Blanca Peak in August!

We've decided on the mountain, the tickets have been booked and the training has started. Chad Cross and I are headed back to Colorado to climb a group of 14,000-ft peaks called the Blanca Group. Our main objective will be Blanca Peak. At 14,345 ft, it's the 6th tallest mountain in the US outside of Alaska.

Here are a couple of pictures of Blanca from 14ers.com:



There are four other peaks in the area. We'd like to do a traverse across a connecting ridge between a couple of these peaks. Any traverse in this area is really exposed (meaning if you lose your step, you fall a long, long way), so may be a little out of our comfort zone. We'll see.

The Blanca group is straight south of Denver, Colorado Springs and Pueblo, so sorta south central Colorado. It's not too far north of the New Mexico state border near the town of Alamosa.

This will be my 8th summit attempt on a 14,000-ft mountain in the US. I'm 6-1 right now (see my mountaineering resume on a previous post).

Chad was with me on my first 14er summit back in 2003. He led the way on a semi-technical route up the north face (cable route) of Longs Peak. He's the only person I would completely trust on the other end of a rope.

Chad and I on the Summit of Longs Peak (Chad on the right):


After climbing Longs, Chad and I back at the car and feeling pretty sweet:


More details to follow.