Abandoned 2 hikes this year – Mount Evans & Lake Dorothy (both unfinished due to weather-related excuses).

Summited Mount Evans last weekend (my 5^th 14er of the year) and this weekend Lake Dorothy SUCCESS!

Inspired to get these hikes banged out before the snow flies, so planned this weekend’s lower altitude climb (12,000ft+) during an East Coast (flatlander) friend’s visit.

Hindsight…thinking maybe I could be the only one who enjoys our thin air – is that possible?  Nah.  🙂

Drove to ‘4^th of July’ trailhead from Nederland over 5 miles of rough dirt road but the Prius did not let me down this day. Didn’t really have too many options though.  How would I explain to a Flatlander that our 8 mile hike starts after a 5 mile walk to the trailhead?  LOL>

FAANNNTASTIC sunshiny day hike!  And the great thing about returning to an unfinished hike, is that you unequivocally 1000% remember to stay LEFT at the trail junction this go-around…no getting lost, again!

I was losing my passenger soon after treeline. ‘I don’t see a lake’ – HA!   Honestly, he was a good sport.  2 miles of rocky incline and BAM just over the ridge, we looked down upon glacier-fed Lake Dorothy.  The wind was blowing cold (YES!) but the sun was still burning strong.  Lied back against the tundra to soak up its gathered heat.

What a beautiful day, what a blessed ROCKSTAR life!