North Twin Cone Peak

12,323-ft peak in the Platte River Mountain Range near Kenosha Pass. Thanksgiving Day. Had the whole place to ourselves (which was especially thrilling, first, when we got the car wedged into the snow without chains or a shovel, and second, when we were driving down the icy switchbacks in late afternoon...still lacking chains...and not a soul around!) Necessity breeds innovation, right? We whipped out the floor mats, blankets, and towels (you know, the towels we've been using to clean the antifreeze vapors off the windshield in the Heater Core Debacle of Twenty Eleven) and with our handy snowshoe-shovel devices, broke free of nature's grip. A little backwards driving, a little dirt on the ice rink switchbacks and we were in business. Made it down the mountain AND (bonus round) all the way to a gas station on the fumes we had left in the tank (it was mostly downhill. no problem.) 

We should really think about leading a Girl Scout troop...