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Oh no. I hiked Katahdin by Cathedral/Saddle with Don and a bunch of others on our annual Baxter trip about 12 years ago when I was living in MA. What a great guy- generous to a fault, incredibly interesting, and a darn good photographer too. Had lost touch with the group. So sad.

Rocky Mountain NP is closed because of the hordes descending on Estes Park at the end of their day. And yesterday the CO Governor issued basically a lockdown for the entire state through 4/12. So, no CO parks for a bit. Too bad- one of the best times of year to be there. We had friends who went...

Leadville is like the perfect basecamp. All you have to do to acclimatize is be. (it's at 10K feet) It has great coffee and lots of places to explore while you're there. Possibly the highest opera house in North America, or maybe even the world. I cannot imagine singing Puccini in Leadville...

Yes. Indian Peaks is just so amazingly gorgeous. There are actually a couple of permanent snowfields/erstwhile glaciers in that area. Though due to easy access, Brainard Lake has become a zoo over the past 3 years also... boo. Go midweek and you will have much more fun. I'm starting to think I...

RMNP is very crowded that time of year, but if you work a bit you can stay away from crowds. There are multiple entrances and the one with 80% of the traffic is the eastern one near Estes Park. Only 14er in the immediate area is Longs, which is definitely hero stuff if you've recently arrived...

Other thing to keep in mind is that many reservations far ahead of time are made by folks who cancel close to the date. I believe there is a 48 or 72 hour free cancellation policy at the NPS campgrounds and lodges. What we did to snag a gorgeous CCC-era cabin at the Grand Canyon North Rim in...

What Brian said. I've been able to compare above treeline locations in the Whites and Rockies in winter- camping here above treeline is a piece of cake by comparison. In my opinion, the combination of enough snow that stays on the ground to build a quinzhee, little enough wind so emerging from...

Dang, thought Lamoine Beach was our secret. It isn't full when the others are, and the sites are great. And my wife requires a hot shower every so often when we camp, and Lamoine has that.

That still works for me, for anything that's more or less full leather, with a slight modification to save time and decrease fire hazard: bake boots at 150 F for 15 minutes; take one out and seal it (5 minutes); put it back in the oven and take the other out and seal it; repeat process till...

Actually Devil's Head, where the incident occurred, is only about 30 miles from where we live, located in the first row of foothills west of Castle Rock/Sedalia. It isn't a 14er by any stretch, the "summit" (if you want to call it that) is maybe 9K at most, but it's a popular area for climbers...

Done the "keys left in the first car not the spotted car" thing before, but the worst was not bringing pants on a Presi backpack in July. Hypothermia sucks.

Only word that hasn't been said already is "blackflies". Hiked the Bigelows first week of June a few years back and they were out in force. May not be as many this year with a later melt-out, but would be prepared.

AT sections are great- really from the Susquehanna all the way to the NJ border. Bike spotting if you're by yourself is a good way to do it. Do be mindful of the millions of basketball-sized, ankle turning rocks on some parts of the ridges though- just because there is little elevation change...

I don't know, I'm usually so hungry after 2-3 days that I'll eat tree bark. I typically have gone with varieties of noodles-n-sauce or rice-n-sauce, with different proteins (tuna, chicken etc) in sealed containers that won't spoil, or cheese/sausage the first couple days. Then gorge out if there...

Been at Carter in the winter twice. First time temps outside were super-cold (-25 F) so I borrowed a -20 bag. It may have been overkill but I was warm. Second time it was positively balmy and my 0 bag was also too warm. So a 0 degree bag plus a light liner and the usual other modalities (warm...

Longer, local link here: https://www.denverpost.com/2019/02/05/how-runner-killed-mountain-lion-attack-larimer-county/ Dude must have had beaucoup d'adrenaline for sure. Great thing he turned and saw it coming. Once he got it off his arm, I wonder if the cat tried to run away, or what. It must...

I remember that trip report! Learned a lot from your collective experience. Not sure what number to say for mine. Couple around 14 hours, but one that included an unplanned night out after getting lost was 17 hrs of hiking plus about 6.5 makeshift-camping, in the Sierras.

Definitely! For whatever reason I've always been a fan of the white-throated sparrow. In the western Maine mountains above treeline and a little into NH (but not much) they sound different, with the song decreasing in pitch in the second half almost like the first few notes of "O Sole Mio". I...

Adams, not Washington, but on 7/20/2000 or 2001 (I know it was 7/20 but forgot the exact year) we were basically falling from rock to rock to move across the summit when winds were sustained in the 60s with a peak gust of 104 that afternoon on George's summit. I'm guessing the sustained winds...

One word of caution from a previous winter night hike up Mansfield from Underhill (don't ask, had to do with the solstice timing): Cairns above treeline are small, so don't count on their being visible in winter. Routefinding can be dicey if conditions are not optimal. Enjoy!!