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Dave Spates

Dave Spates

Hiking. Adventure. Photography.

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7 Epic Days in Yosemite National Park

August 18, 2022 by Emily Leave a Comment

tunnel view in yosemite national park

Arriving at Yosemite National Park Day 1 – Jun 4, 2022 At long last, the trip to Yosemite National Park was upon us. Our flight from Denver departed at 11:30AM – a direct flight to Fresno International Airport. We eventually settled on checking two pieces of luggage. Dave’s 70L backpack housed the tent while my […]

Filed Under: National Parks

Spectacle Lakes in Rocky Mountain National Park

August 17, 2022 by davespates Leave a Comment

Spectacle Lakes and Ypsilon Mountain Rocky Mountain National Park

August 13th 2022 Emily and I hiked to Spectacle Lakes from the Lawn Lake trailhead in Rocky Mountain National Park. Spectacle Lakes are located in the Mummy Range section of the park, underneath Ypsilon Mountain (13,520′).  Hiking Distance – 12.8 Miles Round-trip Elevation Gain – 3,661 ft (The hike fail to Chiquita Lake added about […]

Filed Under: Rocky Mountain National Park

Camping at Thunder Lake Stock in Rocky Mountain National Park

August 14, 2022 by davespates Leave a Comment

dramatic landscape from the shore of thunder lake

Emily and I acquired a walk-up permit to camp at Thunder Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park for one night. Walk up permits are just as they sound, you walk up to one of the wilderness offices, and see what’s available. Another option, but not concrete, is to check Recreation.gov for potential walk up sites […]

Filed Under: Rocky Mountain National Park

Hiking Mount Massive 14,421 feet

October 5, 2021 by davespates Leave a Comment

near the summit of mount massive, snow covered route

Hiked to the summit of Mount Massive via southeast route on October 2nd, 2021. Mount Massive is the 2nd highest peak in Colorado, and sits next to it’s higher neighbor Mount Elbert. Most of this hike is located in the Mount Massive Wilderness area. Hiking Stats 16.3 miles round-trip 4,705 feet total elevation gain 8 […]

Filed Under: Colorado 14ers

Using the GoPro Hero 10 for hiking/travel footage

October 4, 2021 by davespates Leave a Comment

Is the GoPro Hero 10 a viable option to make hiking videos? Absolutely. I’ve been using GoPro’s to make short hiking films since the GoPro Hero 7. Although it’s not my primary camera for film making anymore, it’s definitely a good option in certain situations. Hiking Distance My main camera body, lens and tripod weigh […]

Filed Under: Filming

Grand Canyon of Yellowstone – South Rim to Ribbon Lake

September 13, 2021 by davespates Leave a Comment

upper yellowstone falls and hiker

July 18th, 2021. This hike started off at the Wapiti Lake trailhead in Yellowstone National Park. Hiked on the South Rim trail, to Point Sublime, down to Lily Pad Lake, to Ribbon Lake, to Clear Lake and back to the trailhead. This was a pretty moderate loop that takes you through a variety of landscapes […]

Filed Under: National Parks

Hiking 30 Miles Alone in the Lost Creek Wilderness

August 26, 2021 by davespates Leave a Comment

Adventurous backpacker standing on a boulder pointing a camera towards the wilderness landscape

Hiked 32 miles in the Lost Creek Wilderness, near Baily, Colorado, on August 21st, 2021. I started this hike from the Lost Creek trailhead next to the Lost Creek Campground. Access to this trailhead is achieved by driving down a 19 mile dirt road that is directly off of US Highway 285. The dirt road […]

Filed Under: Hiking

Hiking Angels Landing in Zion National Park, Utah

August 7, 2021 by Emily Leave a Comment

two hikers on the summit of Angels Landing in Zion National Park

A grueling 15 mile day in Bryce Canyon enabled us venture to another National Park in Utah: Zion National Park – the home of Angels Landing. We left our Bryce hotel room at 4:30AM, January 17th, 2021. Making the nearly two hour drive to the Angels Landing trailhead. The parking lot at Angels Landing is […]

Filed Under: National Parks

Lost Lake Wilderness Camping in Rocky Mountain National Park

July 11, 2021 by Emily Leave a Comment

sunset at lost lake with mount dunraven

  For three months we have been anxiously awaiting our first backpacking trip of the year in Rocky Mountain National Park – a two night stay at Lost Lake campground. This year, due to the high number of visitors to the park, persons interested in wilderness camping needed to enter a lottery to be randomly […]

Filed Under: Rocky Mountain National Park

Hiking to Lyric Falls in Rocky Mountain National Park

July 2, 2021 by davespates Leave a Comment

Lyric falls, a remote waterfall in rocky mountain national park

Emily and I hiked to Lyric Falls on June 7th, 2021, from Sandbeach Lake Trailhead near the Wild Basin entrance station. Which is located on the southeast side of Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, USA. Hiking Distance: 10.55 Miles RT Elevation Gain: 2,188 feet Total Time: 6 hours 4 minutes Video of Our Hike to […]

Filed Under: Rocky Mountain National Park

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