altabackcountry
Alta Backcountry
Living and playing in wild places.
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Brooks Range Journals - June 10, 2023 - Snow!
I woke up around 2 am this morning, the shelter bright as day, to the sound of something pitter-pattering on the walls. It wasn’t the sound of rain, but a more glancing, lighter blow. I crawled out of my sleeping bag, put on my shoes to go pee and was greeted by a world of white. A few inches of snow had fallen and more was coming down. We’re certainly not easing into this trip.
On June 10 at…
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Brooks Range Journals: June 9, 2023 - Drop off day
Today is drop in day for this year’s Brooks Range excursion. After driving 3,000 miles from Colorado to Alaska and sifting through gear in a dillapidated AirBNB in Fairbanks, spending hours in line getting Alaska plates so our car is legal and what seemed like endless packing, here we are. The journey up here could be a story unto itself, but as I write in this journal in our shelter, I want to…
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The Quiet Snow of Spring
The Quiet Snow of Spring
It’s the night of May 3rd, less than 50 days till the summer solstice, and it’s 27° F and lightly snowing lightly. It’s a bit ridiculous, but at the same time not unusual. May is the third snowiest month of the year here and that snow tends to come in bunches in the beginning. For newcomers, it’s a rude awakening to life in the high mountains, and the old-timers tend to laugh and tell stories…
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Northern Wilderness: A 2019 Thru-Hike on the Great Divide Trail
Northern Wilderness: A 2019 Thru-Hike on the Great Divide Trail
In 2019 my wife Elaine and I hiked the Great Divide Trail from close to the U.S/Canada border to Kakwa Lake in British Columbia. We were unable to start at the exact Waterton National Park border due to the massive 2017 forest fire that closed the trail in this area (as of June 2020, this section is now open to hiking). We started at a place called Yarrow Creek a few miles north of the border,…
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#GDT#GDT Blog#Great Divide Trail#Great Divide Trail Blog#hiking#nature#outdoors#thruhiking#Wilderness
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Stargazing and the North Star
Tonight we decided to look at the stars. In this crazy world we live in, that of mandatory lock downs and face masks and the six-feet rule, it’s good to look at the stars to gain a little perspective
To the west, Orion hangs on strong, her belt glistening above the trails at the ski resort up valley. Orion, the winter constellation, won’t be with us much longer, but while she is, we’ll enjoy her…
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#be strong#coronavirus#Current Affairs#fables#get out stay out#Get Outside#lockdown#love#native americans#nature#outside#polaris#stars#strength#the north star
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Affordable, Simple Joy in Solitude
I think it’s important, in this time of trial and tribulation, to remember that there is great beauty surrounding us everywhere. Like this cup of tea I’m drinking right now. A Vanilla Sleepytime concoction, with a fair bit of honey, and a touch of milk. Truth is, no matter how bad things get, no matter how long we’re out of work, we’ll have tea. And with that, we’ll have at least one good thing…
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#be strong#calm#Colorado#coronavirus#Current Affairs#happiness#little things#live simply#mountains#nature
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First Day of Spring
30° and snowing this morning on this first day of spring. About an inch of new snow fell last night, nothing too much to write home about, but it’s currently coming down hard and is supposed to last all day and night. Time to head out on the skis and take stock of the situation.
Decided to head up towards Center Mountain with Elaine, enjoying a nice, steady wet snowfall that got progressively…
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March 18
Our home base, the village of Eldora, Colorado looking west. Our cabin is one of those down there in the valley. Above and beyond lies the Continental Divide, with 13,397 foot tall South Arapaho Peak being the prominent sharper peak on the right side (north) of the horizon.
I figure this as a good a time to start back up writing as any. The news outlets have gone full-bore with Coronavirus…
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2019 Expedition Amundsen Recap: Across the Stormy Hardangervidda
2019 Expedition Amundsen Recap: Across the Stormy Hardangervidda
Getting To the Start: From Eldora, Colorado to Haukeliseter, Norway
Expedition Amundsen touts itself as the “World’s Hardest Expedition Ski Race.” The first year my wife Elaine and I competed in the event, in 2017, we felt a little bit cheated. Before the race we were told stories of blinding white-outs, being marooned in camp for days, of the ugly side of the Hardangervidda, the stormy side,…
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#Acapulka#adventure#amundsen sports#åsnes#cross country skiing#Expedition Amundsen#Hilleberg#hygge#Hyperlite Mountain Gear#lavvu#leather#norway#pulk#ski race#Skiing#sled#snow#travel#winter#xtremeidfjord
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9/19/09
“If you are patient in one moment of anger, you will escape a hundred days of sorrow” – Ancient Chinese Proverb
Ten years ago today, September 19, 2009 was the worst day my life. We’ll all have one someday, and for me, thus far, that was it.
I remember the clarity of it all. I’d gotten myself in a world of crap, some prodded by others, but mostly a result of my own ability to, as the proverb…
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Into The Arctic Basin and Caribou Country - Saskatchewan Crossing to Jasper
Into The Arctic Basin and Caribou Country – Saskatchewan Crossing to Jasper
We continue on with our 2019 Great Divide Trail journey from the U.S./Canadian border to Kakwa Lake. Saskatchewan Crossing to Jasper is the 6th segment of the journey, or Section E. Here we begin to enter the far north including the wild regions of Jasper National Park. This land is home to wolves, caribou, deep bogs and endless above timberline routes. Enjoy! – DV
July 31, 2019 – 19 Miles,…
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#adventure#backpacking#Canada#Climate Change#Great Divide Trail#Great Divide Trail Blog#Great Divide Trail Section E#Great Divide Trail Six Pass#hiking#mountains#nature#outdoors#Rain#thru-hike#thruhiking#travel#weather
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The Rock Wall, Lighting Storms and Wild Strawberries - Sunshine to Field
The Rock Wall, Lighting Storms and Wild Strawberries – Sunshine to Field
We’ve entered the civilized part of our Great Divide Trail hike. Not that it’s not wild and remote and stunningly beautiful, but there is a bit of a different feel, thanks in part to that very beauty. This is world class terrain, part of the world class Banff National Park, and as such there are more amenities and people. In addition, we’re supremely lucky to have some wonderful friends who…
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#adventure#backpacking#Canada#Canadian Rocky Mountains#Continental Divide#GDT Blog#glaciers#Great Divide Trail#Great Divide Trail Blog#hike#hiking#mountains#nature#outdoors#rocky mountains#thru-hike#thruhiking#travel#Wilderness
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Coleman to Kananaskis: Forget-Me-Nots, Tornado Mountain and the Most Beautiful Spot on Earth
July 9, 2019 – 24 miles, 3,300 of climbing
Aspirations for getting out of town quickly rarely go as planned. The pattern of the trail gets broken, conversations happen and breakfast places keep serving food – all delaying departure. Such is life and the cause of us departing Coleman at an extremely lazy 9:45 am bound north on a six-and-a-half day ration to Kananaskis.
It was a productive break.…
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#adventure#backpacking#Canada#GDT Blog#get out stay out#glaciers#Great Divide Trail#hike#hiking#hyperlite#mountains#nature#NOLS#outdoor photography#outdoors#rocky mountains#thru-hike#thruhiking#travel#Wilderness
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Prelude to the Great Divide Trail
Prelude to the Great Divide Trail
The Great Divide Trail under Mount Assiniboine in Banff National Park. Photo by Elizabeth Morton.
June 6 was a rough day. Out of nowhere, Elaine was laid off from her job at a bike shop in Boulder. She was told the company was doing poorly financially, and that it was necessary to eliminate Elaine’s paycheck from the fray. She’d been doing good work and the owner was apologetic, explaining that…
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#adventure#backpacking#Canada#get out stay out#Great Divide Trail#hiking#lasportiva#mountains#outdoors#travel
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Gear Review: Åsnes Mountain Race 48 Cross Country Skis
Gear Review: Åsnes Mountain Race 48 Cross Country Skis
Åsnes Mountain Race 48 skis. Narrow and light enough for fast skiing around the track, wide and sturdy enough for serious backcountry pursuits. Waxable with skin lock, 60-48-53 width, 3/4 length metal edges and sintered race base. It may be the one cross country ski to rule them all!
When I was a kid I had one pair of cross country skis. They were made of wood, had 3-pin bindings and worked for…
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#åsnes#Boulder Nordic Sport#brainard lake#Colorado#cross country skiing#eldora#endless winter#get out stay out#Get Outside#nordic#nordic skiing#outdoors#Skiing#winter
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"Long Way Radio" Greenland Podcast
“Long Way Radio” Greenland Podcast
A 300-year old sod roof cabin Elaine and I stayed at in Østmarka at the end of our trip.
We arrived back in the United States from our 16-day adventure in Norway late last week. It’s good to be home in our cabin in the mountains again, where we can be creative, go for little recovery skis, live cheaply and ease into some normalcy of life again. We’ve truly entered the “off-season” for Elaine and…
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#adventure#get out stay out#Greenland#hygge#Long Way Radio#nature#nordic skiing#norway#Podcast#Skiing
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Leather 3-pins, snowy forests and wind: A ski trip around Brainard Lake
Leather 3-pins, snowy forests and wind: A ski trip around Brainard Lake
Enjoying a nice early season ski after a snowstorm on the CMC Trail.
One of my favorite places locally to go for a ski tour is Brainard Lake. While Eldora ski area offers the type of nordic skiing most people think about when conjuring up images of the sport – perfectly groomed tracks for skate and classic skiing – Brainard is a different experience. This is the place where backcountry nordic ski…
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#amundsen sports#åsnes#brainard lake#cross country skiing#Get Outside#indian peaks wilderness#nature#nordic#nordic skiing#pinheads#ski touring#Skiing#Wilderness
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