The Aspens are changing

It is officially fall and the Aspens in mountain country are beautiful! I spent the weekend walking among them and admiring all the colors.

The drive to the trailhead

The trailhead

Enjoying the hike

The hike was just outside of Edwards. It was a there and back hike of about 4.5 or 5 miles depending on how far you walk. The trail itself goes about 12 miles to Beaver Creek and then on to Vail if you are really adventurous. The name of the trailhead was East Lake, however, we never really came across a lake. We saw on down in the valley, but never a good view. 

Overall, a great afternoon hike to enjoy the changing of colors!!!

Lily Pad Pond

This hike was a grand adventure, because unlike my other hikes this was not a there and back trip. This was a through hike or point to point.
So I rode the bus! The Summit Stage in Summit County is awesome and gets you pretty much anywhere you need to go, so I utilized it this way I didn't have to leave my car somewhere and then figure out how to get back to it.

The hike started at the top of Wilderness and ended in Frisco. The main highlight is when you get to the highest point of the hike there is a lake with lily pads all over it. Then from there it is all downhill into Frisco.

This is Buffalo Mountain -->

The walk down was pretty easy and it had a great view of the valley and Lake Dillon.

Once I got to the bottom of the trail I realized that I was on the wrong side of the interstate and the Frisco Bus station was directly across it, but there was no way I was playing Frogger and crossing the interstate. I knew there was an overpass about 1/2 a mile away so I headed for it and made a safe crossing. The best part was I made it to the bus station walked on my bus and it pulled out on its way to Dillon. Timing was definitely in my favor!

Overall a great hike and really pretty easy only 3.5 miles and fantastic scenery. 

Lower Cataract Lake

For my hike yesterday I headed north and near Heeney, CO.

Once I got off of the highway I drove along a windy road and then down a dirt path and onto National Forest land. There were a few trailheads in the area and I stopped at the one I thought to be the start of the Lower Cataract Lake Loop. After hiking about 1/2 a mile I realized this is not getting me any closer to a lake that should have been less than 100yrds from the trailhead. So I turned around and hiked back out. I looked all over and walked up the stream and still no lake. 

I went back to my car and consulted my book and it looked like I was in the right place until I started reading the description of what the trailhead looked like. I was not by a fence or outhouse. I got in my car and drove about 3/4 of a mile more along the road and there was a fence! Parked and headed down the trail again. 

And with in a few feet this view opened up and I know I'd found the lake!

The loop is a little over 2 miles all around the lake and a pretty easy walk. It is great for an afternoon stroll. I saw a few people fishing and there are picnic tables for lunch. 

On the other side of the lake is a waterfall.

A view of the leaves changing colors and if you can tell there is a dusting of snow on top of the mountains in the background.

You can almost see the waterfall coming down just below the snow dusted mountains. 

Mt Royal

There is a mountain in Frisco that I admired every time I drove into the city. In the winter it always has just the right amount of snow, but now it is craggy and stands out, because of the lack of trees. Its summit is brown and rocky versus the others around it that are covered with green trees.

            I decided to go for a hike in the Frisco area the other day and just picked a trail that was in my hiking guide. The trail was named Masontown in the book and told of ruins from an old mining town up the hill a little ways from Frisco. There was an option that went further up the mountain called Mt. Royal, but the main focus was this old mining town. I chose this trail just to see the old ruins.

            I made it to the ruins within 15/20 min and there really wasn’t a lot to see. Old steel junk and a few bricks from an old foundation. Apparently, while the citizens of Masontown where in Frisco for a New Years Eve party an avalanche came through and demolished the town in 1926. I see a good side and a bad side to this. Good that everyone was in town, bad that they built the city on an avalanche shoot. I would imagine that is why they never seriously considered rebuilding the town.

            After seeing the ruins I decided to continue up and go for the Mt Royal option. I assumed that I would have a great view of the Dillon Reservoir. I had packed a few things to have a picnic lunch and decided that looking out over the lake was a perfect way to eat my lunch. So I hiked. At the summit of Mt Royal there was no view of the lake since the trees were in the way, but I noticed a path heading in a direction that should allow for a pretty good view. Naturally I followed it and was greatly rewarded! I had ended up on top of that craggy beautiful mountain that I admired every time I drove in the direction of Frisco! It was a wonderful surprise and I had an amazing view of the lake. I really hit the jackpot on hikes for the day.

            I stayed on my craggy oasis for a couple of hours reflecting on life, enjoying the cool breeze and snacking on my picnic lunch. It was an incredible afternoon. 

Quandary Peak

My first 14er!

This is an absolutely beautiful hike! You can see for miles; Summit and Eagle Counties, Buena Vista and beyond. It’s pretty spectacular. This is one of the easier 14ers, but don’t be deceived it still is 14,000 feet up. I had not been hiking and decided that this was the one for me. Let me tell you my legs hurt for a few days after and I questioned whether I would really summit or not.

            The morning start well before the sun came up, but was nice and warm by the time I made it to the summit. This is definitely they way to start the hike, early in the morning. By midday there were so many people hiking it was crazy, getting early start let me beat the crowd.

           

You start out hiking through the trees and it’s a well-set path and the trees are pretty dense. They gradually start thinning out and then are gone. Here is the beginning of the views and they just keep getting better. Once out of the trees you will think you are getting close to the top, but that’s just the first hump, there is still another 1,000 or so feet left. Out of the trees it gets rocky and stays rocky. Going up this isn’t to big of a deal, but on the way down, be careful. The rocks are loose and make the path down a little sketchy. The picture on the right is on top of the first hump with a view of the actual summit in the distance. 

            

On the hike we were able to see some mountain goats. They were really familiar with people and let us get pretty close.

           

            Overall, a great Saturday morning endeavor. Just make sure to bring and apply lots and lots of sunscreen. I put it on 3 or 4 times and was still a little pink at the end of the day. And drink more water than you think you can handle. The combination of hiking and being so high up in the altitude is a little rough. I’ve found that having some fruit is a great refresher while hiking.

            Most of all just enjoy all the beautiful views. Take in a deep breath of mountain air and smell the pines. Just stand in awe of the grandness of it all.

 

ITMI – San Francisco

What a whirlwind. A Friday afternoon decision and turned into a Sunday afternoon plane ticket.

I love traveling. It’s one of those activities that gets me excited and the joy lasts well after the trip. Every time I look at pictures from a past trip its like I’m there again. Meeting people along the way makes traveling complete. Everyone you meet has a different story and everyone is willing to share. It fascinates me how no two people can have the same story. The thrill of finding out someone’s story is half the fun of hearing it.

            The pursuit of traveling for a living is what took me to San Fran, but making new friends and hearing new stories is what kept me there. I signed up for a training class, but I ended up with lifetime friends.

            If you ever go to San Fran make sure and don’t ask me what to do. I will give you more information than you will know what to do with. I know the ins and outs of that wonderfully foggy city now.

            When you are there and looking for sunshine head south or east. To the south is the Big Sur highway and one of the most beautiful drives in the world. And I say that having been on a lot of roads around the world. Make sure and stop at the Bixby Bridge for a great photo opportunity. East brings you to Berkeley and the wonderful University of California Berkeley campus. If class is in session make sure and stop by if not just enjoy the beautiful landscape and architecture.

            I started my San Francisco journey looking for a job and left San Francisco knowing that I had found a career I could enjoy for a long while. 

http://www.itmitourtraining.com/

Denver-Norway Interchange

In February I became involved with an organization called CISV http://www.cisv.org/.  As an international Peace Education organization, CISV inspires action through our community of volunteers worldwide and our global network of local Chapters, educational programmes and projects. In the belief that our Peace Education experience is something everyone can gain from, we have programmes for all ages, starting with 11-year old children.

            Interchange is the program I was involved in over the summer. From the end of February to the middle of March I met with various families and 14/15 year olds to see who was interested in the program and was a good fit. By the end of March there were 5 girls ready and willing to be a part of the Interchange.  I met regularly with the family and the girls to plan out what we would do for the two weeks that the Norwegian delegation was in Denver. By the time the delegation arrived at the end of June we had a wide array of activities including a musical production of Hairspray, shopping on 16^th Street Mall, going to Steamboat for the hot springs and a rodeo and a few other site seeing activities.

            June 27^th the Norwegian delegation arrived and the fun began. All of our activities went over smoothly and we really bonded and connected with each other. The ten girls and the Norwegian leader had become like family to us! Then August 14^th I took the Denver delegates to Norway for the reciprocal two weeks.

            It always fascinates me to go to another country and to live with locals and not stay in a hostel or hotel. I feel like I get a genuine sense of what it would be like if I had grown up there.

            Things I learned while in Norway:

1)    Brown cheese is delicious, especially for breakfast

2)    Waffles with strawberries on them make the best dessert

3)    The strawberries must be from Norway. Being so close to the Arctic Circle the fruit gets a few mores hours of sunlight than normal fruit does making it that much sweeter.

4)    One piece bathing suits are not allowed on the beach

5)    Unless the sun is shining the ocean is too cold to swim in

6)    The ocean is not as salty for what ever reason

7)    The cost of living is 3x as much as America

8)    The minimum wage is 3x that of Americas

9)    Fjords are more prevalent in Finland

10) Finland is not considered Scandinavian, but Iceland is

*** I have new friends in Norway! And will always be welcome there***