On the Road & In the Mountains

I’ve been on the road a good bit over the last few weeks – Visiting some of our ranches in South Park and spending time in the Arkansas River Valley for a few meetings. Winter is definitely closing in… most of the aspens have lost their leaves, and snow is starting to accumulate on the mountain tops.

Despite the travel, I’ve managed to make it up high in the mountains twice in the last week. A buddy and I spent a cold and windy Saturday morning on Mount Audubon (13,221 ft) in the Indian Peaks Wilderness. Thanks to rainy/snowy weather down low and blustery winds up high, we had the entire mountain to ourselves:

Last Friday, I was heading back to Boulder after a day in Leadville. With about 3 hours of daylight to spare, I made the last minute decision to head up Grays Peak (14,270 ft). With its easy access right off I-70, it’s a fun 14er to do when you’ve got limited time. It was snowing pretty intensely for most of the way up, but it cleared up just as I reached the summit: