Pennsylvania Mountain (13,006') | CO Rank: 635/637 Mosquito Range | Pike National Forest | Fairplay, CO 05/03/20 | 5.47 miles | 1,606' gain | Class 1 Pennsylvania Mountain is in the running to be the easiest 13er in Colorado, so the number of tries it took me to actually summit falls into the "embarrassing" category. …
Continue reading Pennsylvania Mountain (13,006′) | Colorado | 05/03/20
I was always the kind of person who makes plans in advance and sticks to them, but lately I've had to become a lot more flexible as time and again my plans are foiled by weather, global pandemics, or who knows what else. I've found that it's always a good idea to have a backup …
It's been too long since I've blogged. I've been adventuring and hiking constantly, but I haven't had much extra time to share my trips. Now that work is slowing down a bit (I think...) I'm hoping to be able to get caught up and start posting in real time again! (But I do post regularly on …
Continue reading Bobcat Ridge: Valley Trails | Colorado | 04/25/20
Balanced Rock Trail | North Sterling State Park Sterling, CO | 04/18/20| 0.34 miles | 45' gain The goal was to find a place to hike with as few people as possible (due to coronavirus). Heading east (the opposite direction of the mountains) is a surefire way to avoid anything that could even resemble …
Continue reading North Sterling State Park Mini-Hikes | Colorado | 04/18/20
Lumberjack Loop | Lory State Park & Horsetooth Mountain Open Space Portions of the Mill Creek, Loggers, Sawmill, and South Valley Trails Bellvue, CO | 04/11/20| 6.04 miles | 1,012' gain (Okay, I totally made up the name of this loop, but with trail names like Mill Creek, Loggers, and Sawmill, it should be …
Besant Point Trail | Pinewood Reservoir County Park Loveland, CO | 04/07/20| 3.53 miles | 167' gain Another short & easy hike with Kyle. We visited Pinewood Reservoir on a Tuesday to avoid the crowds. Due to the lockdown, we did see more people than I'd assume visit on a normal Tuesday, but we …
Continue reading Pinewood Reservoir County Park | Colorado | 04/07/20
Foothills Trail: North Half | Horsetooth Reservoir County Park Fort Collins, CO | 04/05/20| 3.56 miles | 845' gain The 7.2 mile Foothills Trail runs through a number of parks and open spaces along the east side of Horsetooth Reservoir. We had previously done the northernmost section at Reservoir Ridge Natural Area. Heading south, the …
Continue reading Horsetooth Reservoir County Park | Colorado | 04/05/20 & 04/19/20
Mesa Trail | Boulder Open Space & Mountain Parks Boulder, CO | 04/04/20| 7.16 miles | 1,409' gain My friend Allie and I took one last hike together before she left to spend lockdown at her parents' house. She had come up with an idea to hike the entire length of the Mesa Trail in …
Black Powder and Seaman Reservoir Trails | Gateway Natural Area Bellvue, CO | 04/01/20| 3.23 miles | 527' gain Just four days after our first trip to Gateway Natural Area, Kyle and I returned to complete the trail we'd missed, the Black Powder Trail. From the trailhead, we crossed the Poudre River and walked …
Sullivan Gulch | Roosevelt National Forest Drake, CO | 03/29/20| 2.33 miles | 944' gain Sullivan Gulch is up the Big Thompson Canyon, one of my favorite places to hike (and close to home!). I somehow convinced Kyle to hike with me two days in a row and we found the tiny trailhead at 11:00 …
