I'm incredibly embarrassed to admit it, but I used to think you could get away with little to no gear on a hike in Colorado. On my first hike after moving here in the summer of 2016, I carried a heavy insulated bottle and _nothing else_ up to Saint Mary's Glacier as my first hike at altitude, ever. Things have definitely changed in the 5+ years si...
In the fall of 2020, The Year of the Pandemic, I was let go from my role as a software engineer. With a sudden onslaught of free time and raging burnout, I made the choice to start pursuing high peaks in the winter. December was rough as I got familiar with my snowshoes and the brutal conditions that winter summits demanded. I bought my first pair...