Morning light and a cloud inversion on the approach to Middle Teton. Summer 2023.

One of those mornings where you just have to stop, put the pack down, and take it in.

What’s the best trail morning you've ever had?

📍 Grand Teton National Park, WY

#GrandTeton #NationalPark

Mt Bierstadt, barely visible through the clouds from the summit of Mount Blue Sky. Late May 2023.

This is what shoulder season above treeline actually looks like. Beautiful — and a reminder that knowing your turnaround time matters more than reaching the top.

The summit is optional. Getting home is mandatory.

📍 Mt Bierstadt, Colorado Front Range

This is my "I love my job" face. 😄

I started The Next Summit because too many people were heading into the mountains without the knowledge to stay safe. Our members keep that mission running — funding free webinars, route guides, and public lands advocacy.

Membership starts at $5/month. You get courses and exclusive content. More importantly, you help protect the peaks we all love.

🥾 Join us → https://thenextsummit.org/membership/

April is almost here — which means 14er season is right around the corner.

If you're starting to plan your first climbs this summer, we built a free planner with all 58 Colorado 14ers listed in the best order to climb them, with difficulty ratings, nearest towns, permit info, and links to our route guides.

Grab it here:
https://thenextsummit.org/complete-colorado-14ers-planner/

📍 Rosalie Peak, Front Range, Colorado

Friends of CAIC Reminder:
Wednesday is the deadline to enter the Friends of CAIC spring fundraiser raffle. Every $20 donation = one entry to win backcountry gear worth over $16,000 total.

CAIC's avalanche forecasts save lives every single day across Colorado. If you've ever checked the forecast before a backcountry trip, consider giving back.

Donate here:
https://community.friendsofcaic.org/campaign/768696/donate

#KnowBeforeYouGo #14ers #BePrepared

Mud season rule: walk through it, not around it. Stepping off-trail to dodge mud widens the path and kills vegetation. Your boots will dry — the damage won't heal.

If a trail is too muddy to pass, come back later. 🥾🌱

#LeaveNoTrace #ColoradoHiking

Spring is the perfect time to start planning your first 14er season.

But altitude sickness sends more people off these mountains than almost anything else — and most of it is preventable.

Here are the 9 warning signs to know before you go:

https://thenextsummit.org/symptoms-of-altitude-sickness-9-warning-signs/

CAIC just reported 19 people caught in 17 avalanches this past week alone — in the Gore Range, Elk Mountains, northern San Juans, and RMNP.

It might be late March, but Colorado still has winter avalanche conditions. Plan your backcountry trips around the snowpack, not the calendar.

Check the forecast before you go: avalanche.state.co.us

Happy first day of spring! 🌄

Snow is still stacking in the high country, but the planning season is wide open. What's on your list for 2026?

First 14er? A backpacking trip? A section of the Colorado Trail? Finally learning to read a topo map?

Drop it below 👇 — we'd love to hear what you're working toward this year.

Free webinar — altitude sickness in Colorado.

What happens to your body above 10,000 feet. The warning signs of AMS, HACE, and HAPE. Prevention that actually works. What to do when symptoms hit on the trail.
Most common reason people don't summit a 14er.'

Register: us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/5217735633777/WN_Uz9IvinoTkOOd-vPx6DBMw