Kite Lake Camping/ 14er hiking

This past weekend was the much anticipated group camping trip. What started out as a drunken bar conversation evolved to 20 of our friends driving into the wilderness for the weekend and agreeing to sleep in tents, eat and pee outside and yes, hike a 14er with me. The camping trip was not originally my idea but when it came down to it (as it seems to always with travel plans) I was the one who researched and picked the site and planned the weekend. I was also the one, who was nominated to get up at 4am and drive up early to reserve our campsite Friday.
(picture: the drive up the trailhead)

14ers.com is a great website full of useful information about hiking the 14ers of Colorado and also the trailheads in the area. There's message boards on the sites under different places where people can post the latest weather and conditions and any firsthand advice. Through scouring these message boards I discovered that the Kite Lake road was under construction and had been closed daily several times during the week from 7am to 7pm. A call to the ranger station confirmed this. My friend Jeff didn't have to work Friday and neither did I so we were nominated to drive up early to reserve the camping sites. There were 20 of us going and arriving all at different times but only 7 campsites available and the ranger suggested each site could hold 8. So it was off bright and early to make sure we had plenty of room for everyone.

Kite Lake is located near the town of Alma which is just outside of Breckinridge making it about a 2 hour drive from Denver. Right after you pass a Saloon in town you turn right onto Kite Lake road which turns into Buckskin road and you begin the bumpy drive up to the campsite which is about 6 miles. It had rained the night before which made the drive extra slow as there were lots of washed out ruts in the ground. However, there were no signs of construction crews at 6:30 am so we were able to get in no problem. Of course, as the day progressed we saw other people arriving at the trailhead to camp and hike meaning that the road obviously wasn't closed that day. Disappointing to say the least to know we could have slept in a few hours!

The front campsites were already taken so we decided on campsite 5 to start with. It was right on a hill not far from the parking lot, but still wasn't the car camping we thought this was going to be....meaning everything had to be carried from the car in. After walking further down towards the lake Jeff noticed another campsite, the 7th one which was open. The 6th one however, had a tent pitched in it. Everyone parked at the lot had to pay for a campsite and place a paper in their windows so I looked through the windshields and found a car with the site 6 reservation. On the paper I could see that had only reserved it for one night, meaning Thursday so we hoped that the person would return from hiking and we could claim their spot. Our vigilance paid off and after afternoon hiking, Jeff and I spotted the man and his son taking down their site and we quickly overtook it. Success - three campsites! We were glad we arrived early because throughout the day several people came down the hill looking for a site. Anyone planning to camp at Kite Lake should definitely plan on arriving early to stake out their spot as there's no reservations taken.
(picture: our initial campsite)

Kite Lake was a beautiful spot to camp. The lake is nestled right at the bottom of Mt. Democrat, Cameron (not a true 14er), Lincoln and Bross. From the campsite you could see Democrat and Bross and although they didn't look too imposing, they would prove to test us all the next day. There were wildflowers everywhere and waterfalls coming out of the mountain feeding into the lake which made for great sleeping at night. Jeff and I took a hike up to the top of one waterfall that still had snowpack on it after setting up camp. Then we waited and talked until our friends Neil and Meghan arrived at about noon.










The expected part about hiking at 12,000 feet is that, since you are in a valley there will be plenty of weather. That afternoon the clouds rolled in and it began to rain. We retreated to our tents for awhile until it stopped then emerged to build a shelter over the picnic table and cooking fire pit. I had brought a pop up shelter tent which we attached a tarp too and constructed so it was big enough to give us cover from the imposing rain. We were able to get a fire going to cook lunch and quickly found out that shanty town (as we came to call our tent area) would smoke out quickly from the fire pit. Not so pleasant but at least we had fire and an escape.
(picture: shanty town)

After about 7 the rest of our friends began to arrive and set up their tents. We showed them around the campsite, helped people bring their stuff in and set up and marveled that everyone made it to such a random spot in the middle of nowhere. Without cell service we had no way to know who was arriving when but in the end it turned out fine. Plus it's nice not having to rely on a phone now and again. We did put a sign on the back of Jeff's car though pointing people in the right direction. I recommend anyone camping in the middle of nowhere to do the same. Unfortunately, two of our friends never found us and slept in their car because they arrived at 10:30 at night. Let that be a lesson, you do not want to set up your tent in the dark and you will have a hard time finding your campsite this way.

No one wanted to get up at 5am to hike Saturday morning so again I had to bite the bullet and get up early to wake everyone else up. When you hike a 14er rule number one is to start as early as possible. Thunderstorms almost always occur in the afternoon in the high country and the last place you want to be when a lightening storm hits is at 14,000 feet with no tree cover. I did read however, should you get caught in a lightening storm the best thing for your group to do is split up. That way if one person is hit someone else can revive them (if they aren't burned to a crisp that is).

Another reason for getting up at 5am is the fact that we had to build a fire, eat then get everyone going on the trail. My intended departure time was 6am but by the time we left it was more like 7. About 7 people had decided they didn't want to hike (some were fishing instead) so they stayed behind to hold down camp. While we all tried to start together hiking, I knew that we probably wouldn't all stay together. Chad is a very fast hiker so it forces me to keep pace with him and his friend Neil and Neil's wife Meghan were about our speed. Malia's boyfriend Geoff, stuck with us as did Jeff who had come early with me to set up camp. The best part about camping at 12,000 feet is that we were already acclimated to the altitude and there was only about 2,000 feet to gain before reaching the top of Democrat. The trailhead started out as pretty crowded but as we gained elevation it thinned out. Our group, group one I should call us ended up with the lead while Kim, Kelsey, Todd, Jenny and Jason or group two fell behind us.
(picture of hiking group one)













Democrat is definitely a prettier hike than Torrey's. You cross over several waterfalls and at the saddle between it and Cameron you have some spectacular views. In fact if you can only make it to that saddle you'd probably be satisfied.

(Jeff, Neil, Meghan,Me, Chad and Geoff at the saddle)
What is not so great about Democrat is that after you ascend some more you reach a false summit then look over to see the real summit is about 100+ feet away. We made it to the top in just about 2 hours and after about 10 minutes up there group two arrived. We were all able to get a picture together before descending. Group one had decided we were going to hike the whole loop which included Lincoln and Bross next (with cameron after Democrat) so we had to get going.









Although Cameron is over 14,000 feet it's not considered a true 14er because there isn't a required 300 foot drop between it's saddle and Lincoln. It's very vast on top and exposed making it a good resting spot before heading over to Lincoln. Mt. Lincoln looked imposing from Cameron. It was just a speck of twisted rock in the distance and it didn't look easy. The traverse, however, happened to be very nice and went more along the back side of the mountain. Although I got a little vertigo and was afraid to look off to my right and some spots were, let one person pass at a time kinda thing, all in all the hike to Lincoln wasn't bad and was probably one of my favorite peaks to date. We all quickly took a picture then headed down on our way to Mt. Bross.
(picture of Lincoln from the top of Cameron)













(us on the top of lincoln)

The traverse to Mt.Bross was one of the easiest I have done to date. The trail was wide and flat and turned into a Jeep trail near the summit of Bross. The sun was high and hot at this point, however, making for lots of exposure. All of us ended up with burnt necks, lips and hair parts the next day from being in the sun so open like that for so long. Next time I will definitely remember to wear more sunscreen. The top of Bross was a little ho hum. It was the size of a football field and nothing very dramatic but you did get a very nice and clear view of Democrat and Lincoln from here so that made it worth it. We took our picture and headed down quickly after spotting some ominous black clouds.

Descending down Bross was a little tricky. By this point we had been hiking almost 5.5 hours so our legs were turning to jello and we were trying to be careful with our steps while still wanting to head down as fast as possible. The trail was littered with scree (also called talus) which is an accumulation of broken rock fragments. It was almost trying to walk down very steep piles of gravel but if that gravel had vertical drop off's on either side and the potential for falling hundreds of feet down a mountain. This was my first time hiking with poles and I have to say they saved my life hiking down that scree. I'd highly recommend anyone hiking a 14er to invest in some and they gave my arms a nice workout too and took some weight off my legs.
(hiking down the scree field)

Slowly we all were reunited at camp at about 2pm. The rain held off and we had a few hours of sun and time to relax before the rain moved in again. Rain however, just gave us all an excuse to head inside our tents for a nice nap before dinner. After a few hours we all convened at shanty town to cook our dinners and talk about our hikes and fishing. We would have spent more time around the campfire that evening but unfortunately it began to rain harder after dinner and we were forced to call it a night.

(cheers back at camp after hiking)











Before we knew it, it was time to cook a big breakfast then pack up our tents and head home.

I truly enjoyed spending the weekend with all my very close friends and realized just how amazing they are. To give up the comforts of home and head outdoors, not in the best weather conditions is a true character test. Everyone contributed different things to camp whether it be cooking, building a fire, clearing trash or sharing their gear. For a weekend we were our own community and we all functioned together. I'm also so proud of those who hiked their first 14er and for everyone who continued on with me to hike another 2. It would have been easy for them to quit but I'm glad they stuck it out. I am obsessed with reaching my goal of hiking 8 14ers by the end of summer and I thank my friends or helping me now by being only 3 mountains away from my goal. Camping and hiking are two free ways to enjoy the beauty of colorado and to spend it was such great people just made for a perfect weekend. Here's to many more to come

Walloon Lake, Michigan

When most people hear the word Michigan, they probably think of the city of Detroit and the demise of the auto industry there. While it's true Michigan is worse off than most states economy wise there's also some amazing and beautiful parts to it as well. My husband grew up in Horton, Michigan, a tiny suburb of the city of Jackson which is over an hour away from Detroit. His parents house provided the perfect backdrop for our wedding which was last year on July 18th:














I was lucky enough to get to spend my first anniversary back out in Michigan this past week. One of the benefits to getting married at my in-laws is that I can come back to the site whenever I want! Because we love our dog so much we drove the 20 hour stretch from Denver out to Jackson. The drive takes you through Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana and finally Michigan and it's probably one of the most boring drives in the world with not much scenery except corn fields. Of course the backdrop to our wedding was a corn field so I have a special place in my heart for them now.
We had a wedding to go to on Saturday night so we spent the first weekend in town. We visited with Chad's grandparents who live on Round Lake and also took an anniversary boat ride out on Clark Lake. One of Chad's family friends has a house out there and hosted all of our out of town wedding guests the day of for boating and hanging out. Being in landlocked Denver, it's so nice to get out on a boat and cruise around in an actual lake (not the reservoirs pretending to be lakes we have here).
Clark Lake is also the home to a restaurant called the Beach Bar which has a live band on Sundays. Last year they had hermit crab races there when Jason, Chad and I hung out there in the days leading up to our wedding. Although there isn't too much to do in Jackson (as you could expect from most small towns) I always have to visit the International House of Dawg when I go. They serve only hot dogs and french fries, but all their hot dogs are "gourmet" and they are the best I've ever tasted. I prefer the mac-a-weenie which is a hot dog covered in macaroni and cheese while chad likes the mush-puppy aka a dog covered in mushrooms and cheese. Simply amazing.
We never spend too long in Jackson when we visit over the summer because the goal of our visit is to get up to Walloon Lake which is in Northern Michigan. Northern Michigan is an entirely different world from southern Michigan. The economy is far better, it's less hot and buggy, and with all the lakes up there it's a boater and swimmer's paradise. On Walloon you will see everything from modest cottages to mansions with most all of them being only summer homes; the majority of the houses aren't winterized.


I never knew about Walloon before Chad and I must say it's a well kept secret. Most everyone has heard of Lake Michigan but the smaller areas around there are much more quaint. As you get closer to Boyne City on the drive up you will see cherry stands where the best tasting cherries in the world are sold by high school kids. Traverse City is the cherry capital so all the cherries sold in northern michigan are the freshest and the best tasting you'll find. On the way in and out of town we always stop at a place called the Whippy Dip where you can get a dip cone ice cream for $2. It's just an isolated little building on the side of the road (blink and you miss it) but I love it because you just don't have those kinds of places in big cities.

We called the cottage "Rancho Relaxo" because that pretty much sums up your time at the lake. Mornings are usually reserved for skiing before all the boaters are out and the water gets choppy. Afternoon is for sunning and napping and evening is for home cooked dinners and bonfires. Chad's parents have some close friends, the Lipps, who live a few cottages down so when they are up they alternate who cooks dinner. Then afterward we take a boat ride around the lake and maybe a walk on the spirit trail which runs in front of all the cottages closest to town.

While you hope for good weather every day at the lake, sometimes that just isn't the case which leads to trips into town. Boyne City is the closest town with a few restaurants and shops (my favorite being a newly introduced Buddha/Hindu store). Drive a little bit farther and you'll reach Petoskey which is overlooking the shores of Lake Michigan's Little Traverse Bay in the northern tip of Michigan's Lower Peninsula. We ate lunch at a place called The American Spoon (spoon.com) which is a little cafe serving coffee and sandwiches and their handmade gelato which they actually make at the location. Among the fudge and souvenir shops they also have great clothing boutiques (my personal favorite is V2V), the best book store I've ever been too and a fantastic shoe shop that has basement bargain deals where I found some Marmont hiking boots. After wandering around a little bit we drove over to Harbor Springs where we visited Huzza which is a store owned by Chad's parents friends. Huzza has everything from clothing to monogrammed dinnerware and jewelry and Rad, the owner knows everything about every piece of furniture in there. In fact, he travels all over finding pieces for the shop so you are guaranteed whatever you find there will be one of it's kind. We received the prettiest silver salad bowl from there as a wedding gift which I'm still afraid to use as anything but a decorative piece (yes it's THAT nice...nicer than the coffee table it sits on I'm embarrassed to say).

We didn't spend too much time in Harbor Springs as we were making our way over to Charlevoix for dinner. First, however, we drove around the neighborhood there looking at the mushroom houses. Designed by Earl Young starting in 1918, these fairy tale houses are located in the Boulder Park neighborhood near the city's lakefront. If you can't be there to see them yourself the next best thing is reading Mushroom Houses of Charlevoix by Mike Barton which I happened to find in the bookstore in Petoskey which inspired our little side trip.

Unfortunately, it was raining in Charlevoix so we weren't able to go to the Venetian Festival which was going on in the park but we were able to eat at a place called Whitney's which is a seafood and oyster bar restaurant. I had the raw oysters and their clam chowder although it was a hard choice between that and the walleye (the specialty fish of the area) and the crabcakes. I had never been to Charlevoix before so I really enjoyed what I saw of the town and would like to go back and spend more time there next year.

Our time in Michigan went by fast and before we knew it, it was time to pack up the car and head home. While Denver is where my life is now, I can truly appreciate Northern Michigan and all it has to offer. I don't think many people would ever think to visit Michigan as a vacation destination, but it's a really beautiful state in the summer with so much to do. There's farmers markets full of tart cherry pies and fresh picked cherries and blueberries; harbors with yachts to look at, fresh made fudge shops (tourists in the area are often called "fudgies" for this reason), friendly people in all the shops and restaurants and just an air of calmness and relaxation. The season is short for tourists so many of the shops depend on what they can make in the summer to survive on all winter so you're sure to find helpful store owners and great bargains. Although the one thing I have to say I enjoy most about Northern Michigan is the fresh unspoiled lake water and being in a cottage with a lot of history with family....

Surprise in Steamboat

My husband isn't big on his birthday; doesn't like to celebrate, doesn't want a big deal made and in the past five years has managed to avoid it by working out of town or something. Well this year he turned thirty and I was determined to surprise him if it killed me.

My best friend Malia and I began brainstorming places to go about a month ahead of time because we just happened to be planners down to the last detail. We came up with the perfect destination that was close enough for all of our friends to join us but far enough away to be a weekend getaway. That destination was Steamboat.

Steamboat is a three hour drive from Denver in the summer. It's billed itself as Ski town, USA but also prides itself on its being a cowboy town. It just so happened that the weekend of Chad' s birthday was also the Hot Air Balloon and Art Festival. Unfortunately, this meant that most of the cheaper places in town were booked up. So after some research I booked a condo at The Pines from The Lodging Company. There weren't a lot of dog friendly options that were available (of course we had to bring Bebe) and this one was advertised as having dog friendly condos. Buyer beware though, if you are going to bring your dog, don't try and be sneaky and NOT tell them you have a dog to avoid the fee or else you will end up in a condo that doesn't allow dogs like we did and end up sneaking yours around all weekend long. Luckily we weren't caught and evicted. Lesson learned!

Chad had no idea what he was in store for. He came home to the house on Friday after work where he was met by Jason and I who told him we were going out to dinner. Once we started heading on I70 West though he knew something was up and then it was just process of elimination to where we were going until we reached the point where it was either Kremmling or Steamboat...and nothing is in Kremmling so naturally Steamboat was the obvious choice. Our friend Jeff was about 15 minutes behind us in arrival so once he arrived (which was a big shock to Chad because he just thought it was the three of us) we went to dinner at Tequila's. After some awesome mexican food and margaritas we went to the Tap House for beers where we were soon met by Malia and Geoff, then Todd and Kelsey and Travis and Jill. Needless to say Chad was very surprised and the weekend was off to a great start.

On Saturday morning when we woke up we saw the hot air balloons being raised in the field right across from the condo and then they floated overhead in the area which was very cool to see. I've never seen anything but pictures of hot air balloons so to have them so close was a treat.

Malia and I had arranged 9 holes of golf for the boys at the Steamboat Golf Club (www.steamboatgolfclub.com). For 9 holes it was $28 each (add ten dollars if you wanted to rent a cart) and it was a great chance for the guys to all get together and goof around. There are three or so golf courses in Steamboat (one I believe that is exclusive to members only) but this one turned out to be perfect because it was more laid back (read: not for the serious golfer). While the guys golfed the girls all went to the farmer's market which is held every Saturday in the summer. They had everything from baked bread to elk meat, fresh produce and pork sandwiches and jewelry and clothing. We bought some cherries which were excellent and managed to kill enough time before meeting back at the condo for lunch with the boys.

After lunch it was off to tube the Yampa. Malia had found a place called the One Stop Ski and Sport (www.onestopskiandsport.com) where we could rent tubes so we made a reservation for 1pm. Now everyone except Malia and Geoff owned their own tubes as we traditionally tube in Golden or Boulder most every weekend of the summer. We bought some heavy duty tubes with handles a couple of years ago from Dick's sporting goods and it's turned into a favorite weekend activity. We however, told everyone not to bring our tubes because we had arranged tubing from this shop and they were provided to us. The cost was $17 to tube which included being picked up from the end spot (they have designated areas of the Yampa to tube due to fisherman) and brought back to the shop. We were all OK with paying the money seeing as it seemed hassle free but it wasn't until we arrived at the shop we realized the fee didn't include unlimited trips down the river. I guess the city limits the amount of tube trips the company can do a day thus limiting us. While it was cheaper than white water rafting for sure, and less of a pain to not bring the tubes up, wait to inflate etc. it def isn't something I'd pay for again. Bring your own tube to truly enjoy the float!

Right near the tubing rental shop was the park where the "Art in the Park" was going on so we decided after our 30 minute float trip we'd check the art out. There were some interesting booths, but for the most part it was the same things you see at pretty much any festival during the summer (People's Fair, Golden Art Fair, etc) but it was very nice to all relax in the park and enjoy some music.

Todd's sister, Angela lives in Steamboat so after tubing, art in the park, some relaxing and grocery shopping we headed up the hill to her place for a little BBQ. Todd's parents also happened to be in town and Angela had some friends over so between them and the ten of us it turned into quite the get together. We had bought some blue cheese burgers from the grocery store that was conviently next door to the condo and Jason did an excellent job grilling them up. There was also croquet to play and ladder golf which Chad and I were miserably beat at by Geoff and Jeff. Kelsey had the blender going making some delicious daqueries and considering we were going to just make tacos at the condo, it turned out to be a fabulous way to wind down the already amazing day. I had bought a cheese cake for Chad so Kelsey and I had Todd gather everyone around the deck while we lit the candles and came out to have everyone sing happy birthday to Chad. Jason and I had found an enormous singing card which I had everyone sign in secret throughout the weekend and we presented that to Chad as well. I couldn't have been more excited for him!

After the BBQ, before the sun set, the ten of us made our way to the Strawberry Hot Springs. There's two miles of unpaved road (strange because it's such a popular spot you would have thought it would have been fixed up a little better by now) so I would definitely recommend an SUV to get up there. Unlike the Sulphur Springs we had visited in May, these hot springs do not smell like sulpher and the pools are a lot bigger. In fact I think I only saw one or two small pools with the majority of people splitting there time there between the hottest and more bath water type big pools. What's cool about the place is that it has a natural spring flowing through too of water that was pretty cold so you could get out of the hot water, jump in the cold and swim then back into the hot. You have to get there before dark because it gets pretty crowded and you want to stake a spot out for all your stuff...and a good spot at that because there are no lights there. I can't believe they are allowed too, but there are absolutly no lights in the whole spring area which of course is because it's clothing optional after dark (and make sure if you bring a flash light to shine it at your feet!). At just about dusk some guy stood on the side of the pool totally naked and yelled, "let's get naked!" and jumped in. Apparently those in our group who were moving around from pool to pool saw quite a few naked people (well what was visible anyways) but I didn't see any. The hot springs were only $10 and definitely worth it, very peaceful and one of the best I've been too in the state.

Sunday the plan was to get up early and watch the balloons being inflated for day two of the hot air balloon rodeo but unfortunately only Travis, Jill and Todd and Kesley were in their right mind enough to get up at 6am. The rest of us slept off our frozen daqueries and beer. Since we had to check out at ten we were still up early enough to see several of the balloons floating overhead and there was even one to land in the field right by the condo which we got to see them deflate and pack back up in the trailer that had been tailing the balloon. Once we all regrouped we headed into town to have a light breakfast at The Steaming Bean (where I had the best soy chai of my life) and then walked the length of the main street and window shopped. At about noon we decided to head back towards Denver so we could stop and eat a late lunch/early dinner at TommyKnocker. TommyKnocker is a local brewery in Idahoe Springs and while they have many amazing items on their menu, a little known secret is they have the best wings in town. They are also the biggest wings I've ever seen, even though we were told they were smaller than usual so the cook gave us 17 instead of a dozen. They have unusual wing flavors like raspberry chipolte and pineapple but the batter they fry them in is more of a tempura batter giving the wings much more of a crispy thin layer. Lunch there was the perfect end to a perfect weekend.

So much planning went into Chad's birthday and I'm just glad he enjoyed it all, even if he doesn't like surprises or celebrating his birthday. He does so much for me and all his friends every day and I'm just so grateful everyone could come and celebrate. Hopefully I can keep surprising him for many years to come....although I would like to make steamboat an annual trip. What's not to love about a summer weekend in the mountains?

Kite Lake Camping

Ever since last weekend all I can think about is hiking my next 14er. The adrenaline rush was just so tremendous and the accomplishment so great to me that I cannot wait to hike again. Unfortunately, most of our weekends are booked up from here until the end of July due to birthday celebrations and vacation. Determined to complete my goal of hiking 8 14ers for the summer, I began thinking of ways I could incorporate hiking into my weekend plans. Some friends of ours had wanted to go camping at the end of July so I started doing research on where we could camp and I could also sneak in my hiking expedition. No one had come up with any good spots yet, so ever the resourceful girl I came up with camping at Kite Lake (see some great photos here: http://www.stevegarufi.com/kitelake.htm)

Kite Lake is a popular camping spot that is near Breckinridge which means it's only a short 1.5 hour drive or so for us from Denver. There aren't too many open bodies of water in Colorado as you can imagine so this is a real treat for us land locked people living here. Chad is from Michigan and I'm from Alabama so anytime we get the chance to be by a lake we'll take it. Open bodies of water are one of the things we miss most about our respective home states. Parking here in the summer is $3 and camping is $7 making it a very economical trip as well. Now we just have to buy a tent....

My ulterior motive for camping here, is of course hiking. After all, what good is camping if you don't have anything to do while you are out enjoying nature? Chad and I aren't big fishermen and we have a very hyper active dog so this seems the natural choice of how to pass the time saturday. Bonus is all that camp with us are welcome to hike as far as they want. I maintain anyone can hike a 14er but it does take some mental preparing and it helps if your thighs are muscular like mine (haha who's thunder thighs now?). I'm in luck with this particular spot too because the trail head at Kite Lake will enable us to climb Mt. Democrat, Lincoln and Bross all in one day (and Cameron as well but it's not recognized as a true 14er because the elevation gain between it and Mt. Lincoln is less than 300 feet. Mt. Democrat is 14,148, Lincoln is 14,286, Cameron is 14,238 and Bross is 14,172. Mt. Lincoln is the 8th highest mountain in Colorado.

If I can get three knocked out in one day then that only leaves me with 3 left to hike for the summer and I'll have almost achieved my goal. Of course it all depends on the weather conditions but I think the initial summit is the worst part so once I am up on Democrat not much else can stop me from climbing to the other two true 14ers. The return is about 5.4 miles with a 3,450 foot elevation gain. Kite Lake is in Alma which is the highest elevation town in America (10,361 whereas Denver is 5,280) so hopefully after a night of camping there we will be adjusted to the altitude and I won't get a splitting headache like I did after last week's hike. Just in case I'll be sure to bring my advil.

I'm just keeping my fingers crossed for a beautiful weekend of camping and hoping we can get up early hiking before any thunderstorms hit. July is the deadliest month for hikers climbing 14ers because of the lightening storms but if you hike safe you won't have to worry about getting hit. It's always better to save your hike for another day than risk it and have an accident happen. After last hike though I am going to make sure and bring a mini first aid kit. We banged our shins pretty good on a few rocks and I saw some people with cut up legs from falling and I don't want to take any chances.

For those of you interested in hiking out of Kite Lake I found these directions:
From Denver take I-70 west to exit 203, take Highway 9 south through Breckenridge to the town of Alma. Another route is Hwy 285 from Denver to Fairplay, then North 8 miles on Hwy 9 to Alma. Right across from a general store type building (Placer Trading Company) in the center of Alma head west up Buckskin Creek Road. You will know you are on the right road if you see the creek to your left. If you want to gain at least 3000 feet on the climb drive up the road about 4 miles and park at one of the turnouts. Its still a couple miles to the Kite Lake trail head at about 12,000 feet. You can drive a car most of the way, but there are a couple creeks crossing the road, and I would recommend scouting them before trying to cross them. A 4WD and good clearance can come in handy here. Once past the creeks its a short drive up the road to parking at Kite Lake. Most people start the climb from Kite Lake. An alternate route is the Hoosier Pass Approach and can be reached by heading north 2 miles from Alma. There a small poorly marked dirt road named Roberts Lane heads off to the left (west) and switchbacks eventually running into Mt Lincon Road. Check your topo to see where you want to park as the road leads quite a bit up to the summit of Lincoln. Road end to Lincoln, Democrat, Bross and return is 8.5 miles and 4800 ft gain.

Now all we need is some camping equipment. If I'm going to make a habit out of this hiking business I'm going to need some real hiking boots (sturdy but lightweight) as well as hiking sticks. My friend Gretchen has recommend: steepandcheap.com. Hopefully I won't go broke affording my new hobby :)

Where to hike next?

Besides the soreness in my feet, glutes and thighs I have amnesia about my 14er hike yesterday, that is to say I want to conquer my next and as soon as possible at that.

So I've been doing some research online about the various 14ers and I came across some interesting information about what exactly constitutes as a 14er, besides the obvious that they must be at least 14,000+ feet high.

There is a standard in Colorado for what constitutes a separate mountain. This "accepted standard" states that a peak must rise 300 feet above the connecting saddle of a higher "recognized" mountain. Such standards are necessary because otherwise every point on a ridge or even every boulder could be called a "peak". This settles any argument that climbing Torrey's and Gray's in the same day shouldn't be counted for two 14ers because obviously both rise 300 feet above the connecting saddle. Of course they are both nationally recognized as being 14ers it's just that if you climb two in one day you avoid having to do the base climb more than once.

There is also a rule of sorts that states that in order to climb a mountain you must gain 3,000 feet of elevation on foot with no mechanical advantage (car, bicycle, etc.). There are many "relaxed" variations to this rule as well. Quite often it is considered acceptable to say you climbed two mountains if you gained 3,000 feet on foot for one of them and then traversed a connecting ridge to the second peak. Many people consider riding a bicycle up Mt. Evans from Idaho Springs as having climbed the mountain. I say whether it's a bike or your legs that carry you up, you are still putting forth enormous effort and should feel accomplished reaching the peak either way.

Upon contemplating which 14er we should hike next, I found this list which should aid in my decision:

Very Difficult
Mount Wilson	14,246		Capitol Peak	14,130		Pyramid Peak	14,018
Crestone Needle	14,197		Little Bear Peak	14,037		North Maroon Peak	14,014
Difficult
Crestone Peak	14,294		Maroon Peak	14,156		Windom Peak	14,082
Longs Peak	14,255		Mount Sneffels	14,150		Sunlight Peak	14,059
Kit Carson Mountain	14,165		Snowmass Mountain	14,092		Wilson Peak	14,017
El Diente Peak	14,159		Mount Eolus	14,083		Wetterhorn Peak	14,015
Moderate
Mount Harvard	14,420		Mount Yale	14,196		Mount Lindsey	14,042
Blanca Peak	14,345		Mount Tabeguache	14,155		Redcloud Peak	14,034
Uncompahgre Peak	14,309		Mount Oxford	14,153		Mount of the Holy Cross	14,005
Castle Peak	14,265		Missouri Mountain	14,067		Sunshine Peak	14,001
Mount Shavano	14,229		Humboldt Peak	14,064
Mount Belford	14,197		Ellingwood Point	14,042
Easiest
Mount Elbert	14,433		Quandary Peak	14,265		Mount Bierstadt	14,060
Mount Massive	14,421		Mount Evans	14,264		Handies Peak	14,048
La Plata Peak	14,336		Mount Princeton	14,197		Culebra Peak	14,047
Mount Lincoln	14,286		Mount Bross	14,172		Mount Sherman	14,036
Grays Peak	14,270		Mount Democrat	14,148		San Luis Peak	14,014
Mount Antero	14,269		Pikes Peak	14,110		Huron Peak	14,005
Torreys Peak	14,267		Mount Columbia	14,073

I think it's funny they even have categories for these mountains because they are all a challenge to me but I guess the terrain of some is worse than the others. From what I can tell the ones which are closer to Telluride and Aspen are typically considered more extreme than the others. That's ok because I wasn't really looking to drive 5 hours for a day hike anyway.

My next pick is either Quandary or Mt. Bierstadt. Both are close to the Front Range making them easily accessible for us. I have a few friends who are interested in a camping trip and/or hiking a 14er as well for which I think Quandary would be the best pick. It's near Breck so we could camp there the night before if we wanted and it's 6.75miles with a 3,450 foot gain in elevation. It's a popular 14er to hike and billed itself as a great one for those who have never experienced one. Mt. Bierstadt is closer to us being near Idaho Falls and it's 6 miles making it a good choice to knock our in one weekend day as well. Of course, I've never hiked either of these so what sounds easy could very well not be. Gray's was 8.5 miles so these two are shorter by comparison but once that air starts to thin out and the climb gets steeper and steeper the hike might as well be 50 miles long because that's what it feels like to your legs. I would definitely like to have a group hike with some of our friends, it's just that I'm not sure which ones would truly be able to handle this. Not to sound like a snob but I would be on a mission to reach the top and I wouldn't want any dead weight slowing us down! While there's no real way, I think, to train for one of these hikes, at the very least you should be physically in shape and have done a few weekend hikes before to understand what you are getting yourself into.

I read an article about a guy a few weeks ago who had made it his life's mission to visit every country in the world. He said he had an amazing time at first checking places off his list, but once it got down to the last few countries (like Cuba and dangerous spots in Africa) he wasn't too excited anymore. Of course he felt like he had to go to accomplish his goal but he wasn't looking forward to it. I am sure it's the same way with hiking 14ers. If you want to complete all 54 there are going to be a few you aren't going to like in there, and some you will positively dread and probably save for last. Still I think it's a lofty goal and one worth trying to obtain. If I hike 8 a year every year that means it will only 7 years for me...which is sad to say probably faster than I can pay off my credit cards!

In the meantime for inspiration I'm reading this book called, "Halfway to Heaven" by Mark Obmascik. It's about a middle aged father who, after his son discovers how much he loved climbing a 14er at camp, decides to try and climb all 54 in a year in an effort of bonding. I'm curious to see how this out-of-shape 44 year old accomplishes his goal. As he says in his book, 500,000 people attempt to climb a 14er every year but only 1,300 have ever made it to the top of them all.

Perhaps I can be one of them....

Conquering my first 14ers

(picture: at the top of Gray's. Elevation: 14,270 feet)
A few blogs back I posted that one of my goals for the summer was to hike 8 of Colorado's fifty-four 14er peaks. The season for hiking these peaks is very short because you have to wait until the snow melts to begin hiking them which usually isn't until June and come September the conditions start to decline again. So you are really looking at about 4 months of which you can actually feasibly hike without running into any crappy conditions. I figured if we hiked 2 a month I could reach my goal of 8 by the end of September. Well today Chad and I crossed two off that list.

After much research I decided that Gray's and Torrey's Peaks were the best for my beginner's 14ers. Chad has climbed one before so he knew what we were in for. Gray's and Torrey's are easily accessible from Denver, you just take I-70 west to the Bakerville exit 221 and take a left. You see a dirt road and just drive until you hit a parking lot (trust me you'll know when you get there). Fortunately I have a jeep which we were able to drive up. We didn't need my 4 wheel drive but the road is dirt, rutted, and pretty harsh on the vehicle so I would highly recommend an SUV unless you want to ruin your sedan. We got to the trail about 7:30am because it's an 8.5 mile hike and you want to be down by afternoon. There are quite a few people camping up there too so the earlier you arrive the better chance you have of getting a parking spot and the less* crowded the trail will be. (*this is a very popular hike, about 20,000 people climb these peaks each summer so unless you are going on a weekday you're going to have company)

As you can see from this photo the beginning of the hike is very nice. Not too rocky, lots of little wildflowers and some nice streams flowing through. You start out at about 11,000 feet in elevation so by the time all is said and done you are looking at a gain of about 3,000. Of course the higher we got up the trail the rockier it gets and the less oxygen you have making small breaks necessary. You definitely want to be in good physical condition to do these hikes and it's important to pace yourself. We brought along peanut butter sandwiches which we ate along the way plus a camelback which I carried as well as three containers of water. We only ended up using one extra water bottle for our dog and the camelback was more than enough. Since you are at such a high elevation you never really get hot or sweat. I wore yoga pants, a sports bra, tank top, thin long sleeved shirt and a light down jacket which I ended up alternating between taking it on and off.

On the way up the rocks were not too much of a problem but on the way down was when they became very slippery and hiking boots would have definitely been nice. We however, hiked in our tennis shoes which worked just fine all the same (as a side note my arches of my feet are now killing me so it's def helpful if you have shoes that are more supportive in the soles of your feet). I also noticed a lot of hikers had either leki poles or ski poles to gain better traction (and a bonus use for your ski poles in the off season!). We did not use any walking sticks of any sorts and fared just fine although we did have to traverse through some snow where they would have come in handy. Also gloves would have been a good idea to pack as it gets well into the 30s as you ascend and the wind picks up a bit. You should NEVER EVER hike with your hands in your pockets because if you slip and fall you won't be able to take your hands out in time to catch yourself from falling.

We reached the top of Gray's at about 10am; 2.5 hours after we started our journey. We were met with these spectacular panoramic views that not even pictures do justice for. We were really lucky the weather was so nice and clear because it's so unpredictable at that altitude. It could have easily been cloud covered and we couldn't have seen this view. Gray's is the highest peak on the Continental Divide in the United States so you feel like you are literally standing on top of Colorado. At the top they have these tubes which have a piece of paper in them for you to sign your name on (I guess to track how many come up) which we did then quickly started our descent. The wind was starting to pick up and really 14,270 feet in the air is no place to spend too much time.

We decided that since Torrey's was right there we simply had to climb it too. Although I felt doubtful about making it when I was half way up Gray's, we just couldn't pass up the opportunity. If you plan on hiking both I highly recommend doing Gray's first. When you ascend Gray's to the saddleback that connects it to Torrey's, it's very steep and rocky. It seems easier to start Torrey's first because you traverse halfway up Gray's over to Torrey's so you aren't gaining that elevation as quickly. However, I assure you from coming down Gray's, it's not something you want to hike up after doing Torrey's.
Now some people that have never hiked a 14er before might think it's "cheating" if you do both in one day and consider yourself having done two. I assure you, look at this photo, does this look easy?






Or this? This picture to the left is actually the view of the saddleback you have to take to get to Gray's and the one above is of the terrain which is rock straight up. It took us an hour to reach the top of Torrey's and I can assure you it was well worth the extra time. You may not think so as you are doing it, but once you do one you probably won't want to save the other for another day. Unless of course weather forces you to hike down.


The elevation of Torrey's is 14,267, three shorter than Gray's although it doesn't feel like it. Torrey's also had some amazing views and by the time we were up there the cloud cover wasn't as bad and neither was the wind so we were able to stay up about 15 minutes as opposed to 5. It's such a shame because you really do just want to spend all day up there...but you know you have that whole climb down so off you go after a few photos.

Traversing through the snow was the worst part of coming off of the peaks. Of course you aren't going to climb back over Gray's so the only way to get down is to go straight across the ridge. The snow was slushy but there was a steep drop off and with tennis shoes on and no walking sticks, well let's just say I ended up with a frozen hand from putting it in the snow to brace myself. Chad was having a blast slipping and sliding but I just focused on the path ahead and most of all, did not look down.

you can see from this second photo I took of the traverse (while hiking down Torrey's) is pretty steep. You have to be prepared for snowpack though because even in summer it's likely you will encounter some. Usually not enough to make your hike unbearable, just enough to give you a good scare.

We finally reached our car at about 1pm which means it took us a total of about 5 hours to hike both 14ers. Not bad for our first time!? I was very impressed with myself and learned I was a lot more in shape than I thought I was. I channeled a lot of what I learned in yoga about returning to the breathe when the trail got tough and sending my breathe to any areas of tightness which were my hamstrings. A few short breaks here and there and I was able to catch my breathe and recover whenever I felt winded and I basically relied on my strong legs and sheer willpower to carry me all the way to the top. There were so many people hiking this trail, all of which were very nice and would encourage you as they were coming down and you were going up. While these 14ers were a challenge and left me feeling completely wiped out after it was all said and done, I had the best time hiking them and felt an enormous sense of accomplishment afterward.

I actually think I might be addicted, I'm already planning our next trip....

Who knew one ounce could get you drunk?

I really consider myself fortunate to have been based in Denver when I got my job as a flight attendant. I could have been placed in a number of different cities all over the country but lucky for me I received my number one choice. It's where I've met some of my best friends and my now husband and I wouldn't trade living here for any of the fabulous places I've explored all over the world. While I have felt at home in many countries and cities my heart belongs to Colorado.

One of the things I love about my state is that you don't have to travel far to find something to do especially when friends or family are in town and you want to entertain for a few hours. My sister and brother-in-law recently spent Memorial Day weekend with us and one of the main things they wanted to do when they were in town was visit the breweries in Fort Collins. The last time they had visited me, about 3 years ago I took them to the Coors brewery on a whim on a random snowy day where it was too cold to do anything but ski outside (which we did as well). So I did a little research and planned out our brewery hopping (pun intended) day.

Ft. Collins is a great little college town that's only about an hour and a half from Denver (so make sure you designate a driver if you plan on really boozing it up during the tour). There's plenty of great shops and bars in the downtown area and there's even a great concert hall called the Aggie theater. I first discovered Ft. Collins, ironically during my stint as a Miller Lite girl. I can tell you with the Budweiser brewery nearby Miller was not popular up there. Everyone has had a budweiser product in their lives so I opted for the smaller local breweries starting with New Belguim.

If you want a job in a brewery, this is the brewery to get in with. Everyone is so nice and friendly here and you get great benefits (which any tour guide will happily brag about). After one year you receive a cruiser bike, after five a trip to New Belgium and after 10 (or 15 maybe? I can't remember too much beer consumed here) you get a 6 week paid sabbatical. Of course there's the beer discount too on the amazing product. The brewery itself is always crowded so I highly recommend singing up for a tour ahead of time if you want to really see the inner workings of the place. Otherwise you can take a short tour on your own on the main level if you just walk in and the tours are full and you didn't make a reservation. You receive three bottle caps when you walk in which you can use to taste any of their beers. Most of their beers you can buy in stores so I always try the "Lips of Faith" brews which are dreamed up by the people who work there. They aren't sold in stores but you can bring home a growler of beer of some of them if available. I ended up purchasing a large bottle of the La Folle "Lips of Faith" which I didn't realize until I actually paid cost $17. They also have t-shirts, hoodies and bike themed stuff for sale.
New Belgium Brewing Company
500 Linden
Fort Collins, Colorado 80524 USA

After the New Belgium tour I took the group on over to the Odell Brewery which is just down the road from New Belgium. Here you have to pay for your tasters but they have a larger variety from New Belgium. They actually have menus where you pick which taster types you want and you get about 6 for 4 dollars. This is great for a large group of people because we each got a couple and passed them around the table while commenting on the ones we liked. They do brewery tours Monday-Saturday at 1, 2 and 3pm so if you want to do the tour you have to get there in time. The last time I did the Odell tour they actually had a keg of beer called Kissing Fish which was left over from one of the workers daughter's wedding which they specially made for her occasion. There's a good chance you'll get to taste one of their "experimental" beers as well if you take the tour. They also have plenty of merchandise to buy as well as growlers and 6packs although they don't sell their really high alcohol content beers (10% was the highest I noted on the taster menu) which is a shame. This place has been completely remodeled from the last time I was there about 2 years ago so if you haven't been in awhile it's worth checking out. Also if you live in Colorado make sure to bring your growlers back to be refilled when you go (at new belgium as well) because you'll get a discount on the beer you buy.

800 East Lincoln Avenue Fort Collins, CO 80524

Tap Room Hours: 11am - 6pm, Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday.

11am-7pm, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday.

Brewery Tours 1, 2, 3pm Mon. - Sat.

Our final stop for the day on the tour de Ft. Collins beer, was appropriately named, "The Fort Collins Brewery." I had never actually been to this one before but when I was looking up places to visit online I found it and decided it'd be worth a try. This brewery was actually the smallest of all three but they had a variety of tasters as well for $4. They have an excellent chocolate stout and their artwork that's on the beer bottles can be bought as well in poster size. I found their merchandise to be the most affordable of all the breweries and even though they didn't have as many beer varieties as Odell, the ones they did have were amazing. It was also the least crowded of all three of the breweries making it easier to actually hear each other talk and be able to sit at a table and relax. They sold growlers as well of which I believe we tried the Rocky Mountain IPA.
Their address: 900 East Lincoln Avenue, Fort Collins, CO

We didn't even make it to Coopersmith's Pub and Brewing but if you are still not sick of beer and looking for a great place to eat lunch (because it's a restaurant with a brewery in it) I recommend eating here. They have a great outdoor patio and you can order pints of their in house brewed beer. Coopersmith's is also located on "the strip" downtown so you can walk around and view the city a little bit afterward before making your way back home.
Their address:

5 Old Town Square

Fort Collins, CO 80524

So there you have it a vacation that will make you feel like you are miles away (and make you wish you lived in Ft. collins so you could bike home) but won't cost a fortune or have you waiting in line at security. I'm a big fan of stay-cations so if you happen to have a weekday off (the best time to visit breweries in my opinion esp if it's a Tuesday) then you will definitely want to check these places out. And if you are planning on visiting Denver and have a friend that will drive you around you will most certainly want them to take you here...trust me they won't be mad at you....