Others often ask me which hike is my favorite.. I always have to pause, because it is such a difficult question. Based on beauty of the destination? Based on beauty of the journey? Based on challenge? Based on memories associated with the hike?
Mt Audubon has to be in my top five hikes based on all of the above. I can't even count how many times I have sat on the top, savoring the view. I have brought each of my daughters to its summit when they were 9 years old. I have celebrated an anniversary dinner on top. I have laughed and screamed with so many friends as I have taken them down the snowfield. And I can see it from my bedroom window.
Today I was able to share it with another wonderful group of hikers. Despite the wind, chilly temperatures, and cloudy skies, we set a steady pace up to the tundra. While very few wildflowers were still blooming, pikas were out in force, gathering greens to bury down low in their mountain dens.
After a quick snack at the saddle, we started up the rocks to the top. There is no single path, and I doubt I have ever followed the exact same route while threading my way through the boulders. The dark green rosettes of the Big Rooted Spring Beauty were still scattered among the rocks, some surrounded by their circle of tiny white flowers.
Once at the top, there are numerous shelters to block the wind, which allowed us to enjoy lunch on the summit. Navajo and Apache dominate the skyline to the south.
To the north we could enjoy the mountains of the Front Range from a different angle. Chiefshead, Pagoda, Longs Peak, and Meeker rise up over all the other peaks in the area.
At the summit of Mt Audubon, Maggie, Maria, Tommy, Theresa, Sam (with Muneca on his head), Greg, David, Linda, Kevin, Annie and Carroll.
I've been trying my hardest to arrange the best hikes possible for Kevin. We saw a young moose on the drive into Brainard Lake that morning. But on our drive out, four bull moose were grazing in the willow thickets just south of the lake. What will I be able to pull out of my hat for the next hike?
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