Over the night I discover that the Sage Creek campground has no nighttime lighting. The milky way is brighter than I’ve seen it for a while, despite the low elevation here. In the morning the pair of giant bison that were hanging around yesterday are still here, a little closer to our camper today. When…

We’re feeling our dependence on a good cell phone signal these days. As always we’re most attracted to out-of-the-way places and free camping in the boondocks, but I need to stay connected to work. Near Mount Rushmore there’s a resort-style KOA with sites for $52 a night, which we can’t bring ourselves to pay. We…

Our camper will most definitely not fit through an 8 foot 7 inch tunnel, so we hang a four-point Uey on highway 87 and find a pullout. Good fortune and some exploration brings us to the Sunday Gulch trail, a good hike through some of the rocky needles country. Parking We reach the trail We…

And for our last day: rain! Our minds turn to ethnic food as we trudge back down the hill, then drive back to our Denver starting point. If you like, you can read posts from this two-week trip from the beginning. Back at the Trailhead Despite some difficult conditions, I love the idea of hiking…

We decide to take a look at the Tuhare Lakes basin. It’s an amazing place, full of giant granite blocks, cascades, lakes, and marmots. To lower Tuhare Lake Marmot Rock I see a route up the north ridge that looks encouraging, so we continue to climb, and eventually reach a small peak with incredible views.…

As a last leg of our of trip, my dad and Ann join us for some exploratory backpacking in the wilderness area we’ve managed to walk to from Pete’s house. Gold Park Trailhead We’re not disappointed. As we climb to over Fall Creek Pass to our basecamp, big granite ridges, waterfalls, and pocket lakes abound.…

What do you do if you wake up to rain on a backpack trip, but you happen to have spent the night in your camper? Sit inside all day, eat, read, and drink coffee!

Ann hikes with us for a few miles, then takes off on a loop back to Tenessee Pass. We continue up a ridge dotted with lakes. West Tenessee Lakes We were planning to spend the night somewhere on this ridge, but the miles are slipping by so fast, we decide to continue down to Gold…

We’re now following the Colorado Trail, and we start meeting more hikers. Some have been hiking the trail as long as we’ve been out, and will continue towards Durango from here. Kokomo Pass provides a nice view of the giant Climax mine, whose tailings reservoir drowned the town of Kokomo where Pete’s dad once lived…

My initial round of blisters have mostly healed, so I indulge in a few miles barefoot, which feels great. Barefooting over Breckenridge Getting up high, there’s a ski area, mine, or resort town below in just about every direction. Above Breckenridge Mount of the Holy Cross is finally looking pretty close. Mount of the Holy…