Josh Kurz
Spring Runoff 2022
Spring runoff on the San Juan River started alarmingly fast with an early spike of 1670 cfs on 4/22! Since that spike was higher than...
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Josh Kurz
- Mar 27
- 5 min
A Little Dirt Never Hurt...Right?
A classic Colorado childhood isn't complete without snacking on snowballs and catching scrumptious snowflakes on the tongue. One of my...
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Josh Kurz
- May 4, 2021
- 3 min
Signs in the Snow
Like constellations in the night sky, some see shapes in the snow and claim that they can foretell the future. From October till May,...
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Josh Kurz
- Apr 18, 2021
- 2 min
Predict the Peak: Spring Runoff 2021
It’s time for my annual San Juan River spring runoff prediction! The 2021 water year is half over and spring runoff on the San Juan...
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Josh Kurz
- Oct 31, 2020
- 6 min
The Sentinel of the San Juans
I stared through The Window, the legendary 600-foot notch in the Rio Grande Pyramid’s southern flank. I’d seen The Window from the...
248 views3 comments
Josh Kurz
- Aug 22, 2020
- 6 min
Hurricanes in Colorado?
On October 5th, 1911, the San Juan River experienced the highest and most devastating flood on record. Since the flood washed out every...
440 views2 comments
Josh Kurz
- Aug 11, 2020
- 4 min
The Highest Point in Archuleta County: A 20-mile Pilgrimage
If you're a local, there’s a good chance that you’ve seen the highest point in Archuleta County but didn’t know it. Unlike the familiar...
334 views1 comment
Josh Kurz
- Jul 22, 2020
- 4 min
Scaling Squaretop Mountain
When I see a conspicuous mountain on the skyline, I crave to view the world from its perspective and long for the awaiting adventure. In...
398 views1 comment
Josh Kurz
- Jul 16, 2020
- 2 min
Streamflow and Precipitation Update: July 2020
It may surprise you to know that the 2020 spring runoff on the San Juan River was a top-five event! While the 2019 spring runoff was the...
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Josh Kurz
- Apr 25, 2020
- 2 min
2020 Spring Runoff Prediction
Wondering when and how much streamflow to expect in the San Juan River during the 2020 spring runoff? And how will the 2020 spring...
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Josh Kurz
- Mar 7, 2020
- 3 min
Snowpack Update and Outlook: March 2020
Rather than climbing snowbanks onto the Pagosa Springs High School roof or jumping out of the second-story classroom windows into the...
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Josh Kurz
- Feb 8, 2020
- 2 min
Current Snowpack Situation
Wondering how the snowpack in the Southern San Juan Mountains stacks up to the last year and the historic norm? January is usually the...
158 views2 comments
Josh Kurz
- Jan 7, 2020
- 2 min
January 2020 Snowpack Update: Southern San Juan Mountains
How does the 2020 snowpack stack up to last year and to the historic norm? Snow-wise, 2019 is a tough act to follow, but I was surprised...
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Josh Kurz
- Dec 9, 2019
- 5 min
Snowshoe...cross country ski...skate ski...so many choices!
Winter in the mountains...for some, a snow-covered landscape brings chills and dread, for others, it brings excitement and new...
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Josh Kurz
- Sep 15, 2019
- 2 min
Does Early September Seem Hotter Than Normal?
That's the question I pondered during the 1st week of September as I sweat through my afternoon science lessons. Our mountain high...
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Josh Kurz
- Aug 9, 2019
- 3 min
Hike to Quartz Lake!
Alpine lakes are the gems of the San Juan Mountains - aquamarine water and surrounded by jagged peaks and wildflower-filled fens. They...
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Josh Kurz
- Jul 22, 2019
- 1 min
Hike Pagosa Peak!
Hiking conditions on Pagosa Peak as of 7/20/19
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Josh Kurz
- Jul 16, 2019
- 2 min
Fireflies in Pagosa Springs?!
Even though the 4th of July fireworks are over, there may be a natural nightly light show in your own backyard! To the delight of my...
188 views1 comment
Josh Kurz
- Jun 30, 2019
- 1 min
Photo Essay: Fourmile Falls near Pagosa Springs
The Fourmile Trail is free of downed trees (thanks USFS trail crew) and this year there's plenty of water plunging hundreds of feet to...
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Josh Kurz
- Jun 19, 2019
- 1 min
Accessible Early Summer Wildflowers
Trails that wind through the ponderosa pine and mixed conifer forests have finally dried out and are now lined with a bumper crop of...
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