yesterday we went on our first hike in the rocky mountains! i was able to talk W out of attempting our first fourteener, cuz the thought of hiking up a mountain that is over 14k feet above sea level did not sound like a good idea to me. from what i had read, they sounded like fairly moderate to difficult hikes for more advanced hikers. plus, there's snow on the mountains at that elevation, and we don't have snow shoes!
so instead, we decided to try an easy to moderate hike just west of colorado springs, the catamount trail in green mountain falls. the entire trail is on one giant piece of pikes peak red rock! the drive from colorado to green mountain falls was very scenic, with lots of exposed red rock along the highway. we got there just after 9am and parked the car where the road begins to get to the trail (it's a private unpaved road with lots of really cool houses). i didn't think i'd make it to the trailhead, since the initial 0.8 miles uphill was enough to wipe me out! talk about being out of shape. you add that with the thinner air here and it's not a good combination!
we got to the trailhead and made our way up the side of the mountain. it was pretty rigorous, and i had to stop a few times to catch my breath. the views were breathtaking though. after about an hour of that, we got to a flat(ter) area right next to the "garden of eden meadow" with lots of butterflies and lush trees and flowers. we couldn't tell how far we were from the end of the trail, but after an hour and half of hiking, we decided to turn around and head back. a very good idea after W noticed the dark clouds off in the distance, making its way slowly toward us.
thankfully we made it back to the car, without getting stuck in some freak thunderstorm (we get sudden thunderstorms in the afternoons during the summer here), no mountain lion, bear or rattlesnake sightings, and still in one piece! although i felt like my knees were about to pop. all in all, it was a lot of fun (after i got over my anxiety of being followed by a mountain lion or attacked by a bear...the website we were reading said to bring bear spray!). we ended our first colorado hike with a great meat at the mucky duck, where i feasted on bacon and avocado eggs benedict! so good! here are some pictures...
for more pics we took on the hike, find them here
so instead, we decided to try an easy to moderate hike just west of colorado springs, the catamount trail in green mountain falls. the entire trail is on one giant piece of pikes peak red rock! the drive from colorado to green mountain falls was very scenic, with lots of exposed red rock along the highway. we got there just after 9am and parked the car where the road begins to get to the trail (it's a private unpaved road with lots of really cool houses). i didn't think i'd make it to the trailhead, since the initial 0.8 miles uphill was enough to wipe me out! talk about being out of shape. you add that with the thinner air here and it's not a good combination!
we got to the trailhead and made our way up the side of the mountain. it was pretty rigorous, and i had to stop a few times to catch my breath. the views were breathtaking though. after about an hour of that, we got to a flat(ter) area right next to the "garden of eden meadow" with lots of butterflies and lush trees and flowers. we couldn't tell how far we were from the end of the trail, but after an hour and half of hiking, we decided to turn around and head back. a very good idea after W noticed the dark clouds off in the distance, making its way slowly toward us.
thankfully we made it back to the car, without getting stuck in some freak thunderstorm (we get sudden thunderstorms in the afternoons during the summer here), no mountain lion, bear or rattlesnake sightings, and still in one piece! although i felt like my knees were about to pop. all in all, it was a lot of fun (after i got over my anxiety of being followed by a mountain lion or attacked by a bear...the website we were reading said to bring bear spray!). we ended our first colorado hike with a great meat at the mucky duck, where i feasted on bacon and avocado eggs benedict! so good! here are some pictures...
for more pics we took on the hike, find them here
posted by joyce at
6:25 PM
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