My husband and I decided that this year was our window of opportunity to experience together Chicago Basin in southwestern Colorado. We’d need to ride the Durango-Silverton train which would drop us off deep in the San Juan National Forest. From there, we’d backpack into the Weminuche Wilderness along a steep six-mile trail into the basin.
Thirty-nine years ago, I backpacked with office colleagues to about a mile and a half from Snowmass Lake. The hike was stunningly beautiful, with many views and without any other hikers. I’ve wanted to return to the area ever since then but injuries from a car accident had made that impossible, until this year. Earlier this month, Dave and I backpacked to the lake and encountered numerous surprises and refreshing vistas.
Handies Peak is my favorite fourteener partially because it’s one of the easiest mountains to climb in Colorado and the approach from American Basin is drop dead gorgeous. But there is something more―and took until this holiday season for me to understand why this mountain is so special!
Thanks to my understanding pack hubby, cooperative canines, and lightweight equipment, I’ve learned that backpacking, after a twenty-eight-year hiatus, remains one of my favorite summertime activities. But backpacking with dogs can be challenging and sometimes amusing notwithstanding careful preparation!
Is it safe to take your dog on high altitude hikes and climbs? Learn from Dr. Richard Gastellum, an experienced veterinarian and a hiker/climber, about precautions to take, supplies to carry,and symptoms of high-altitude sickness before you make that decision and set out with your four-legged furry best friend.
Climbing some of Colorado 14ers with your furry best friend can be rewarding and fun as long as one carefully chooses the mountain and takes some precautions. Read more to learn our favorite 14er climbs for dogs- eight very favorites and eight recommended with caveats.
Sitting comfortably at home this summer, I set a goal to climb a 14,000-plus-foot mountain named Redcloud Peak. But when my husband and I, plus our two Labrador Retrievers, arrived at the trailhead months later, I wondered why I’d set that goal. The temperature was thirty-two degrees at just before 9 a.m.
Peak bagging with man’s best friend can be safe and fun with a bit of preparation and thought. Read on to learn which of Colorado’s 14,000-foot mountains are our favorites for climbs with conditioned canines.
My husband, David Olmstead, recently completed climbing all of Colorado’s 58 named 14,000 foot plus mountains. In 2012, he and his buddy Phil climbed the state’s reputed most difficult 14er, Capitol Peak. Unlike the peaks named in my first blog post, Capitol is not a 14er for dogs. Dave’s story won first place in the nonfiction category and second place overall in a writing contest in 2013.
“Ah, look at the dogs,” a couple of climbers said in unison as our two Labradors crested the 14,048 foot summit of Handies Peak.
“Do they like climbing 14ers?”