Back in Aotearoa

We made it! We're both almost out of battery (and no NZ converter yet), so we'll keep it brief- so happy to be back.

Pike's Peak

In many ways, this hike was the culmination of two years of physical training, but also a coda to a summer in which we have focused on back-country skills and adapting to ever-increasing altitudes. In the end, we completed the ascent in 7 hours of trail time and overall covered 16 miles and gained 8,000 vertical feet inside of 24 hours (all above 6,000 ft).

Evergreen on blue

Until the trees fall away.

Sixteen Golden Stairs;

Absolution for past lives.

All signs point to a new way!

Lake Angeline

For our final trip to the Cloud Peak wilderness, we chose Lake Angeline, just over the divide from the Hidden Twin Lakes (see our post from 2 weeks ago). The approach from the East involves a brutal drive just to get to the trailhead, followed by a 5.5 mile slog through post-fire regenerating ponderosa pine up from 8200 to 10,500 feet. But in the end, a night of meteor showers and a glorious sunrise over the lake and its remnant glacier made it all worthwhile.