Author: Pete KJ

Pete KJ began explorations at age three in the wooded ravine that was his backyard in Seattle. He also began a lifelong writing habit. Backyard expanded as Pete stomped all over the Cascades and Olympics as a youth, and headed onward to the Pyrenees, Alps, Himalayas, and Andes. Peace Corps service in Africa cemented his deep desire to always be out in the world, and when he finally sat in a cubicle as a chemical engineer, it was in places like Puerto Rico and India. Long absent from cubicle, he moved on to raise kids, travel the world with them, and write about it (and also write three novels). Career brought Pete to Colorado in the 1990s, its gravity and beauty pulled him back. Pete's "Base Camp Denver: 101 Hikes in Colorado's Front Range" will be published in April, 2019 by Imbrifex Books.

Spring Fling

April 20, 2018September 28, 2020 Pete KJ 1 Comment

staunton park — A fine spring day in Staunton State Park
*Photo by Pete KJ*

Spring can be a tough time for a Front Range Colorado hiker. I love to walk the winter lowlands, but as soon as the snow level begins to retreat, I start to ache for the high country. Then things stall. Read More

An Appointment with Enos

March 20, 2018September 28, 2020 Pete KJ 4 Comments

Enos Mills
Photo courtesy of
Creative Commons License

One overcast morning last June, I hopped in my car and drove toward Longs Peak. I was on my way to visit a kindred spirit. I had an appointment with Enos! Read More

Free Air Life

February 20, 2018September 28, 2020 Pete KJ Leave a comment

The Norwegian word friluftsliv, pronounced “free-loofts-liv,” does not convert readily to English. The direct translation is “free air life,” and it has a lot to do with Read More

Sharing the Trail

January 20, 2018September 28, 2020 Pete KJ 3 Comments

Something special happens when you go hiking on a crisp morning after a snowfall, and reach a point on the trail where yours are the only boot prints. Read More

Wild Things

December 20, 2017September 28, 2020 Pete KJ 5 Comments

On a sunny Wednesday morning in late October, I knew it was time to get up for one last day in the high country. It hadn’t really snowed yet, I could see from my house, but snow was in the forecast. I knew there was no better place to go than Wild Basin. Read More

Bobcat Ridge: Where Not to Walk

November 20, 2017September 28, 2020 Pete KJ 4 Comments

Colorado’s Front Range has much to offer a hiker. It is important to know where to go. It’s also important to know where not to go. Read More

Flame Catching

October 20, 2017September 28, 2020 Pete KJ 4 Comments

Catching aspen at their peak color in Colorado can be tricky business. Finding a good aspen spot isn’t hard, but you have to get there Read More

Date with a Dome

September 20, 2017September 28, 2020 Pete KJ 5 Comments

“Today’s the day!” I said, as I opened my eyes and smiled. I crawled out of my tent and stretched. I had a date Read More

Base Camp Budapest: Three Hills of Buda

August 20, 2017September 28, 2020 Pete KJ Leave a comment

After a week of vacation in Budapest, Hungary, my feet became itchy for some dirt trail and forest. What’s a hiker to do? Go hiking, of course! Here’s a great walk in hilly Buda, on the west side of the Danube Read More

Beating the Crowds at Rocky Mountain National Park

July 20, 2017September 28, 2020 Pete KJ 2 Comments

No month is better than July for hiking Colorado’s Front Range and especially Rocky Mountain National Park. Nearly all the trails are open for foot traffic sans snowshoes, Read More