Snowshoeing in Rocky Mountain National Park

I had to go to Boulder, Colorado for work last week. I decided to make the most of it by going out early and staying through this past weekend. We have lots of friends there, so Michael flew out at the end of the work week. We intended to stay with friends, but this wound up being a trip where flexibility was required. More on that in a bit.

I arrived late Friday night and stayed with my brother. We visited Garden of the Gods on Saturday. It must have been 75 degrees, which was a bit of a shock coming from the chilly weather here the previous week. It was crowded, but we managed to find a short trail with only a few people.

On Sunday, a friend and I borrowed snowshoes fand headed for Rocky Mountain National Park. For all of the times I've been to Colorado, I had never actually been there. We were warned that parking can be at a premium at Bear Lake Trailhead, but the lot was only about 1/3 full when we got there. We hiked the trail towards Emerald Lake. I expected to struggle. I arrived 48 hours prior to our hike and my friend arrived had been in Colorado less than 24 hours at that point. The trailhead is at nearly 9,500 feet. Much to my surprise, we did pretty well. We were slow on the uphills, but otherwise, we had a good hike to Emerald Lake. The views were just spectacular. There is a reason why this is such a popular area.

 Looking towards Emerald Lake from Nymph Lake

On the hike up to Dream and Emerald Lakes. Although it was relatively warm, the wind was fierce. I wore my parka the entire hike.

 Just above Dream Lake.

 The bark of an evergreen tree.

 Looking down on Emerald Lake

My friend snowshoeing above Emerald Lake. We turned around shortly after this. The legs were strong, but my lungs were burning a bit at this point from the lack of oxygen.

Frozen Emerald Lake

 I love this picture for the sense of scale. In addition to the group on the edge of the lake, there are two skiers about halfway up the chute in the top center of the photo, just to the right of the large pillar of rock.

A dead tree on the lakeshore.

Standing on Emerald Lake. I'm pretty sure this is the first time I've been out on a frozen lake. On this day, the ice was really smooth.

Bubbles trapped in the ice.

Our hike back to the parking lot was quick. The parking lot was a complete circus, complete with people clubbing each other for parking spots. We were still feeling energetic, so we decided to hike to Alberta Falls. I sort of expected the frozen columns of ice that one usually sees when waterfalls freeze. What we found instead was an inky black sheet of ice through which we could see water flowing. I had never seen anything like it. It was very cool and completely unexpected. Unfortunately, I couldn't capture it with my camera.

After my week of meetings was over, Michael flew out to Colorado to join me. As I said earlier, we intended to stay with friends for the weekend. That didn't wind up happening because several members of their family got sick. So, Friday, Michael and I borrowed the same snowshoes and I took him up to do the same hike. I know there are a million other places we could have gone, even within the National Park, but I was so impressed with Emerald Lake that I wanted him to see it.

 The weather wasn't quite as perfect as it had been five days earlier. There were more clouds and periodic snow flurries, but it also wasn't as windy. This is the view from Dream Lake.

Interesting tree roots.

 Another view of Emerald Lake

 Windblown Snow

Michael and I made it higher than I had the previous Sunday. This is working our way up a gully above Emerald Lake.

Crossing a rock slide. We turned around not long after this because we felt the terrain got to steep.

 The view from our turnaround point between 10,500 and 11,000 feet.

Michael at our turnaround point. Shortly after this, clouds started rolling in and it started snowing. We made the right decision in turning around.

 Michael out on the lake.

The view from Moraine Park on our drive out.

We had a great time. I loved both hikes. Now I want to go back and explore the park when I have more time.

A Week in Colorado

I spent last week in Colorado, both for work and play. Over the years, the number of people that I am close to, both family and friends, who live in the Denver/Boulder area seems to have grown somewhat exponentially. I flew out a few days before my conference so I could spend time with several of them. I met up with my brother Friday afternoon and we drove up to Roxborough State Park. Roxborough's claim to fame is the upright rocks of the Fountain Formation, a sandstone formed around 300 million years ago during the Pennsylvanian Period. This formation also forms the Flatirons in Boulder, Colorado, and Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs.

We didn't have a lot of time to explore because the park closes at 5 p.m. in the winter, but we were able to walk around for about 45 minutes. That was enough to get a few nice views.  

This is looking east from the trail. There is a 12-point Mule Deer Buck in the center of the photo. Unfortunately, I only had my small camera with me, so I couldn't get a good picture of him.

On Saturday, my brother and I went hiking in Castelwood Canyon State Park. The park includes ruins of Castelwood Canyon Dam, which failed in 1933. The canyon itself is a pretty jumble of boulders and a clear, babbling creek.

 Looking down towards the canyon.

 Aspens along the canyon trail.

 Dried Oak leaves.

This boulder is interesting because it fell off of the cliffs above (as a side note, those are full-size trees around it). Then the lake formed by Castlewood Canyon Dam deposited sediment around it, partially burying it. Once the dam failed, the creek eroded the sediments away on one side of it, leaving it as it is today.

I spent Saturday night with my friend from Tangled Up in Denver and her family. Then, on Sunday, I visited friends who moved to the Denver area from DC. We took a drive up towards Mt. Evans Sunday evening. 

The road was mostly clear. As we were driving up, we did see a snowplow on its way down. 

Echo Lake, which, according to Wikipedia, is at 10,600 feet. It was cold. And beautiful. We turned around at Echo Lake because it was getting cold and headed back to Idaho Springs for dinner. We ate at Tommyknocker Brewery, which clearly survives on the quality of its beer rather than that of its food. On Monday, I met up with my coworkers and began a week of a conference, meetings, and good restaurants in Denver. I had a great time, especially seeing my brother and friends and exploring, but I'm glad to be home.

A Few Days in Colorado: Good Friends and Mountain Biking

I had meetings in Boulder, Colorado on Monday and Tuesday of this week, so I took advantage of the trip and spent last weekend out there seeing friends.  I spent Saturday afternoon with the Sparkly Pia family.  I was honored to be their first visitor since moving to Colorado.  The weather cancelled our plans for a short hike, but I did get to see the outside of their new house.  Saturday night, I drove down to Denver and spent a great evening with Tangled Up in Denver and her family.  It had been more than two years since I had seen them and how the kids have grown!  Time passes so quickly.

Sunday, I was invited to give mountain biking a try for the first time by a friend I've worked with over the years.  When the invitation was issued, I assumed we would be doing some scenic road cycling in the mountains.  I accepted and said I would bring my shoes and pedals.  Then he said a friend of his would bring a mountain bike for me to use.  First time on a mountain bike, riding at 6000ish feet 24 hours after arriving from basically sea level...what could possibly go wrong?  Now, I love cycling.  I have spent untold hours on my bikes, but I can't say that, other than the random gravel road, I have ever biked off pavement.  I am used to the skinny tires, shoes that are hard to walk in, and the ridiculous clothing of road cycling.  I know nothing of riding off road.

I brought shoes and pedals anyway, since I use mountain bike shoes for commuting.  The guys got me set up on the generously loaned bike and we were off.  Well, they were off.  I struggled with the first small climb because I wasn't used to riding over rocks.  They waited for me at the top and reassured me that, yes, the bike will actually roll over almost everything (my road cyclist brain took some convincing).  I slowly got more comfortable riding over uneven terrain and wound up having a blast.  By the end of the ride, I was trying to figure out if there is room in the garage for another pair of bikes.

It was a great couple of days of fun, followed by a little bit of work.  I only wish I could have spent more time with everyone.  It seems like a vacation to Colorado might be in order.

Pictures (click to enlarge):

 The Flatirons north of where we were riding.

 Taking a quick break.

 One of the easiest parts of our ride.

 A different kind of boot shot.

Another view of the Flatirons and the changing leaves in the valley.