We’ve made it almost half way through 2019! I am so happy with my progress on the challenge so far this year. I am definitely well on track to exceed my yearly goals, possibly even by the end of this summer. Here is where I currently sit, starting the month of July:
With my totals, looking toward the next six months, here are my calculated averages for minimums:
Average Mileage: 3.28 miles Average Elevation Gain: 622 feet
I’m planning on kicking July off with a bang this week at Rocky Mountain National Park– we have a tough backpacking trip planned for the Fourth of July holiday. The rest of the month we will probably fill up with some day hikes, possibly an impromptu camping trip. It’s finally summer and it feels so good!
Travis and I have had Lost Creek Wilderness on our bucket list for awhile! We have heard so many good things about backpacking trips in this area, so this past weekend we met up with friends for a short adventure. We backpacked along the creek and set up camp off the unmaintained Harmonica Arch Trail. This trail is not on any maps and was hard to follow at times. There were many campsites with various social trails braiding through each other.
We started at the Goose Creek Trailhead and followed the Goose Creek Trail about .3 miles downhill to the junction of Harmonica Arch Trail. This junction is not marked, but the trail forks- the right side follows a bridge over a creek to continue with Goose Creek Trail. We followed this trail about 1.3 miles and found an awesome campsite off the side trail. This section of the trail was fairly easy to navigate, following the creek upstream.
The next morning we packed up our day packs and hiked up to Harmonica Arch. From our site the trek was a little over a mile uphill, following the slightly sketchy unmaintained trail. We lost the trail several times— sections were hard to navigate with various branches coming to dead ends. The elevation grade was extremely steep, trekking through eroded soil at what felt like a 90 degree angle at times. The trail first takes you left of the Arch through a pine valley, up to a large flat rock face. From there we hiked right on the rock, descending onto Harmonica Arch. Such a beautiful, quiet trail!
Trailhead, free camping permit requiredGoose Creek, near our campsiteRock on top is next to Harmonica Arch- trail goes to the left Approaching rock faceDescending the rock top to the archTravis on top of the arch
The weather this weekend has put a literal damper on all our plans! We had a backcountry site reserved on the west side of Rocky Mountain NP, but the snow closed Trail Ridge Road. The rain stopped our usual hiking routine, but we were able to get a quick hike in late this afternoon when the storm cleared.
This loop in Louisville was flat and easy, circling a neighborhood and backing onto Highway 36. The path is multi use and was moderately busy. No shade!
Two exciting things happened today: 1. I finally hiked South Boulder Peak, the highest peaks in Boulder & 2. I hit my 200th mile since January! I am feeling very accomplished… and tired.
We started our hike from the West Ridge Trailhead (Flagstaff Road) a little before 7 AM to beat the heat. The first three miles on Green-Bear Trail gently descends into a valley, through shady pine forest lined with wildflowers. The trail is narrow and popular, with several trail junctions for Chautauqua connectors. From the valley, the trail begins to ascend through a pine forest for about a mile, before leveling out into a meadow with panoramic views of the Front Range. Here you will easily see the remains of a forest fire, leaving you exposed to direct sunshine for the last half mile steep ascent to the top of Bear Peak. This section has a lot of stairs and rock talus, while ascending almost 1000 feet.
Once you are at the top of Bear Peak, you can take the trail on your right another mile (round trip 1.2) to South Boulder. Check out the elevation profile below- you lose about 400 feet in between both peaks (shadow canyon junction) before quickly ascending to the top of South Boulder. This uphill is a lot more gentle than Bear Peak! This is a great weekend challenge, make sure to start early to avoid heat exhaustion and crowds.
First two miles on Green-Bear Trail, view of Bear Peak (left) and South Boulder Peak (right)Gentle descent down to valley before steady ascent to Bear PeakView from the meadow before the steep section to BearTalus uphill section right before Bear- the steepest part of the trailRight for a quick jog up the the summit, left to keep South Boulder Top of S BoulderMatthew ascending the scramble section, view of Bear PeakSelfie on S Boulder ! At the base of Bear Peak
I officially have all three Mount Sanitas routes on the blog! We had a lot of errands to run today so we decided to hit Sanitas really quick before the storm rolls in this afternoon. The east ridge of Sanitas is off 2nd Street and has limited parking at the trailhead. This less popular route winds uphill for about .5 miles on a rocky dirt trail with beautiful wildflowers lining the path. From there, the trail meets up with Sanitas Valley Trail. The elevation grade from there increases, requiring rock scrambling for the last .6 miles to the summit. We started at 7:30 AM and the sun was already beating down on us! There is hardly any shade.
Bull ThistleView from Sanitas Valley Trail connectorTravis at the summit
Annie Hikes 500 Miles 