South Boulder Peak

   A couple weeks ago, I hiked up South Boulder Peak with my friend Lindsay and her dog. We started at South Mesa trailhead and hiked up Shadow Canyon. This is the second time I have climbed up Shadow Canyon this year. I did it once before when hiking to the top of Bear Peak. South Boulder Peak is just to the south of Bear Peak, and was seemingly a bit less popular.
   The air quality was less than ideal with the High Park fire burning to the north. Likewise, our views were largely obscured from the smoke and haze. We started early in the morning, but it was still rather hot outside. We did notice an abundance of butterflies and dragonflies, which I assume is due to the unusually warm Spring we had.

Hesperis Fritillary Butterfly on a Horsemint Flower

Hesperis Fritillary Butterfly on a Horsemint Flower

Siva Juniper Hairstreak Butterfly on a Showy Milkweed Flower

Prickly Pear Cactus Flower

McCullough Gulch

  The day after Run the Rockies, Nick, Lindsey, Andy (her fiance), and I went for a short morning hike in Blue River. On the way, we headed past the Quandary Peak trailhead, and I have never seen a more crowded trailhead in my life. Anyway, we headed down to the end of the road. We hiked past what appeared to be a mine, which is still in use. The we hiked along a small creek quite steeply up along the south side of Quandary. It was another gorgeous morning. The moon was out and there wasn't a cloud to be found. We hiked up to waterfall, where I took some photos of Lindsey and Andy for their "Save the Date" cards. Then, we continued up a little further to a lake just below Fletcher Mountain. It was incredibly windy at the lake, so we did not stay long. Overall, it was a very nice hike and weekend in the mountains.

Parry's Primrose Flowers

Pinnate-Leaved Daisy Flowers

Jacob's Ladder Flowers

Grays and Torreys Peaks

   Last Thursday, team Runs with Ptarmigans (Rob and Jody from MFP, and I) assembled to climb Torreys Peak (14,267ft), which is just outside of Idaho Springs. 
   Rob and I left Denver at 4:45a to beat any afternoon thunderstorms. We met Jody at the Bakersville exit, and she climbed in the Jeep with us. We headed up the sketchy dirt road a couple miles to the trailhead. There were a few others already there, but it was not crowded by any means.
   We began our trek at about 6:30a, high on confidence from having conquered Mount Bierstadt (14,060ft) the week before. The initial stretch of trail up Steven's Gulch is pretty level, but the beginning of the trail definitely offers a nice acclimation to the high altitude. Shortly after we started hiking, we spotted Grays Peak (14,270ft), Torreys sister peak to the south.

Grays Peak covered in a wisp of cloud

Torreys Peak

Grays and Torreys Peaks

Torreys Peak

    From here on, the trail began to get very steep and rocky. There seemed to be an abundance of wildlife and wildflowers, as well. We saw a ptarmigan, lots of pikas, some marmots, a mountain goat, a butterfly, and even some ladybugs.

Alpine Primrose

Marmot with a great view

Mountain Goat

Monarch Butterfly

Sky Pilot Flowers

    It took us close to 3 hours to reach the top of Grays Peak. We didn't stop for long, as it was very windy and a bit chilly at the top.

View from Grays - Tenmile Range and Breckenridge

View from Grays - Mt Evans and Mt Bierstadt

View from Grays - Kelso Ridge and Kelso Mountain below

View from Grays - Mosquito Range

View from Grays - Tenmile and Sawatch Ranges (Mt. of the Holy Cross in the distance)

 Then, we scrambled down a large boulder field on the northwest side of Grays leading to the saddle. Once we reached the bottom of the saddle, we began another steep climb to the top of Torreys Peak. From peak-to-peak it took us about another hour.

View from saddle

View of Grays from Torreys

View from top of Torreys

    Honestly, I was feeling a little more overwhelmed on this climb than I felt on Bierstadt the week before. I was experiencing some very mild altitude sickness; a little dizziness, some lack of coordination, and a light headache. Also, I was extremely fatigued after having only slept 3 hours the night before due to severe thunderstorms and tornadoes late in the night. However, I worked real hard to keep myself properly hydrated, and I refueled with high-carb snacks every couple hours. Likewise, I gave myself constant reassurance in my ability to make it to the top. I have found a positive and determined attitude can make or break just about anyone on a difficult hike.

Me on top of Grays with the trail up Torreys to the right

    After conquering both peaks, I definitely had that Rocky Mountain High. There aren't many better feelings in life. We took our time getting down, as it is incredible easy to slip and fall on a snowfield or on loose rocks, especially when having fatigued legs. On the way back, we excitedly and tentatively planned future trips for team Runs with Ptarmigans. We reached the car in about 3 more hours. It took us about 7 hours overall.

    I am now up to 4 out of 10 peaks climbed for 2012. I am still a little nervous about having enough time to reach this goal, but I think it is doable and realistic. If we have another dry winter, I can likely keep climbing peaks well into September and October, before it gets too snowy. However, I'm not sure my goal of backpacking 50 miles this summer is going to happen, with most of my focus placed on peak bagging. In the end, I know all that matters is that I remain driven, goal-oriented, healthy, and that I'm having fun.

Squaw Mountain

The same day as our sunrise hike, we drove up to Evergreen and hiked up Squaw Mountain (11,486ft). I have been snowshoeing up the road a couple times during the winter but have never made it to the top. After a brief scramble, we found ourselves above the trees with magnificent views of the Front Range.

Sunrise Over Denver

   Two weekends ago,  we got up at 4am and headed towards Green Mountain in Lakewood with friends. We climbed to the top and watched the sunrise. It was a peaceful and magical morning.

Abyss Lake Trail

     On Memorial Day, Nick, our friend Chuck, and I set out early up Guanella Pass. Our goal was to climb Square Top Mountain. However, upon our arrival at the trailhead, we encountered extremely gusty and chilly winds. It was so windy, in fact, that we could barely shut the car doors. It took us all of thirty seconds to decide we did not want to hike above treeline all day in those conditions. So, we headed about ten miles down the road towards Grant to our old favorite Abyss Lake Trail. We have been there twice before, once with Chuck, and both times during Fall. This is one of my favorites because of it's gradual nature and because of the breathtaking vistas of Mt Bierstadt, the Sawtooth, and Mt Evans. We were very relieved to find the trees protected us quite a bit from the wind once we reached the trailhead. We made it about four miles up the trail to where the trees start to thin out and the trail opens up a bit. The unwelcomed cold wind returned, and we found ourselves surrounded by tons of freshly fallen trees. The further we climbed up the trail, the more frequent and more difficult the fallen tree crossings became. Happy with our trek so far, the three of us ate lunch on a rock, and then, returned to the trailhead. After we got back to Denver, we ate lunch at Park Burger, where I enjoyed a milkshake, a jalapeno cheeseburger, and some sweet potato fries. Overall, despite the insane gusts, it was another gorgeous day.

Reynolds Park

   Along with a group of friends, we went to Reynolds Park, a Jefferson County Open Space, for a short hike two weeks ago. It is located just south of Conifer. It is a relatively small park, but the high point provides great views of the Cathedral Spires and Pikes Peak.

Deer Creek Canyon

   A few weeks ago, we went on another adventure with friends to Deer Creek Canyon. It was an overcast day, but I tend to enjoy these days in Colorado, as they are few and far between. There were rumors of a black bear sighting in the area, which we never did spot but it made the hike a little more exciting.

Western Spiderwort Flowers

White Ranch

       I have been to White Ranch several times, as it is one of the closer, free places to hike. I have done a write up on it previously in this blog, so I will let this picture speak for the day I had. 

Alderfer/Three Sisters

     At the beginning of May, Nick and I did an easy day hike with friends just outside of Evergreen. Alderfer/Three Sisters is one of the many Jefferson County Open Spaces on the Front Range. With several interesting rock outcroppings, it offers easy hikes at a slightly higher elevation than the lower Jeffco parks and views of Mount Evans and its neighboring peaks. After, we had brunch at a local cafe in Evergreen.