Winter backpacking is a constant battle against keeping things from freezing — especially when managing water. Making water by melting snow is a chore I rather not have to do more than I need to and fuel is too precious to waste. Running out puts you in a dangerous circumstance. And the snow here in Colorado is dry, making the whole process more […]

A righteous time in the Sangre de Cristos. It’s no secret that this is one of my favorite ranges, but I’ve never visited in Winter – time to ameliorate that!

Not the easiest location to get to car-free, but there is a bus that arrives at Alamosa at 7pm. I figured I could ride the 20 miles to the Lake Como trailhead, backpack the 6 […]

https://justinsimoni.com/2024/01/09/winter-on-little-bear-peak-southwest-ridge-14041/

With Winter coming, I wanted to take a fast trip up something big before Christmas. Once there’s snow on the ground and the days get short, dependable and safe access just to get to the trailhead without a car can be a little dicey.

I thought of Pikes Peak, just outside of Colorado Springs: there’s a now a bus line starting from Denver that goes […]

https://justinsimoni.com/2023/12/28/pikes-peak-winter-solstice-bus-stop-backslap/