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.