I figured that since I'd be in Colorado for 10 weeks that I would try to get some hiking in. I've uploaded some of my favorite pics from my outings this summer.
This pic of the highway that connects Idaho Springs and Evergreen, CO. This picture was taken on my hike to Chief Mountain.
I don't know the name of this lake but it was taken on my hike to Colorado Mines Peak.
Here is a picture of Abyss Lake. This lake sits in the bottom of a cirque that separates two of Colorado's 14'ers, Mt. Evans and Mt. Bierstad.
The next three images are from the Longs Peak hike I did yesterday. Longs Peak is a 14'er and the hike is about 15 miles long (if you take the keyhole route) with over 4K elevation gain.
This is the meadow leading up to the boulder field.
This image shows the last bit of the boulder field and the keyhole.
This is the "home stretch" which is the last scramble up to the summit. This thing is a real steep sombetch. This is not a place where you want to loose your footing.
Here is one of the views from the top of Longs Peak.
It was good to get out and do some hiking but I gotta tell ya, my outings this summer made me appreciate Montana that much more. Sure the mountains in CO are bigger but they are also waaaaay more crowded. In Montana, you'll find popular hiking spots that have mostly filled parking lots at the trailhead but not totally filled. When I hiked Longs Peak I had to parallel park way downhill from the lot. Then driving home the traffic was insane. Most of my hikes this summer were the same. I thought "gee whiz, I go up to the mountains and hike to get away from the crowds, not immerse myself in them." On interstate 70 during the weekends the traffic is worse than downtown Denver, no joke. I guess the upshot is that at least if you stuck in traffic in the mountains you can turn off your engine; pull out the binoculars and scope for mountain goats rather than look at parking lots and buildings.
