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Done! Pfiffner Traverse Guide

By Andrew Skurka / June 12, 2018 /

This morning I put the final touches on the First Edition of the Pfiffner Traverse Guide. It was a monstrous project and I’m thrilled to finally have it out there. The Guidebook alone is 23,000 words; the package also includes Mapsets and Datasheets for the Primary Route and for seven Section-hikes. Thankfully I enjoy the…

Quickstart Guide: Cedar Mesa & Grand Gulch, Utah || Wild archaeological epicenter

By Andrew Skurka / April 24, 2018 /

Years ago I was turned on to Cedar Mesa by Alan Dixon, but needed inspiration this spring from the roamings of Paul Magnanti to plan a trip of my own there. It was a perfect couples trip for Amanda and me: the wilderness that I needed after a winter inside, with an additional and more unique dimension…

Reader question: Wireless service on the Wind River High Route

By Andrew Skurka / May 28, 2017 /

Melissa, who is undertaking the Wind River High Route this August, asks: Wireless coverage along the Wind River High Route — and in the Wind River Range, more generally — is poor but possible. Your odds are best from high vantage points with unobstructed views to the high plains east or west. I’m thinking of specific…

Spiderwoman’s Tips || Reflections, camps, conditions & other small details

By Spiderwoman / January 28, 2017 /

Where We Camped, Approximate Daily Mileage Just past “Campsite tr rejoins”. 2m “Protected camps in krumholtz”. Fished. 12m Lake 11,185 below West Gully. 4m Down in the trees just past “Legal camps on trailside benches”. 8m Just past “PR-20” & “Grassy lateral moraines, krumholtz + rockfield clusters”. 9m Outlet of Bewmark Lake. Fished. 7m Just…

Spiderwoman’s Tips || Section 4: Continental Crux

By Spiderwoman / January 28, 2017 /

“The finest backcountry experience” – The scenery and raw mountain feel were absolutely amazing, but that was somewhat offset by the toll the terrain took on our joints (unstable talus, loose moraines, steep up, steep down, steep up, steep down). With my admittedly modest experience to draw from, I think a route in the High…

Spiderwoman’s Tips || Section 3: High Above the Res

By Spiderwoman / January 28, 2017 /

Permits To show my respect to this land’s native inhabitants whose way of life my ancestors annihilated, I OF COURSE carried a permit. This is the very least I can do as a visitor. For every soul, culture, and lands lost, for all that “The Res” means, I moved through their ancient home with humility…

Spiderwoman’s Tips || Section 2: Cirques, Basins, and Valleys

By Spiderwoman / January 28, 2017 /

“Climb to a high alpine pass, descend to a low point, and repeat.” That’s it. That is Skurka’s WRHR. This is what your body and mind will be doing nearly all day, every day. So want to do this. And consider that you’ll maybe take a little life off your knees. I certainly did because…

Spiderwoman’s Tips || Section 1: Plains to Alpine

By Spiderwoman / January 28, 2017 /

Skurka writes that the first 14 miles are, in part, an opportunity to “find your hiking legs”. My pre-trip prep was two weeks of day hiking on trails with pack weight in the Sierra. That in no way prepared my body for what comes quickly: the West Gully descent. I may as well have started…

Spiderwoman’s Tips for the Wind River High Route: Introduction

By Spiderwoman / January 28, 2017 /

To get a sense of how you do or don’t compare to my skills, style, and experience, please look at bios from my HDT Tips. I’m a very average backpacker. Not ultralight. Not ultra-fit. And definitely not ultra-relaxed about stressors and dangers. Put another way: if you’re in Skurka’s league, these Tips aren’t for you.…

Near & dear: The Pfiffner Traverse, high in Colorado’s Front Range

By Andrew Skurka / January 18, 2017 /

I first came to Colorado in May 2003, for an internship with GoLite. It was an eye-opening summer. Five days per week I was awed by Boulder’s scenery while bike commuting and trail running; and the other two days I weekend-warrior’d in the Front Range. First I tried Rocky Mountain National Park, but the $15…