On September 17, Sasha Petrovick of Moffat summited both Challenger Peak and Kit Carson Peak. The local mountains over fourteen thousand feet elevation are popular with climbers from across the globe. Petrovick began her climb at 7:30 am from Willow Lake and was back at the trailhead parking lot by 4 pm.
by Thomas Cleary
photo of Willow Lake and upper valley by Emmy Savage
The upcoming series of summer articles will highlight several outdoor attractions in and around Crestone and the SLV (San Luis Valley). This first article will focus on great hikes up the drainages around Crestone. Most can be done as day hikes but others will require an overnight except for the fittest of us. But before I jump into where to go, I would like to say a bit about how to go. The current backcountry and frontcountry ethics are based around the 7 principles of Leave No Trace: 1. Plan ahead and...