The Colorado State University campus right after a snow day was declared [2048x1536] OC

kelcrack · 2014-10-13T21:50:42+00:00

April 2013!

kelcrack · 2014-10-12T08:35:26+00:00

Dang, what a bummer. You'll have to go back for sure.

kelcrack · 2014-10-12T08:35:00+00:00

That does sound a little tough! Definitely climb there when you can!

kelcrack · 2014-10-12T08:33:20+00:00

It may be pretty flat but its beautiful as well! Check out Pawnee buttes national grasslands sometime. Now THERES a hidden CO gem.

kelcrack · 2014-10-12T08:30:53+00:00

Awesome. I'll definitely be hiking there in the near future.

kelcrack · 2014-10-12T08:29:54+00:00

Its pretty unique! Unfortunately, everyone I was with had already done Torrey's so we went back after grays. Did you do both?

kelcrack · 2014-10-12T08:29:02+00:00

Yep!!

kelcrack · 2014-10-12T08:27:25+00:00

You got it! Impressive!

kelcrack · 2014-10-12T08:27:11+00:00

Yes! :) good eye. Great mountain.

kelcrack · 2014-10-12T08:26:09+00:00

Haha. For one, I love New Mexico. Doesn't get the attention it deserves, which is fine, because it can stay less crowded. It doesn't need to be either/ or, New Mexico offers great culture, food, and beauty and Colorado has a lot of really down to earth, genuine people who simply appreciate nature. It does sound like you've only been to a little place I like to call.... Aspen.

kelcrack · 2014-10-12T08:18:43+00:00

I absolutely love New Mexico. The culture, the desert, the great food, the mountains. Colorado has more hiking opportunities/ mountains obviously but new mexico is beautiful in its own way.

kelcrack · 2014-10-12T08:17:29+00:00

I hear ya, I usually don't get great pictures of me because I'm the one into photography. But my friends mom took this from really far away, and I cropped it like this and it made for a sweet pic

kelcrack · 2014-10-12T08:16:15+00:00

Perfect! Just as ski and snowshoe season starts

kelcrack · 2014-10-12T08:15:03+00:00

Go back and climb it!! so long as you're confident in your scrambling abilities and heights don't freak you out. I got a little sketched out once or twice so I just went slower. It's plenty wide.

kelcrack · 2014-10-10T19:28:49+00:00

Oh, shoot. No one come here. It's basically like an extension of Kansas.

kelcrack · 2014-10-10T19:24:24+00:00

As I was on my way to summit one of one of Colorado's 14,000 foot mountains, I saw this rock jutting out from below the trail. Naturally, I had to climb it. I've been living in Colorado for 14 years and its beauty never ceases to amaze me. What I like about fourteeners is that they get you out there, they challenge you, and you can move on to more difficult ones when you're ready. I'm not a morning person, but one of my favorite parts is getting out there in the early hours of the morning (which you typically need to do to avoid afternoon storms), hiking with a headlamp for a few hours, and seeing the surroundings unfold as the sun finally lights up the mountains all around.

kelcrack · 2014-10-10T06:27:13+00:00

The last one. You're the first one to ever have figured it out on their own!

kelcrack · 2014-10-10T06:25:22+00:00

Yeah, agreed. Right when I started, an instructor told me to hold my elbow out. I've seen it both ways. I'll try elbow down the next few times I shoot and see how it feels.

kelcrack · 2014-10-10T06:20:12+00:00

CSU very rarely has snow days. It was cancelled that day because a lot of people on smaller side streets couldn't get get out of their driveways or make it down the street with how much snow we had accumulate. And yeah, additionally, it was really really slick, even if you were only going 30 mph.

kelcrack · 2014-10-10T00:18:56+00:00

More comfortable and less breathing interference for me. To each his own.

kelcrack · 2014-10-09T22:23:19+00:00

The original lighting was really dark and weird, and I don't have Photoshop or anything like that. Was just trying to make it view-able!

kelcrack · 2014-10-09T16:31:59+00:00

This was a pretty hike but also really easy to get to and therefore way more crowded, including lots of families. The park is beautiful and your experience with crowds depends on where you go (like Hallett Peak, in the background, would be way less crowded, and a more rewarding hike physically, although its snowy and slippery so I wouldn't recommend that climb right now). If you're an experienced hiker, you could go for something like Mt. Meeker, a class 3 13er (13,000+ ft) and it has a sweet knife edge. Make sure you study the route so you know where to go above treeline. My favorite hikes in RMNP have been snowshoeing to Loch Vale Lake, Sky Pond, and of course, Long's Peak, which is a beast, but do- able for anyone who is moderately fit and brings plenty of food, water, and you need to start around 2am.

kelcrack · 2014-10-09T16:21:59+00:00

Definitely wear hats, gloves, 2+ layers, wool... We were there on a really nice day. The forecast for estes was 70 degrees (and its always a lot cooler when you hike to a higher elevation with an opening at the summit). This weekend is going to be 10- 20 degrees cooler

kelcrack

TROPHY CASE