MacGregor Falls

A wonderful family, a beautiful day, and a waterfall awaiting us. We hiked up to MacGregor Falls today. Although it can be hot along this trail, the late August heat does not overwhelm like it did just a month ago.

Meadow Mountain

From the tiny trailhead tucked away behind Allenspark, in four short miles you can hike up to a magical place. From the summit of Meadow Mountain, you can peer into all of Wildbasin. Meeker, Longs, Pagoda and Chiefshead tower to the north. Alice, Tanima, Mahana rise to the west.

Copeland and the St Vrain glaciers fill the southwest skyline. And the plains can be seen to the east.

Gentians are flowering over the tundra, replacing the alpine avens and other midsummer flowers. Too soon those first frosts will come to these high meadows.

Colorado Relay

Once again, crazy enough to run in the Colorado Relay for my 10th year. This year's race was 200 miles, from Breckenridge to Snowmass, over three mountain passes. 10 runners, each running three legs. It's hard to say which leg was the best this year. My first run was down Boreas Pass with beautiful views of South Park. The second leg was near Edwards, CO in the rain at night - warm enough to just enjoy the feel of the rain and watch the lightning flash in the distance. I finished with a section on the bike path on the way to Carbondale - 5 miles of pungent sage after the night's rain as the night sky slowly turned to blue.

For a group of average and above average runners, we finished 22nd this year. I don't understand how we manage to get older and keep moving up. It must be those cookies that Cathy and James provided! And the french fries - no one else knows about our secret race food.

Finch Lake via Calypso Cascades

Water rushing everywhere. We followed creeks the entire length of the hike until we finally reached Finch Lake. Large falls, long cascades, intimate little pools.

The sound of rushing water filled our ears, overwhelming the other senses.

Hidden pools, each one looking better than the last for taking a refreshing swim. Patches of the summer's last flowers, still blooming along the side of the stream.

A leisurely lunch at the Finch Lake spent dipping our toes in the lake. And then a walk back down the creek, looking completely different in the opposite direction.

Grace Falls

Another one of my favorite hidden places in the park - Grace Falls. It's not far off the trail, just over the edge and down the old trail to Lake Odessa. You feel like you are miles away from any other hikers, tucked away in the top of the gorge. We stopped for lunch at a small pool near the base of the falls which we've now christened Grace Poole.

Even in an incredibly beautiful park, views like this are still spectacular.

Flattop Mountain

Today was a wildlife day. Maybe it was the incredibly warm morning. Or the last of the alpine avens blooming on the tundra. We headed up Flattop mountain early hoping to beat the impending thunderstorms. Pikas are always squeaking from the rocks above treeline, scurrying about collecting grasses for the long winter. But this morning, one allowed us to take his photo, savoring that alpine aven.

On the way down from the top, a friendly mountain goat was keeping the hikers company. He wasn't concerned about anyone. He was just munching on the tundra, especially the avens. Both appeared to be making the most of the last gasps of summer.

Copeland Lake

Not really a hike - just an amble down the road to Copeland Lake to watch the sunset. The warmth of the day still lingers, not a breath of a breeze. Voices from returning fishermen float along in the air. But it feels like the end of a season, not just the end of a day. Hanging baskets at the house by the lake have disappeared along with the owners. A few aspen leaves at the bend in the road have turned golden. Spring has collided with autumn, with a few memorable weeks in between.

Mt Ida

This sums up how I feel at the top of every mountain. There is something about being up above the trees where you can see for miles and miles, you feel that you are drinking everything in. We started the morning seeing a momma bear and two cubs as we were leaving the Y. On the vast tundra off the side of Trail Ridge Road, we were treated to an enormous herd of elk. As we were climbing the first mile of the trail to Mt Ida, four male elk were mock sparring in preparation for the upcoming rut. Near the summit, a ptarmigan family, the chicks nearly as large as the mother, tried to blend in with the rocks.

Up at the top of Mt Ida, I could look down at the lakes that we had tried to reach two weeks ago. Half of our group made it to Inkwell on that trip. The ice on Azure gleamed at us, teasing us to head down the gulley. Tales of monster fish caught in Arrowhead and told by hikers passed as they headed down only whetted my appetite to get back here another day.

But today was meant for Mt Ida - and lots of first ascents among the group.That first trip to the tundra and a summit with an incredible view is addicting.

Bridal Veil Falls

Bridal Veil Falls is a hike that I love. I count the memories with each step I take. Camping with girls when they were tiny - holding out raisins and animal crackers to entice them one step closer to Rabbit Ears campsite. Knowing just where Erin would stop to rearrange her socks and tie up her shoelaces yet again. Here is the stream crossing where the shooting stars grow. Here is where Paul stopped when he couldn't quite make it up the last climb, two months before he died. There is where the stick lives under the bridge, where we retrieve it for another few hours of fun. How many memories can one stretch of trail possibly hold? And how is it possible that there is room to load it up with even more memories every time I hike this trail...

 Did I mention that my favorite swimming hole is on this hike?

Mt Alice

It's hard to choose just a few photos to tell the story of an amazing day of hiking to Mt Alice. We started from the trailhead at 3:15am. Headlamps lighting our way, we covered the first 7 miles before we breakfast, stopping at Lion Lake #2 for our first taste of sunshine.

.Lots of snow still lingers at the high lakes this year.

Above us rose Mt Alice, looking incredibly imposing.We hiked the classic loop hike - up hourglass ridge on the north side of the mountain, and down the south side to Boulder Grand Pass. 

From the summit, the views are stunning as you are surrounded by other peaks that are 13,000 to 14,000 foot high. McHenry's, Chiefshead, Longs Peak, and Mt Meeker stand out along the north.

Feeling that we were truly on top of the world, we spent an hour on the summit, with a marmot for company. We didn't see another person until after 3pm as we headed back into the more heavily traveled area around Thunder Lake.

We descended the gentler south slope to Boulder Grand Pass, where we were treated to a flyover by two fighter jets. It felt like we could reach out and touch them as they grazed the pass and then dove into the canyons. Straight down the pass to Lake of Many Winds where the snow was still thick, but the wildflowers carpeted the areas that had melted out.

The difficult part of the hike was now over, but there was still a long way to go to get back to the trailhead. 

We reached Thunder Lake and the main trail in time for an afternoon snack, where we were able to look up at Mt Alice and see all that we had accomplished. A perfect day, a perfect hiking group, and a perfect destination.

Moraine Park Geology

Today was a day to learn from another hikemaster. Gary, a retired geology professor, gives a weekly hike on geology, concentrating on the glaciers that have shaped Rocky Mountain National Park. Fascinating to hike over the ground near the Y and see the evidence of those long gone glaciers.Muneca enjoyed coming along on the hike with her new friends.

Dream Lake

Up in the wee hours to make my 5am hike to Dream Lake, I stopped near Longs Peak to gaze at the star-filled sky against the silhouette of the mountains. As if that weren't enough, shooting stars traced their way across the night sky. Then on to the hike with the early sun reflecting off the lily pads. Muneca now has four new friends.

Shelf and Solitude

At least once a year I have to make the pilgrimage to Shelf and Solitude. A climb of almost 1000 feet from the creek below is worth every step up. Hanging on a bench, Shelf Lake guards the entrance to the rocky wonderland. Climb just a little higher, and the mountains display their secret Solitude. Arrowhead and Thatchtop surround the lakes while Powell peers on from the distance.

Twin Lakes

My third trip to Twin Lakes this summer. It's a pleasure to get off the beaten path, especially on a Sunday, and have a beautiful lake and a beautiful view all to ourselves. The lilies have bloomed, altering the lake ever so slightly.

One of the shallower lakes in the park, and surrounded by rocks, Twin Lakes was surprisingly warm on this beautiful summer's day. Gregor and Chris decided to go for a swim. I'm used to seeing people dive in and come right back out again in other lakes, but these two cruised around, enjoying the water.

Chris's shoes awaiting his return from the swim - what a way to spend the day.

Gorge Lakes

We had a 3:30 AM start for our hike to try to beat the storms on our attempt to visit as many of the Gorge Lakes as possible. We were already above treeline as the first light hit the Never Summers to the west of us.

After hiking up to over 12,000 feet, we descended down to the gorge that contains these beautiful, but rarely visited lakes, losing about 2000 feet to get down there.

Arrowhead Lake is the largest of the lakes in Rocky Mountain National Park. It dominates the gorge and can be seen from Trail Ridge Road from the Forest Canyon overlook. There are still more lakes to visit down there... one day we'll get to the rest.