Explorations in the Mojave Desert

Nevada, Pinto Valley Wilderness, rainbow, Mojave Desert, Lake Mead National Recreation Area
Rainbow Over Pinto Valley : Prints Available

A spectacular double rainbow over the Pinto Valley in the Pinto Valley Wilderness of Nevada.

As is usual in late winter, Claudia and I have been itching for some desert hiking and backpacking time, so this March we spent three weeks camping and backpacking in various mountain ranges and wilderness areas in the Mojave Desert in Nevada, California, and Arizona.

There are many wild, rugged, and seldom-visited mountain ranges in the Mojave, making it a prime area for exploratory missions. I appreciate that there are still places like this out there where we can explore on our own with little to no guiding information, and find little or no evidence of previous human visitation when we’re there. Continue reading >>

Mount Hayden Backcountry Lodge

Colorado, Mount Hayden Backcountry Lodge, San Juan Mountains, United States Mountain, cabin

Dusk at the Mount Hayden Backcountry Lodge, with United States Mountain towering above. San Juan Mountains, Colorado.

This weekend we had a wonderful stay at Eric Johnson’s Mount Hayden Backcountry Lodge. Located in Richmond Basin in a remote corner of the San Juan Mountains between Ouray and Telluride, the lodge is surrounded by a powder playground of skiable terrain. With heaps of fresh snow awaiting us, we were excited to have three days to ski and splitboard to our hearts’ content. Continue reading >>

Ama Dablam in Black & White

Recently I was asked if I had any black and white photos of Ama Dablam, the star peak of the Khumbu/Everest region of Nepal. This spurred me into reviewing my archives from my trip there, and I was happy to find a number of nice photos I passed over previously. Here’s what I came up with:

Ama Dablam, Asia, Himalaya, Khumbu, Nepal
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Gazing up at mighty Ama Dablam.

Ama Dablam, Asia, Himalaya, Khumbu, Nepal
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A subpeak of Ama Dablam.

Ama Dablam, Asia, Himalaya, Khumbu, Nepal
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Ama Dablam (6856m / 22,493 ft) emerges from the clouds.

Ama Dablam, Asia, Himalaya, Khumbu, Nepal
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Ama Dablam (6856m / 22,493 ft) emerges from the clouds.

Ama Dablam, Asia, Himalaya, Khumbu, Nepal
Prints Available

Alpenglow light illuminates Ama Dablam. Makalu (8481m, 27,825 ft) is visible at the left side.

Ama Dablam, Asia, Himalaya, Khumbu, Nepal
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Ama Dablam hiding in the clouds.

The mountains here in the Khumbu region of the Himalaya are by far the largest and most powerful-feeling mountains I’ve ever visited, and I hope that these photos convey some of that awesome power!

Roaming Around Southeast Utah

Robbers Roost Country, Utah, slot canyon

Psychedelic hiker.

In late October and early November we spent a dozen days camping and backpacking around in the deserts and canyonlands of southern Utah, including the San Rafael Swell, Robbers Roost/Dirty Devil area, and Cedar Mesa. Though the days were short and the nights cold, it’s always worthwhile to spend time in these wonderful, wild, and lonely places. Continue reading >>

Snowy Ice Lakes

Colorado, Ice Lakes, San Juan Mountains, sunrise, snowy
Snowy Sunstream : Prints Available

Sunrise at Ice Lakes after an October snowstorm dumped two feet of snow in the San Juan Mountains, Colorado.

With fresh snow in the San Juan Mountains and dreams of winter I couldn’t resist heading up high for a quick early season winter camp at Ice Lakes Basin near Silverton. I got a little more than I bargained for with two feet of fresh powder and knee-deep postholing through a snowstorm up there! In the morning I was treated to some fiery light for a few moments at sunrise, for a different kind of autumn color. Continue reading >>

A Bit of Autumn Color

Colorado, San Juan Mountains, San Miguel Range, aspens
Golden Storm : Prints Available

Autumn colors and storm clouds along the San Miguel Range near Telluride, Colorado.

After trekking in Switzerland and visiting Claudia’s family and friends in Germany, we finally arrived back home in the San Juans just at the tail end of what seemed to be a nice long season of autumn colors here. Though I missed the bulk of the autumn action, there were still bits of colorful aspens left along with fresh snow on the peaks! Every season is my favorite season, but autumn is really my favorite season!

Bastei in the Rain

Bastei, Europe, Germany, Sandstone Mountains, Sächsische Schweiz
Bastei in the Rain : Prints Available

An iconic view of the Bastei bridge in the Sandstone Mountains near Dresden, Germany. The bridge was built for tourists in 1824 and first photographed by Hermann Krone in 1853. In medieval times the rock towers on the left side of the bridge once formed the largest rock castle in the region, the Neurathen Castle, but today only some rooms and passages carved out of the rock remain.