A complete hiking and climbing guide to the La Plata Mountains of Southwest
Colorado. You will also find San Juan Mountain favorites as well as selections
from around the Southwest. Link to the region you desire where you will find an
alphabetical list of the hikes.
La Plata Mountains, Colorado
San Juan Mountains, Rocky Mountains, Colorado
Durango, Colorado and Locations Nearby
New Mexico and Texas
National Parks and Monuments
Southern Utah, Northern Arizona
Southern Arizona
Sierra Nevada Mountains, Basin and Range Province
New Book! Debra and her partner Tomás have published a hiking guide to the La Plata Mountains. Buy it at our local bookshop, Maria's in Durango, CO, or use this link:
The violets in the mountains have broken the rocks. Tennessee Williams
Debra Van Winegarden (Thomas Holt Ward, photo)
17 comments:
Debra - Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful hikes. I feel like I'm actually there walking alongside (though I can just about manage a 6-mile walk in Derbyshire nowadays). Your choice of illustrations is superb, your natural history notes almost Attenboresque (?!), and I'm sure your instructions are equally as accurate. My wife and I were privileged to ride on the D & S during a coach (sorry, bus) tour we took this year. We envy you your surroundings. Thanks for not keeping them to yourself, and for the effort you obviously put into your posts. Edwin Ashworth, Oldham
Really fantastic blog. We live in Tucson and the stuff you publish is of great value to us. Thanks.
Thanks for reading, Roy. I am pleased you find Earthline useful. 7 Cats, Finger Rock--you are gnarly! With respect. Debra
I cannot thank you enough for the valuable info you have provided myself and the wider Durango mountain community. Your passion for the mountains bleeds through the text. Keep kicking ass!
Hi Debra, Here is yet another complementary comment about your blog. It is wonderful. I use it fairly often to find if there are any real difficulties with a hike. Quick question though, for the trip times, do you include travel to and from the trailhead by car?
And thank you again for the reports, they are way more helpful than any others I have found. Wish you the best and maybe one day our paths will cross! They have come close a couple times already.
Hi Doug, I'm just getting your comment today. "Total Time" includes breaks on the hike but not travel time. Good question. My time on the trail is often somewhere in the mid-point of the given range. I'll be looking for you. Debra
Hi Debra, what a fantastic site you have, filled with great route descriptions and gorgeous photos. I've linked to some of your pages from my website - hope you don't mind :-)
Thanks, Alec! I've been one of your blog groupies for a few years now. You are everywhere and so gnarly! It makes me happy you appreciate (and link to) Earthline.
Hi Debra - I very much appreciate your blog and the tremendous amount of information included in it! Last week did island to V2 (but not the very last exposed portion to V2) to ice lake and back via ice lake trail. I'd be grateful if you would share your opinion of recommended hikes that are slightly and increasingly more challenging physically but not with significant exposure. I'm hoping to work up to the Handies loop. Goal is to stay within 2 hr drive of Durango if possible. Much thanks for any input! Carol
ps. I've done Columbine, Engineer, Snowden...
Some climbs/hikes (on this blog) without exposure: Mountain View Crest to Overlook Point, Black Face (Cross Mtn Tr), Sheridan, Engineer Mtn Circumnavigation, Fuller Peak, Blackhawk Mtn (not Blackhawk East), Macomber Pk, McMillan Pk, Molas Pass to Coal Bank Pass. You sound ready for Handies right now. Debra
fantastic website....great route descriptions, maps and photos!
Thank you so much for this blog Debra. You bring so much joy.
As do you, just now.
Hi Debra. Love your blog! Thank you for all the inspiration. I am planning on tackling Window Peak on Friday if the temp stays low. Can you comment on how that scramble climb to the top is in comparison to the final push on Elephant Head. Thanks! Jane
Window Peak is a much bigger effort, no comparison there. But if you can manage the scramble on Elephant Head you should be good for Window Peak. Take someone along to give you a boost up the tree if you're concerned...or short. We were there last year and can confirm the tree survived the Bighorn Fire. Good luck, Debra
Hey Debra, got a chance to read your new book on the La Plata Mountains, great job getting it in print. Now that it is in print, I would like to submit East and West Babcock elevations via LiDAR to John Kirk at Lists of John with your permission. John’s general rule to add a peak to his database is that the peak be included in a guidebook, he then will reference your guidebook as source. Hope your mountain season was fruitful.
Brian, Way cool. That would be amazing. It might be our only chance to participate in the LOJ community! We are fans of John Kirk and admire his exploits in the mountains and his vital database. Thank you for this honor. Debra and Tomás
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