Utahan friend Kimberly flew out for Labour Day weekend – arriving soon after my 10 mile road race finish on Saturday. Weekend plans included lunch on Pearl Street in Boulder, dinner at Empire in Louisville, church (received my first church calling – Young Men’s), an all fresh/all homemade/all Mexican birthday dinner (LOVE LOVE fresh veggies, herbs – and everything guac), movie night at the Pypers (where Kimberly stayed w/ Annie, Ted & baby Anders), followed by… my week 35 hike, James Peak 🙂
Since dad had play friend activities over the 3-day holiday weekend, Ro was more than ready for this week’s hike challenge. (Ro did visit the McCaslin dog park Sunday morning so he wasn’t completely neglected.)
James Peak, our 2nd 13er of the year, is located a few miles past St. Mary’s Glacier in Alice (near Idaho Springs). I’m a bit apprehensive when planning hikes with non-Colorado visitors because our high altitude climate generally zaps their strength. Honestly, I want to ‘show off’ my Colorado – not have folks leave [our state] feeling nauseous & exhausted. Kimberly said she was a hiker and wanted a challenging trek. After this day not sure if a 13er was enough…she was SUPER hiker. I’m re-inspired!
Took one shot near the top of St. Mary’s Glacier, then sped past treeline across tundra grasses & willow thickets yellowed by the impending fall season. Winds blew cold this day so pulled on a thermal Henley early and packed gloves – just in case.
Pushed past multiple switchbacks until SUMMIT SUCCESS! Snapped some pics while enjoying our survivalist-style lunch (really gotta beef-up my lunch prep skills when I have guests…argh!) Kimberly checked the time ‘cause she could (ya’ll know I gave up my cell phone last February). We would have to make double time down – Kimberly’s plane leaves at 3pm.
Cairn curse…again. Rock piles just aren’t great trail markers past treeline. Luckily on today’s hike, I had a good navigator along when we needed to bushwhack through a quarter-mile of thicket (ouch – but could’ve been much worse).
Back on trail, hiked down & over a section of melted glacier, then safely/quickly back to the Prius.
Time check – 1:30pm…with an hour drive ahead to Denver. Maybe cell phones aren’t so bad after all – certainly helped Kimberly when she needed to reschedule her return flight to Salt Lake 🙂
No regrets. AWESOME hike day!
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- top edge of St Mary’s Glacier (approx 8 feet deep here)
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- above treeline; Mt Bancroft (just left of today’s hike destination)
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- Utah native Kimberly mastering this 13er hike
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- Steuart Lake (at the foot of Mount Bancroft)
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- cold wind blowing this day – LOVED IT!
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- steep gorge between Mount Bancroft and James Peak
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- SUMMIT SUCCESS!
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- this week’s W-O-W shot
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- pretty colour but tough on body when bushwhacking thru underbrush
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- missed her flight home; no worries SHE has a cell phone
My East Coast guest was still in town so took the day off and hiked a glacier. Who wouldn’t? Mondays ROCK!
St. Mary’s Glacier is less than an hour west of Denver, just past Idaho Springs on I-70. Paid $5 for parking (argh) and started the short ¾ mile hike UP to St. Mary’s Lake.
Talk about a bang for your buck. Less than a mile hike and BAM you’re staring up at a large glacier field. WOW!
Through a thicket, across tundra – then, GLACIER snow. YES! Sno Ro enjoyed racing across the icy expanse until we wore out our welcome – scolded by a science team studying the thinning ice. Ho hum. Returned via a stunning waterfall fed by the melting glacier.
What a FAAAANNNNTASTIC MON-day!
(Gonna return another day and hike nearby 13er, James Peak.)
St Mary’s Glacier (short clip)
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- glacier destination ahead
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- St Mary’s Lake
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- happy dog
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- Sno Ro enjoying his glacier run
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- scary thinning ice (the fall would hurt)
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- MONDAY day hikes ROCK!
Abandoned 2 hikes this year – Mount Evans & Lake Dorothy (both unfinished due to weather-related excuses).
Summited Mount Evans last weekend (my 5th 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 ‘4th 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!
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- Lake Dorothy attempt – TAKE 2
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- (near sea-level) New Hampshire-ite adjusted a-ok to 12,000ft elevation
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- late August glacier snow
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- Lake Dorothy climb SUCCESS!
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- W-O-W view!
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- kickin’ back; soaking up heat trapped in tundra
