plethora of rivers, biking here & down valley (where it's warmer) and countless other activities.

Our new home

The details go on and on but that's the sum of factors that influenced our final decision.  As for the others on the list,  well, I can justify each; Wolf Cr. - mountain is far from town & somewhat flat, Telluride is expensive, Squaw will be a mad house, Taos has limited BC and so on.  Could there be a better place for us?  Maybe.  But I'll bet it's like most things, not better just different.  We will be very happy here in Crested Butte.

Mt. CB

Off the Beaten Path in Wyoming & Utah

It was late September and we'd been on the road for almost a month.  We hiked over 150 miles and drove many more exploring Canada and into Idaho.  I can count the number of showers between the two of us on one hand.  We'd only splurged on a hotel once in that time despite all the wet weather and that was for our anniversary.  It was time for some much needed travelers rest.  A timeshare was available in Bear Lake, UT, thanks to Mom, and we headed south.  It's not the most exciting spot but all we really wanted to do was nothing.  It was perfect for that.

It was also the perfect staging point for the next adventure.  It's hard to believe but my feet have walked this earth for 40 years now.  A major milestone like that deserves some sort of celebration or event or festival.  Getting drunk with a bunch of hunters, the only other people in the woods right now, was not my idea of a grand celebration.  I needed something with more meaning.  I felt the need to prove I wasn't old yet.

Route to Kings

The idea of hiking 40k on my birthday had been growing in my mind for awhile.  Utah had the ideal objective.  13+ miles to the top, enough to cover the 40k and the highest point in the state at 13,512ft - Kings Peak.  The perfect spot for my little mission.

Kings Peak - Half Way Home

I would do this one solo.  Laurel could have done it but the pseudo-masochistic nature of this climb isn't something she was very excited about.  I started early and completed the climb in under 12 hours.  The 6k of vert. along with a couple miles of lose rock slowed things down significantly but overall I felt pretty good at the end.  And as if 40k wasn't enough I finished up with another 40, a 40 of Bud, the only 40 available in Mountain View Wyoming.  Sore legs and a belly full of beer were a happy way to enter my 40th year.

Another 40

From Kings Peak we slowly made our way East.  The (damned) Flaming Gorge is a place we'd never been before but the descriptions from Powell's expeditions peaked our interest.   We were treated to brilliant sunrises and plentiful wildlife.  Deer & sheep roam the plateau above the gorge, Kokanee spawn in the side creeks and we even saw a badger waddling through the pine forest.

Sheep Above Flaming Gorge

Following the Green below the (damn) dam the water quickly turned muddy with streams swollen from rain.  This made for poor fishing but our camp was amazing.  The only inhabitants of the campground were cute rabbits and some amazing Juniper trees.

Bumping from the Green to the Little Snake we followed it downstream to the Yampa.  The Yampa enters Dinosaur National Monument through a gateway similar to the Gates of Lodore but without the cool name.  Access to the canyon was cut off by steep cliff and so we settled for a short hike and moved on toward Steamboat.

Yampa on it's way into Dinosaur

To keep with our philosophy of exploring new places, instead of the direct route through Steamboat, we struck north into Wyoming. There are a few tiny splotches of green on the map just north of the Colorado boarder but we discovered they held a little known wilderness area (Huston Wilderness) and a small but amazing set of peaks and lakes - the Snowy Range.

Snowy Range

Cutthroat at 12,000ft

Sawtooths, Exploration by Moonlight

The plan on this trip was to explore new places.  We specifically chose a path that would take us into parts of North America we hadn't seen yet.  Our fishing trip was a slight deviation from that plan.  It is familiar country to me but we accepted some retracing because Laurel hadn't been there and the hot springs exploration made for new discoveries.

Staring at the Sawtooth Mountains from Stanley with fair weather in the forecast it was hard to resist the urge not to cross old ground again.  The pull of these mountains is too great and we signed up for a few more nights among the jagged peaks, via an unexplored route, or so we thought.

On our way to the trailhead, headed south on 75 with full supplies and the Sawtooth Mountains backlit by the evening sun we arrived at an historic moment.  Our trusty steed rolled 150,000 miles.  I can't say enough good things about her or thank my parents enough for loaning her to us.  She has been a rock solid base camp on many adventures and I'm sure she will continue to be with us for many more.

150,000 Miles

The next morning as we walked up the valley from Yellowbelly Lake things started to look familiar.  I saw views that I recall from the past.  The trail had a familiar feel to it.  Even the trees looked like we'd seem them before.  So maybe I'm getting old and forgetful or maybe I didn't pay enough attention the last time but it felt like we were retracing old footsteps.  At the top of Sand Mountain Pass we were sure of it.  An old stump on the pass made a good picture spot and past photos confirmed we had the same thought the last time.

Sand Mountain Pass - 2015

Sand Mountain Pass - 2010

From that point we selected a new route.  A route that would take us deeper into the range.  Now we were on new ground.

For 3 days we explored new lakes and peaks under a full moon.  For 3 days we didn't see another soul.  I consider that to be a special experience.  There are not many places in the continental US where you can be totally separated from other humans for days at a time.  And yes, someday we will go back even if there's some retracing involved.

Edith Under a Full Moon

Below Glens Peak