Peak Exposure

by Dougald MacDonald July 7, 2010

A guide to the best lesser-known alpine climbs in colorado Often in the mountains, it’s the things you never expect that you remember the most. One summer, a friend and I had planned a traverse from Shoshoni Peak to Apache Peak in the Indian Peaks Wilderness, above Brainard Lake. This jagged ridge crest bristles with [...]

Cool Cragging

by Dougald MacDonald May 5, 2010

Beat the summer heat in town and climb in the high country When Boulder Canyon granite burns your toes and bags of chalk won’t keep you from greasing off Rifle limestone, head for the mountains. Here’s a selection of Colorado’s best midsummer sport crags, from east to west. For up-to-date beta, search MountainProject.com. Jurassic Park [...]

Peak Obsession

by Dougald MacDonald May 5, 2010

A quest to climb 365 summits in 365 days boils down to bagging the most Roach Points and diffusing “feedback bombs” in the San Juans. Like most Coloradans, Dave is a bit obsessive about his outdoor sports. A bit. Hobbled by shoulder surgery, he had recently switched from obsessing about rock climbing (a spreadsheet lists [...]

Beetle Mania

by Dougald MacDonald June 4, 2009

The invasion is here and it doesn’t look pretty. Most of the trees in 2 million acres of Colorado forests are dead or dying. Will the forest ever be the same? Vince White-Petteruti had seen some messed-up trails in his years as a founding member of the Wilderness Volunteers, but seldom had he seen anything [...]

Dialed Out

by Dougald MacDonald January 31, 2009

Is there a point when you should carry your cell phone in the wild? Ask your significant other.