My first trip to Colorado
Posted: Sun Sep 02, 2007 1:10 pm
My first trip to Colorado.
In my quest to see new places and search for clearer air, I headed to Colorado for a week. I had certain sites I wanted to see and an idea of some of the mountains I'd like to climb. I flew into Denver on Saturday, August 25, 2007 from Ontario, California (elevation 900'). I had reserved a mid size SUV with 4WD. They gave me a Jeep Liberty, which was the perfect size for me to sleep in seeing as I'm 5'1" (it wouldn't work for anyone much taller). Unfortunately it had street tires, so I'd have to worry about flats if I went on rocky roads. I headed to Estees Park/Rocky Mountain National Park and parked in the Longs Peak Trailhead parking lot for the night. It was noisy there - reminded me a bit of Whitney Portal. I decided I wasn't going to sleep and people were already heading up the trail just after midnight, so at 1:55 am I signed the trailhead register and headed up the trail. After miles of endless stair steps I reached the Boulder Field and it began to get light out. Then I could start taking pictures of the climb - it was beautiful out there.
Pictures of my Longs Peak (14255') climb:
http://kathywing.smugmug.com/gallery/3405622#190686786
Once I reached the Keyhole, the climb to Longs Peak was fun but those steps to the boulder field were very taxing on the way up and worse on the way down.
I checked out Bear Lake on Monday morning, but it was cloudy out and the pictures weren't real great. After checking out Bear Lake, I began the long journey to Alamosa and then out to the Great Sand Dunes. I camped near the dunes and saw a spectacular lightning storm that night and then I hiked first thing on Tuesday morning out to High Dune - I was the only one on the dunes for the first hour or so - it was wonderful.
Pictures of the Dunes:
http://kathywing.smugmug.com/gallery/3405678#190553542
On Tuesday I continued my journey and ended up driving along the Rio Grande and passing through Creede on my way to Lake City:
Pictures of the Bachelor Mine area in Creede:
http://kathywing.smugmug.com/gallery/3405857#190565533
From Creede I headed up to Lake City and camped along the Lake Fork of the Gunnison River. In the morning I did the hike to Handies Peak (14048') from the Gizzly Gulch Trailhead.
Pictures of the Handies Peak hike:
http://kathywing.smugmug.com/gallery/3405769#190696606
After climbing Handies and just missing getting stuck out in a lightning storm on Wednesday, I headed to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park near Montrose. I camped along the canyon and checked out the south rim of the canyon on Thursday morning.
Pictures of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison:
http://kathywing.smugmug.com/gallery/3405842#190564441
I then headed over to Georgetown to spend the night at the trailhead for Grays and Torrey's Peak. I woke up at 3 am and then fell asleep again for an hour. At 4:15 am I headed up the trail starting at 11,300' at the Stephens Gulch Trailhead because I was done sleeping and I would be able to get up and down the mountains before the afternoon storms came.
Pictures of my hike to Grays (14270') and Torreys Peak (14267') along the Continental Divide:
http://kathywing.smugmug.com/gallery/3405817#190712795
On Friday night I packed my stuff up and checked into a nice hotel near the airport in Denver to clean up and comb the knots out of my hair before returning to the heat and smog of lovely San Bernardino County.
A nice week - four 14er's, three national parks, a canyon, dunes, and other sites. I only did one of the mountains I planned, which was Longs Peak. I revised the rest to be ones that I could get up and down fairly quickly to beat the lightning storms that came every afternoon. Capitol Peak will have to wait for the next trip. I can't wait until my next trip to Colorado - I just fell in love with the San Juans - that was an extremely beautiful area around Handies Peak.
In my quest to see new places and search for clearer air, I headed to Colorado for a week. I had certain sites I wanted to see and an idea of some of the mountains I'd like to climb. I flew into Denver on Saturday, August 25, 2007 from Ontario, California (elevation 900'). I had reserved a mid size SUV with 4WD. They gave me a Jeep Liberty, which was the perfect size for me to sleep in seeing as I'm 5'1" (it wouldn't work for anyone much taller). Unfortunately it had street tires, so I'd have to worry about flats if I went on rocky roads. I headed to Estees Park/Rocky Mountain National Park and parked in the Longs Peak Trailhead parking lot for the night. It was noisy there - reminded me a bit of Whitney Portal. I decided I wasn't going to sleep and people were already heading up the trail just after midnight, so at 1:55 am I signed the trailhead register and headed up the trail. After miles of endless stair steps I reached the Boulder Field and it began to get light out. Then I could start taking pictures of the climb - it was beautiful out there.
Pictures of my Longs Peak (14255') climb:
http://kathywing.smugmug.com/gallery/3405622#190686786
Once I reached the Keyhole, the climb to Longs Peak was fun but those steps to the boulder field were very taxing on the way up and worse on the way down.
I checked out Bear Lake on Monday morning, but it was cloudy out and the pictures weren't real great. After checking out Bear Lake, I began the long journey to Alamosa and then out to the Great Sand Dunes. I camped near the dunes and saw a spectacular lightning storm that night and then I hiked first thing on Tuesday morning out to High Dune - I was the only one on the dunes for the first hour or so - it was wonderful.
Pictures of the Dunes:
http://kathywing.smugmug.com/gallery/3405678#190553542
On Tuesday I continued my journey and ended up driving along the Rio Grande and passing through Creede on my way to Lake City:
Pictures of the Bachelor Mine area in Creede:
http://kathywing.smugmug.com/gallery/3405857#190565533
From Creede I headed up to Lake City and camped along the Lake Fork of the Gunnison River. In the morning I did the hike to Handies Peak (14048') from the Gizzly Gulch Trailhead.
Pictures of the Handies Peak hike:
http://kathywing.smugmug.com/gallery/3405769#190696606
After climbing Handies and just missing getting stuck out in a lightning storm on Wednesday, I headed to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park near Montrose. I camped along the canyon and checked out the south rim of the canyon on Thursday morning.
Pictures of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison:
http://kathywing.smugmug.com/gallery/3405842#190564441
I then headed over to Georgetown to spend the night at the trailhead for Grays and Torrey's Peak. I woke up at 3 am and then fell asleep again for an hour. At 4:15 am I headed up the trail starting at 11,300' at the Stephens Gulch Trailhead because I was done sleeping and I would be able to get up and down the mountains before the afternoon storms came.
Pictures of my hike to Grays (14270') and Torreys Peak (14267') along the Continental Divide:
http://kathywing.smugmug.com/gallery/3405817#190712795
On Friday night I packed my stuff up and checked into a nice hotel near the airport in Denver to clean up and comb the knots out of my hair before returning to the heat and smog of lovely San Bernardino County.
A nice week - four 14er's, three national parks, a canyon, dunes, and other sites. I only did one of the mountains I planned, which was Longs Peak. I revised the rest to be ones that I could get up and down fairly quickly to beat the lightning storms that came every afternoon. Capitol Peak will have to wait for the next trip. I can't wait until my next trip to Colorado - I just fell in love with the San Juans - that was an extremely beautiful area around Handies Peak.