Chief Mountain: Elevation 11,709 ft. Round trip... around 2.5 or 3 miles. This was our first mountain upon arriving in the Denver area this past 4th of July weekend. We had been in the mountains for less than 24 hours and needed to gain some elevation for our big 14,000 ft. mountains Dylan and I had planned for Saturday. Friday morning found us starting out bright and early on the trail, praying we adjusted well to the altitude and had good weather for the hike and the view from the top.
As you can see, weather was gorgeous! The hike was nice and easy. A great hike for beginners. It was perfect for Dylan and I to get our "feet wet" the day before the big ones. Chief Mountain is located near the town of Idaho Springs, CO, if you are ever in the area and looking for an easy, 1-2 hour hike with amazing views of the surrounding mountains of Denver.
I kept seeing all of these "red berries" on the trees around us as we hiked to the top. I finally stopped Dylan to get a closer look at the "berries" and discovered they are small burgundy colored Pine Cones... who knew??!! I thought they were beautiful and had to take a picture.
Dylan always climbs first... always. I have a horrible sense of direction and require him to be in the lead, so I do not get lost. He also seems to find the better paths and places for my feet and hands to go when we climb the boulders. Not quite sure why he likes to take pictures of my awkwardness as I ascend these mountains, but he does...
Yahoo!! We made it to the top and had great views!!! We could see Long's Peak (which Dylan did last year- it is supposed to be one of the hardest 14teeners to accomplish in CO), Pike's Peak (America's Mountain), and Mount Evans, our goal for Saturday. The weather was nice.. not too chilly on the top. I only had on a T-shirt and a Northface layer that day. The color the clouds give the mountains is so pretty and if you stay in one spot for a few minutes, the clouds shift and change the color and shape of the mountains. Dylan and I hung out on the top, chatting with these seasoned climbers who offered advice for Evans and just enjoyed chatting with other people who liked to climb mountains.
Chief is the mountain in the background. We always like to take pics as we are ascending, when they look so much higher and scarier than the mountain actually is, and when we are on the road going away from the mountain. The view from the road always feels me with great satisfaction, pride and a kick-ass attitude that Dylan and I made it to the top of that thing and lived to tell the tale!!
Towards the end of the road is the turn-off for Mount Evans and a national park/camping area around this lake, Echo Lake. Dylan and I had lunch here, listening to the waves roll into shore and took one of the short scenic trails around the water's edge to the other side of the lake. As you can see, it was getting on in the afternoon and the clouds/rain were moving into the mountain area. ALWAYS, ALWAYS have to be off the mountain and back in the car by 1... 2 pm at the latest!!! Otherwise, YOU WILL GET WET!
This area is not known for waterfalls, but I saw this as we were traveling back into town and thought it was so pretty and serene! I was also pleasantly surprised to find a small waterfall! After having traveled the Hana Road in Maui, viewing their gorgeous, lush waterfalls and traveled the Columbia Gorge, viewing their huge, staggering waterfalls, I am into waterfalls. The sheer power of the water just amazes me!
"The point is... when I see a sunset or waterfall or something, for a split second it's so great because I'm a little bit out of my brain and it's got nothing to do with me. I"m not trying to figure it out, ya know what I mean? And I wonder if I can somehow find a way to maintain that mind stillness..." -Chris Evans-
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