The Next Summit: A Mountain Blog

The Next Summit: A Mountain Blog My mission is to educate the public to safely and sustainably explore the mountains of the west.

Every fall, the most common question in our inbox is some version of: which peak should I try before the snow, and is it...
09/06/2026

Every fall, the most common question in our inbox is some version of: which peak should I try before the snow, and is it still safe for someone like me?

That exact question is what The Next Summit membership was built to answer, personally.

Summit Supporter, $5 a month: full access to both Summit Skills Academy courses, member-only guides, and you fund free safety education and advocacy for everyone.

Summit Advocate, $10 a month: adds personal trip planning support plus two 1:1 coaching calls a year. Tell us where you want to go, and we help you pick the peak, the route, the weather window, and the backup plan.

Summit Champion, $20 a month: unlimited trip planning and monthly coaching for an ambitious season.

Think of it as having an experienced friend who has already climbed it look over your plan before you go. Cancel anytime.

My Fall Membership Drive is on now.

Join the 60+ members who make this work possible: https://thenextsummit.org/membership/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fall26-drive

The least glamorous trail photo I will post all year. Also one of my favorites.On our crew, packout is non-negotiable, a...
09/05/2026

The least glamorous trail photo I will post all year. Also one of my favorites.

On our crew, packout is non-negotiable, and yes, that includes the dog's business. A bagged pile left "to grab on the way down" has a funny way of never making the return trip, and dog waste is not like wildlife s**t: it is packed with nutrients and pathogens from processed food that alpine soils and streams have no way to handle.

This is the busiest trail weekend of the fall, which means it is also the biggest trash weekend of the fall. The two habits that fix it: if you pack it in, pack it out, all of it, including orange peels, pistachio shells, and bagged dog waste. And if you have a spare hand, pick up one extra piece that is not yours. If even half of this weekend's hikers did that, the trails would be cleaner on Tuesday than they were on Friday.

More simple Leave No Trace habits: https://thenextsummit.org/leave-no-trace-tips/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social

A campfire under the stars is one of the best parts of a mountain weekend. This Labor Day, it comes with homework.Stage ...
09/04/2026

A campfire under the stars is one of the best parts of a mountain weekend. This Labor Day, it comes with homework.

Stage 1 fire restrictions took effect August 21 across the Pike-San Isabel National Forests, covering six ranger districts including Leadville. Under Stage 1, campfires are allowed only in developed campgrounds with permanent metal fire grates. A rock ring at a dispersed site, like the ones many of us grew up with, is off the menu until conditions improve.

This is not bureaucracy for its own sake. Late August and September are historically Colorado's driest, most fire-prone stretch, and this summer's Willow Fire showed exactly what one human-caused start can do: thousands of acres burned and two 14ers closed for months.

Before you burn this weekend: check your forest's alerts page for current restrictions, keep water and a shovel at hand, and drown it, stir it, and feel it cold before you walk away.

Current orders for every Colorado forest: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r02/psicc/alerts

đź“ŤJefferson Creek Campground, Colorado Front Range

Labor Day weekend is one of the busiest of the year on Colorado trails. Here is my holiday weekend playbook:Start before...
09/04/2026

Labor Day weekend is one of the busiest of the year on Colorado trails. Here is my holiday weekend playbook:

Start before dawn. You beat the parking crunch and the afternoon weather in one move.

Have a Plan B peak picked out before you leave home. If the lot is full or the trail is a conga line, you pivot without losing the day.

Check closures and reservations the night before. Mount Massive and other peaks are still closed for wildfires, and popular spots like the Maroon Bells require advance planning.

Pack patience. Let faster parties through, say hi, and remember that everyone on the trail is there for the same reason you are.

Need a Plan B? I'm glad you asked!

Here are all 58 Colorado 14ers ranked by difficulty so you can find a quieter objective that matches your experience: https://tinyurl.com/CO-14ers-ranked

đź“ŤMaroon Bells, White River National Forest, Colorado

See the dog bowl in this photo? It goes in the car with the cooler before dark. Here is why that matters more than ever ...
09/02/2026

See the dog bowl in this photo? It goes in the car with the cooler before dark. Here is why that matters more than ever this fall.

Bear reports in Colorado are up 68 percent this year, and September is when it peaks: bears enter their fall feeding push and spend nearly every waking hour looking for calories before winter. An unattended cooler, a greasy grill, or yes, a full dog bowl can be the reward that teaches a bear to work campsites. And a bear that learns campsites usually ends up dead. That is what the saying "a fed bear is a dead bear" actually means.

Camp rules for the fall: food, coolers, trash, toiletries, and pet bowls locked in your vehicle or a bear canister overnight and whenever you leave camp. Cook away from your tent. Never, ever feed wildlife, on purpose or by accident.

I covered why bear encounters are climbing and what it means for hikers here: https://tinyurl.com/CO-2026-bears

Welcome to September, the best month in the Colorado high country... but also the easiest to plan wrong.Here is what cha...
09/02/2026

Welcome to September, the best month in the Colorado high country... but also the easiest to plan wrong.

Here is what changes above treeline this month: the monsoon fades, so afternoon thunderstorms become less regular, but the storms that do arrive can carry graupel and snow instead of rain. Nights start freezing again up high. Daylight shrinks by a few minutes every day, which quietly moves your safe turnaround earlier each week. And the first real snow squalls of the season can coat high routes weeks before the ski areas open.

My September adjustments: a real insulating layer and warm hat go back in the pack, gloves live there full time, my headlamp gets fresh batteries for darker alpine starts, and I check the forecast the morning of, not just the night before.

September rewards the prepared with empty trails and golden light.

Gear up for it with my full gear guide: https://tinyurl.com/co-fall-gear

Summit got her proper introduction on National Dog Day. Today, the practical side, because bringing a dog into the alpin...
09/01/2026

Summit got her proper introduction on National Dog Day. Today, the practical side, because bringing a dog into the alpine is a responsibility, and I treat it like one.

The rules I climb by with her: her fitness got built gradually, just like mine did. Paws get checked at every break on talus. The water I carry is for both of us, and the turnaround rules apply to four legs the same as two. If the terrain needs hands, it is not a dog route. And the leash stays on around wildlife and other hikers, every time.

A tired, happy dog at the trailhead is the goal. A carried-out dog with cut pads is the failure mode I plan against.

What rules do you hike by with your dog? I am always collecting good ones.

That ribbon of singletrack is the only place our boots belong up here.Above treeline, the plants beside the trail are so...
08/31/2026

That ribbon of singletrack is the only place our boots belong up here.

Above treeline, the plants beside the trail are some of the toughest and most fragile living things in Colorado at the same time. Alpine tundra survives brutal winters, but a few seasons of boot traffic can erase growth that took decades. Cutting a switchback or walking beside a muddy trail to keep your shoes clean leaves a mark that outlasts all of us.

The fix is simple. Stay on the trail, even when it is muddy or snow-covered. Where there is no trail, travel on rock and other durable surfaces. Keep dogs on the trail with you. And take your breaks on rock, not on the green stuff.

More simple Leave No Trace habits that protect the peaks: https://thenextsummit.org/leave-no-trace-tips/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social

đź“ŤUncompahgre Peak Trail, Colorado San Juan Mountains

My turnaround rules, written down before I ever leave the trailhead:1. I set a turnaround time the night before, when I ...
08/30/2026

My turnaround rules, written down before I ever leave the trailhead:

1. I set a turnaround time the night before, when I am thinking clearly, not on the summit push when I want it badly.

2. Weather overrides everything: building cumulus by mid morning, a first rumble of thunder, graupel bouncing off my hood, or storms on the horizon all turn me around.

3. Pace check: if I am not where I planned to be by my checkpoint time, and I know I'm not on pace to meet my turnaround time, the summit moves to another day.

4. Body check: When I notice stumbling feet, a headache that will not quit, or a partner who has gone quiet, I usually call it a day before something goes wrong.

5. The golden rule to respect: the summit is optional. Getting home is not.

Risk management is not fear. It is what lets me keep coming back year after year.

đź“ŤGrays Peak Trail, Colorado Front Range

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