Press "Enter" to skip to content

Tag: clouds

The Flat Tops: Trappers Lake to Big Marvine PeakThe Flat Tops: Trappers Lake to Big Marvine Peak

The Flat Tops: Trappers Lake to Big Marvine Peak

Flat Tops Wilderness | Friday – Saturday, June 19-20, 2026

This year for the Juneteenth holiday Jackson and I headed up into the Flat Tops Wilderness for a quick overnight backpacking trip so I could finally hike to the summit of Big Marvine Peak, which is something I’ve wanted to do since the first time I laid eyes on that peak jutting out from the top of the plateau from a distance. I had actually planned to hike to Big Marvine Peak with Diane when we backpacked to the Marvine Lakes about three years ago, but things didn’t quite go as planned on that trip and we ended up just staying in the Marvine Creek drainage, so I was looking forward to trying again, but this time coming from the opposite direction. We left home early on Friday morning and made our way to Meeker, then followed the Flat Tops Trail along the White River to the Wall Lake Trailhead located just above Trappers Lake, where we began our hike.

CONTINUE READINGThe Flat Tops: Trappers Lake to Big Marvine Peak
1 Comment
La Plata Mountains and the Jersey Jim Fire LookoutLa Plata Mountains and the Jersey Jim Fire Lookout

La Plata Mountains and the Jersey Jim Fire Lookout

Overlooking the Four Corners | Friday – Sunday, June 12-14, 2026

A few weeks ago I was able to reserve a night at the Jersey Jim Fire Lookout Tower when the reservation system was moved over to Recreation.gov without very much notice. Diane was not able to come with me on my previous visit to the Fire Tower and I have wanted to take her back ever since, so we planned an extended weekend in the La Plata Mountains around this stay. It’s kind of hard to believe that it has been almost six years since my last visit to the La Platas, so I was definitely overdue for a return! We left home early on Friday morning and took the San Juan Skyway over Lizard Head Pass to Rico and then followed the Dolores River to Hillside Drive which we turned up and followed to the end. From the end of the road we hiked up the Hillside Connector Trail and Grindstone Trail until we reached the Highline Trail, which is part of The Colorado Trail, and then followed it across the top of Indian Trail Ridge.

CONTINUE READINGLa Plata Mountains and the Jersey Jim Fire Lookout
2 Comments
The Gunnison River: Tongue Creek to Crane LandingThe Gunnison River: Tongue Creek to Crane Landing

The Gunnison River: Tongue Creek to Crane Landing

Saturday, May 30, 2026 | Average CFS: 695

This morning Jackson and I headed over to Delta so we could float the last remaining section of the Gunnison River below the Black Canyon that I had not been on yet. Although Jackson and Chris had actually floated this short section of the river a few years ago, I was unavailable the day they went and have been trying to get back ever since. While I really only needed to float the section from the Highway 65 Bridge to Confluence Park, Delta County constructed a new boat ramp a few miles further downstream just a couple of years ago and we thought it would be a good idea to extend the trip a little bit and take out there. Since this would be a pretty short and easy day trip, we decided to skip the inflatable kayaks and just bring our packrafts to make things a little easier. I met up with Jackson and his son Ken at the Crane Landing Boat Ramp by 9:00am and then we took Jackson’s car up to the put-in just below the Highway 65 Bridge.

CONTINUE READINGThe Gunnison River: Tongue Creek to Crane Landing
Leave a Comment
The Uncompahgre Plateau to the Gunnison GorgeThe Uncompahgre Plateau to the Gunnison Gorge

The Uncompahgre Plateau to the Gunnison Gorge

Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area | Friday – Saturday, April 24-25, 2026

Since we just drove home from Arizona this past weekend and I’ll be leaving for Las Vegas early on Thursday morning, I thought it would be a good idea to stay closer to home this weekend and hike a few more sections of the trails found within the Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area, especially since my last trip to the Gunnison Gorge was cut short earlier in the month when I was still battling a bad cold. The weather was calling for rain to begin overnight on Saturday and continue throughout Sunday, so I figured I would just head out after work on Friday for a quick overnighter and come home later on Saturday. I left from work on Friday afternoon, grabbed a quick dinner in Delta and then decided to go on a few short hikes along the foot of the Uncompahgre Plateau before heading over to find a campsite near the Gunnison Gorge.

CONTINUE READINGThe Uncompahgre Plateau to the Gunnison Gorge
Leave a Comment
Above the Clouds on the Island in the SkyAbove the Clouds on the Island in the Sky

Above the Clouds on the Island in the Sky

Island in the Sky | Sunday, January 4, 2026

After finishing up my hike in Hunter Canyon early on Sunday morning and then driving back out of Kane Springs Canyon I was just about ready to head back home, but then I thought it might be interesting to drive up onto the Island in the Sky to see if I could get above the clouds that I had been hiking beneath all weekend, so that’s where I headed instead. When I first made it into Canyonlands National Park it seemed like the low clouds on the Colorado River side of the park had mostly subsided already, except closer to Moab where I had just been hiking, but thankfully there were still plenty to be found on the Green River side! These are a few photos I took along the way as I stopped at many of the overlooks this afternoon.

CONTINUE READINGAbove the Clouds on the Island in the Sky
12 Comments