Charlie Stein's Photoblog

Thursday, 8:27 a.m.: Leaving our room, we discovered that Murphy’s Resort features nice scenery. This view looks toward the east, away from Rocky Mountain National Park. We had an end unit, where the rented silver Chevy Cruze is parked.

Murphy’s Resort

The day before, we drove into the park through the Beaver Meadows entrance, which requires a park entrance fee. This day, we drove into the park at the Longs Peak entrance, and I was surprised that there was no park entrance fee booth. However, this entrance road did not connect to the rest of the park’s road system, but instead only goes to the Longs Peak ranger station and trailhead. Still, the Longs Peak trail is popular, and it appears that visitors can access it without paying a fee.

10:18 a.m.: We arrived at the Longs Peak ranger station and began hiking almost immediately. I noticed that the flag was at half-mast to mark the 13th anniversary of the September 11th attacks. When I was a few minutes into the hike I realized that I should have tried to compose a photograph showing the flag over the ranger station.

Longs Peak Ranger Station

The hike began at 9400′, moving to the northwest through thick forest that was pleasant but not especially photogenic. After 0.5 miles, the trail reached a branch at 9700′, where hikers could if desired continue north on the Eugenia Mine Trail, toward a mine at 9908′. Instead, we continued on the Longs Peak trail, which turned west-southwest.

About a mile into the hike, we passed the Goblins Forest campsite, which must be a spooky place at night.

11:32 a.m.: We saw the first of several cute chipmunks.

Chipmunk

11:36 a.m.: The trail was constantly climbing, and here included a few short switchbacks.

Longs Peak trail and switchback

12:19 p.m.: About 2 miles into the hike, at 10,600′ in elevation (having gained 1,200′), we stopped for lunch just below the trail crossing of Alpine Creek. While no birds attacked us, a chipmunk watched us from the grass.

Chipmunk in the grass

Alpine creek:

Alpine Creek cascades through the forest

Lunch finished, we resumed our hike. Here Batya crosses Alpine Creek:

Batya crossing Alpine Creek

While we would be branching off the Longs Peak Trail to go to Chasm Lake (at 11,800′), the Longs Peak Trail continues up to the top of Longs Peak, at 14,259′ the highest point in Rocky Mountain National Park. Lightning is a constant hazard up there, and hikers are advised to be well off the peak before noon. Since the distance from the Ranger Station to the peak is 7.5 miles and 4,854′ in elevation, hikers heading to the peak either have to start their hike from the Ranger Station at 3:00 a.m. (and hike very quickly) or they have to hike most of the way the day before and then camp below the peak at the Boulderfield campsite. I doubt I’ll ever make that climb to the top of Longs Peak.

Lightning warning sign on Longs Peak Trail

12:35 p.m.: Another adorable chipmunk poses for a photo:

Chipmunk

12:44 p.m.: The trail continued climbing in elevation, and the trees became shorter in stature and fewer in number, opening up beautiful mountain vistas.

Climbing above the clouds

12:46 p.m.: A panorama of the Longs Peak trail, above the treeline:

Longs Peak Trail

1:01 p.m.: By now we were 2.5 miles into the hike, at around 11,000′ in elevation. We were hiking very slowly, perhaps slowed by the high elevation.

Here’s another panorama. Hopefully most of the blog’s readers will have a wide-screen monitor!

Longs Peak Trail

1:13 p.m.: Here’s yet another panorama. I was impressed with the amount of red in this photo, as I would have expected only gray and brown rocky soil.

I should mention the weather. It was cool in Estes Park in the morning, in the 40s, I believe, but by the time we reached the trailhead it had warmed up to the 50s. Hiking through the forest was pleasant enough, but above the treeline there were no trees to block the wind. The temperature also dropped and around 1:30 p.m. it began raining lightly, with hail. The day before, we had experienced a bit of hail at Bear Lake. Today, we had even more hail, and I pulled the hood of my rain jacket over my head to protect my ears from being pelted by the hailstones.

Longs Peak Trail

1:53 p.m.:  After 3.5 miles of hiking, at 11,525′ of elevation (having gained 2,125′), we reached the intersection of the Longs Peak Trail and the Chasm Lake Trail. The Longs Peak Trail would turn northwest for 1 mile toward Granite Pass, then turn southwest 1.4 mile along the Keyhole Route and then continue south the final 1.6 mile to the top of Longs Peak.

But our objective was Chasm Lake, and therefore we were only 0.7 miles from our destination, which was to the southwest. My National Geographic map cutely shows men’s and women’s restrooms at this spot, but there was only a single (unisex) privy. This had slatted walls which provided privacy, but there was no roof to the facility. There was supposed to be toilet paper, but it had apparently all been used. Luckily, I had a supply in my backpack. The toilet seat was also broken, though there was a functional cover over the toilet. A sign asked people to close the cover when they were finished, as otherwise marmots would climb into the toilet vault. Eww. I was glad there were no marmots in the vault at the time of our visit. — I would not recommend the privy to visitors: if possible, use the real restrooms at the Ranger Station, or below the tree line find a nice wooded area.

2:19 p.m.: The Chasm Lake Trail was only 0.7 miles long, with the beginning portion flat, at around 11,600′. It afforded nice views of Peacock Pool, below the trail at 11,320′.

Peacock Pool

2:24 p.m.: This is Columbine Falls, a waterfall (fed by runoff from Chasm Lake) that feeds Peacock Pool.

Columbine Falls

2:30 p.m.: Speaking of “Columbine,” we happened across an example of the state’s flower, the Colorado Blue Columbine (aquilegia caerulea):

Colorado Blue Columbine (aquilegia caerulea)

2:31 p.m.: A view looking south at both Peacock Pool and Columbine Falls:

Peacock Pool and Columbine Falls

2:32 p.m.: We were too late to see the flowers, but this thistle (possibly a yellow thistle, Cirsium horridulum), was still an impressive sight.

Thistle at Peacock Pool

2:34 p.m.: A last view of Peacock Pool, before we continued climbing the Chasm Lake trail.

Peacock Pool

2:38 p.m.: The Chasm Lake trail crossed the small stream flowing from Chasm Lake to Columbine Falls:

Chasm Lake Trail

It was an interesting sensation being above the clouds:

Chasm Lake Trail

We soon reached a sign below a steeper slope with a height of about 150′. While I didn’t take a photo of the sign, I think it said that only climbers should proceed past that point. That seemed odd, as a hike to Chasm Lake is included in at least one book of day hikes in the park. Batya did not want to make that climb, but said that it would be fine for me to continue on my own to reach the lake.

2:51 p.m.: It only took me a few minutes to make it up the slope, rarely having to use my hands. At the top, I took this photo looking back toward Peacock Pool. Batya appears as a tiny red dot leaning against a boulder at the center right, and one can also see a local patrol cabin and a bit of the Peacock Pool.

Chasm Lake Patrol Cabin

However, having reached the top of the slope, I still did not see Chasm Lake, only another line of large rocks that required a scramble to pass. The slope may have required hands in a few places, but these rocks were definitely a scramble.

Whereas in the east I am accustomed to trails being marked by blazes, that was not my experience during my week in Colorado. The trails were generally very distinct, well-worn bare paths in an otherwise grassy area, with signposts at intersections. Even above the treeline, we could tell that we were on the path because it was generally more bare than surrounding areas. In a few spots on the Longs Peak Trail we saw cairns, which I believed were placed to help guide the way for hikers during months when there was snow on the ground. But here just below Chasm Lake, I did not see any cairns, and I did not know the best way to continue to see Chasm Lake.

I finally tried moving laterally left and climbing one or two rows of the large rocks, and saw a pair of climbers who were heading in my direction. I asked them and they thought that the best access to Chasm Lake would be if I had moved laterally right before climbing the rows of rocks. I backtracked, coming within sight of Batya, and waving down to her. I was moving very cautiously, as the rain had made the rocks slick. I also carefully chose my path so that if I slipped, I would not fall more than a foot or two. Finally, after being tempted to give up a couple of times, I saw my objective.

3:18 p.m.: Chasm Lake, below Mills Glacier and the east face of Longs Peak.

Chasm Lake

I did not linger, but only snapped a few photos and began retreating. I did not even feel like climbing the remaining rocks to get to the water’s edge. If it had been earlier in the day, and if the weather had been nicer, perhaps I would have done so.

I scrambled over the rocks again, seeing Batya again and waving at her, though I had to continue to move laterally before I reached the spot where I had ascended the 150′ slope. I quickly made it down and back to her.

The rain had become a little heavier and steadier, and it also seemed cooler. We were both dressed in several layers. I had a short-sleeved shirt, with a long-sleeved shirt over that, then my fleece jacket, and then my rain jacket. Batya had a similar number of layers. However, we did not have gloves or earmuffs.

We began our descent, knowing that we were 4.5 miles from the trailhead. When we descended below the treeline, the trees provided a break from the wind, though the temperatures were still lower and dropping. We also discovered that while on the ascent we only encountered rain above the treeline, the ground was now wet all the way back to the Ranger Station. So even though we were now descending and had gravity on our side, we hiked slowly, being careful not to slip on the wet ground.

Batya was a bit concerned about making it back to the car before it got dark (sundown was around 7:15 p.m.), but I had two or three flashlights and was not as concerned. We did in fact make it back to the car right around sundown. When we reached the car, we discovered that the air temperature had dropped to 37°F. We were glad that we had the multiple layers of clothes, and turned the car’s heat on full for the ride back to the hotel.

We agreed this was a beautiful hike of 9 miles and 2400′ of elevation gain and loss, though it would have been nicer without the rain, hail, and dropping temperatures.

Coming next: Our last day of sightseeing in Rocky Mountain National Park

On Wednesday morning, we packed and checked out of the Boulder hotel, then drove west an hour, toward Rocky Mountain National Park. I had asked Batya if she wanted to camp there, but she preferred to stay in a hotel. Therefore, I had made reservations with Murphy’s Resort in Estes Park. Check-in wasn’t until the afternoon, so we just drove through Estes Park and continued directly to Rocky Mountain National Park.

Even though it was a weekday (and after the prime tourist season, as schools were back in session), we saw signs warning us that the parking lot at Bear Lake was full. Therefore, we parked at the “Park and Ride” lot and caught the shuttle to the Bear Lake stop. By the time we reached the Bear Lake trailhead at 9475′ elevation, it was almost a quarter to noon.

11:46 a.m.: It was raining slightly as we began our hike north on the trail, and then a very light hail began. This only lasted a minute or so, though. Bear Lake is adjacent to the west end of the parking lot, so it only took us a minute to reach the lake. However, we did not linger there, as we anticipated a hike of around 8.5 miles and were off to a late start.

Batya at Bear Lake

12:15 p.m.: For 0.6 miles the trail moved north/northeast, climbing to 9800′ elevation. Then the trail reached an intersection, and we turned west, hiking through forest. We soon began to enjoy nice views of the surrounding mountains:

Forest and mountains

12:55 p.m.: We crossed a talus slope, hiking toward mountains with snow fields.

Mountains with snowfields

A few residents of the talus came out to play, including an adorable pika:

American pika (Ochotona princeps)

. . . and a cute yellow-bellied marmot:

Yellow-bellied marmot (Marmota flaviventris)

Yellow-bellied marmot (Marmota flaviventris)

1:17 p.m.: We began to enjoy nice views of Notchtop Mountain, which will feature in a number of photographs in this blog entry.

Notchtop Mountain

At the same time we passed a small unnamed pond to the north of the trail (not shown on the map), and decided to stop for lunch.

Unnamed pond

While we were eating, I noticed birds flying in a distant tree, near the pond. I am accustomed to birds being shy and flying away from me, and first attempted to take photos of them on their distant perch in the tree. But I soon learned this was not necessary, as the birds flew closer, and closer, and closer.

They were gray jays, which have many other names and nicknames, including “camp robber.” They started out as beggars, practically salivating for a handout.

Gray jay (Perisoreus canadensis)

Experts ask people not to feed wild animals, because: a) human food may not be healthy for wild animals (just as chocolate is dangerous for dogs); b) a wild animal can become over-reliant on handouts and then be unable to successfully forage for food in the winter off-season when people don’t come to the park; c) if a person tries hand-feeding an animal, the animal might accidentally bite the hand holding the food; d) dangerous animals such as bears should not learn to associate humans with food, because then instead of avoiding humans they might begin to frequent places of human habitation while foraging for food. I definitely would never offer food to a bear, or hand feed a squirrel or chipmunk. As far as whether I may toss a few crumbs to a chipmunk or a bird, I have no comment.

Gray jays (Perisoreus canadensis)

At one point I looked left toward Batya while holding a sandwich in my right hand. I felt something brush against my right hand, and when I turned to look I saw a gray jay land a few feet away with a piece of bread in its mouth. The robber had taken a bite out of my sandwich! Batya was very amused.

1:56 p.m.: We continued on, still enjoying views of the mountains:

Mountains

2:07 p.m.: Notchtop Mountain at right:

Notchtop Mountain

2:11 p.m.: A view of a very steep talus/scree slope:

Mountain with steep talus slope

2:12 p.m,: I pose beside the trail:

Charlie on the Trail

2:14 p.m.: A stitched panorama:

Notchtop Mountain

2:17 p.m.: And an even wider stitched panorama:

Notchtop Mountain

2:18 p.m.: After hiking west for around 4.0 miles, we were up to 10,600′ elevation. The trail then made a hairpin turn to the north, skirting the left side of Joe Mills Mountain. Odessa Lake came into view:

Odessa Lake

2:21 p.m.: Batya poses with Notchtop Mountain behind her:

Batya and Notchtop Mountain

After about 0.6 miles of traveling north, we reached the 0.1-mile long side trail that leads to Odessa Lake.

3:04 p.m.: Batya poses beside the outlet stream of Odessa Lake. (This outlet from Odessa Lake runs northeast to Fern Lake, and then the outlet from Fern Lake runs northeast to Fern Falls. The outlet from Fern Lake is called Fern Creek, and National Geographic’s map suggests that this upstream segment between Odessa Lake and Fern Lake is also called Fern Creek.):

Batya at Fern Creek

3:13 p.m.: We reached Odessa Lake, a very pretty location:

Odessa Lake

Odessa Lake

Charlie & Batya at Odessa Lake

3:36 p.m.: We would have preferred staying longer at Odessa Lake, but still had many miles of hiking left. We thus backtracked on the 0.1 mile side trail. Here I pose on a short bridge:

Charlie crossing Fern Creek

3:44 p.m.: Batya was having a great time with the beautiful scenery:

Batya on the trail

Returning to the main trail, we continued to the north for the next 0.9 miles, as the trail began a descent, detouring to the east and then north again to pass Fern Lake.

4:03 p.m.: Fern Lake was also very pretty, though we did not linger here:

Fern Lake

After passing Fern Lake, the trail turned to the northeast, with a couple of switchbacks allowing for a greater drop in elevation.

4:58 p.m.: About 1.2 miles north of Fern Lake, we reached Fern Falls, a 60′ waterfall on Fern Creek, at 8800′ elevation.

Fern Falls

5:39 p.m.: After another 0.6 miles, we reached The Pool, at 8600′ elevation:

The Pool

5:54 p.m.: After another 0.6 miles, we passed through Arch Rocks, two huge boulders:

Arch Rocks

I had believed the hike was about 8.5 miles, and had told Batya that. However, on the hike I began adding up the miles shown on my National Geographic map, and it showed a total of 9.8 miles from the Bear Lake trailhead to the Fern Lake trailhead, where we planned to catch another park shuttle bus that would take us back to the “Park and Ride” lot. Batya took the news in stride.

6:33 p.m.: Almost at the Fern Lake trailhead:

Near Fern Lake trailhead

We arrived at the Fern Lake trailhead, which the National Geographic map identifies as a shuttle stop. However, a sign there showed that we had to walk an additional 0.7 miles along a road to reach the shuttle stop. So now our hike was stretched once again, to 10.5 miles. Along the way, we gained 1200′ in elevation, and then descended 2400′ (since the Fern Lake trailhead area was 1200′ lower in elevation than Bear Lake). [Park Service maps do show a lower mileage that is closer to 8.5 miles, so whom should one believe, the Park Service map or National Geographic’s map?]

6:58 p.m.: We finally reached the shuttle bus stop. Before beginning the hike, we had confirmed that the shuttles ran through 7:30 p.m., so we could rely on them to get back to our rental car. While waiting for the shuttle bus, we enjoyed watching a mule deer grazing nearby:

Mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus)

The shuttle bus arrived and we boarded. The bus driver said that there had never been a bus stop at the Fern Lake trailhead, so it’s not that the National Geographic map was simply outdated, rather, it was incorrect.

7:04 p.m.: At one stop, the bus driver pointed out a family of elk, including papa elk . . .

Rocky Mountain elk (Cervus canadensis nelsoni)

. . . and mamas and baby elk:

Rocky Mountain elk (Cervus canadensis nelsoni)

Murphy’s Resort asked people to check in by 8:00 p.m. or let them know, so we gave them a call just in case we wouldn’t make that time. But the shuttle bus got us back to our rental car and we were able to leave the park and arrive in Estes Park at 7:50 p.m., checking into our room without delay.

Next: A hike above the tree line

Tuesday: On Batya’s last day at the seminar in Chautauqua, I decided to hike in the southern part of the adjacent Boulder Mountain Park.

I drove to the National Center for Atmospheric Research (N.C.A.R.) and parked in their spacious parking lot.

9:17 a.m.: I then hiked about 0.6 miles west on the N.C.A.R. trail, which leads into Boulder Mountain Park.

View from N.C.A.R. trail

9:35 a.m.: Upon entering the park, I turned south onto the Mesa trail.

Flatirons from Mesa Trail

10:03 a.m.: After 0.7 miles, I reached an intersection with the Bear Canyon trail, and turned west along that route. The scenery here was not ideal, as a power line ran beside the canyon, interfering with some views. Still, I managed to take a few pleasing shots within the canyon.

Scenery on the Bear Canyon trail

Scenery on the Bear Canyon trail

Scenery on the Bear Canyon trail

Scenery on the Bear Canyon trail

11:26 a.m.: After 2 miles on the Bear Canyon trail, I reached the intersection with the Bear Peak West Ridge trail, and continued on that trail, as it began west, then turned southeast.

Wildflowers on the Bear Peak West Ridge trail

12:12 p.m.: My objective for the day was Bear Peak, at 8461′. There was an intermittent drizzle as I climbed toward the peak.

Bear Peak

12:18 p.m.: As the trail neared the summit, it passed through a small area where trees had burned in a fire in the summer of 2012:

Burned trees on Bear Peak West Ridge trail

12:30 p.m.: I noticed many birds moving through the burned pines and stopped to watch them. They were hairy woodpeckers (Picoides villosus), and while they did not allow me to approach closely, my telephoto lens allowed me to capture them from a distance.

Hairy woodpeckers (Picoides villosus)

Hairy woodpeckers (Picoides villosus)

Hairy woodpeckers (Picoides villosus)

12:49 p.m.: As on the previous two days, the trails afforded me a view of Boulder:

Boulder from the Bear Peak West Ridge trail

I believe that this thistle flower is bull thistle (cirsium vulgare):

Bull thistle (Cirsium vulgare)

1:41 p.m.: After stopping for lunch, I resumed my hike. As I neared the end of the 1.9 mile Bear Peak West Ridge trail, the trail changed from soil to jagged broken rock as it climbed to the summit of Bear Peak.

Broken rock on Bear Peak

The scenery was nice . . .

View from Bear Peak

I reached the point near the summit where the Bear Peak West Ridge trail intersects with the Fern Canyon trail. The actual high point of Bear Peak required a scramble over larger rocks for about 20′, gaining perhaps 10′. I started to do it, but fog was rolling in ominously, and in the event the rain returned, I didn’t want to be stuck scrambling over slippery rock.

Foggy view from Bear Peak

I began my descent on the Fern Canyon trail, moving northeast. I discovered that the broken rock was present here, as well, and perhaps for an even longer distance than it had been present on the Bear Peak West Ridge trail.

Broken rock on Bear Peak

The Fern Canyon trail ran for 1.5 miles, completing a loop and returning me to the Mesa trail.

4:20 p.m.: This hike was right around 8 miles, with an elevation gain from N.C.A.R. (at 6109′) to Bear Peak (at 8461′) of 2352′, excluding any additional dips in the trails. The hike was not especially difficult, and it only took me 7 hours because I frequently stopped for photographs and to enjoy the beautiful scenery.

I returned to Chautauqua to pick up Batya, who had successfully passed the examination at the end of her course, therefore becoming certified in Advanced Wilderness Life Support. We then returned to the hotel for our last evening in Boulder.

Next: Our first hike in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Monday: My second day of hiking in Boulder began earlier, as Batya’s course began at 8:30 a.m. on the second day.

8:43 a.m.: Within minutes of dropping her at Chautauqua, I hiked up the Baseline trail across the meadow.

Flatirons across the meadow

Flatirons

9:15 a.m.: After about 0.6 miles, I continued onto the Amphitheater trail, and began gaining elevation while passing by interesting rock formations. I spotted a hummingbird hovering on the trail in front of me for a second, but before I could even think about my camera it was gone. I do better with photographing rocks and slow-moving animals.

Rock formations on Amphitheater trail

Tiny rock shelter on Amphitheater trail

9:56 a.m.: After another 0.4 miles and a break, I turned onto the Saddle Rock trail. I heard a buzzing in my ear, and when I turned I saw an unidentifiable blur move away from me. I wondered if that was another hummingbird encounter.

While Chautauqua is at about 5700′ of elevation, I was now approaching 7000′, and the scenery was improving.

View from Saddle Rock trail

The trail continued to climb:

Saddle Rock trail

10:19 a.m.: A sign posted at the beginning of the Saddle Rock trail had warned hikers that because of damage from the 2013 floods, a ladder had been installed at one point.  I know that some people don’t like ladders, though I imagine that the problem is more psychological than physical. When I reached the ladder, I was a bit surprised, because instead of being vertical it was placed at about a 45 degree angle. Furthermore, while the floods had damaged the trail at that point, it seemed that a hiker could have scrambled up the eroded area easily enough even without the ladder.

Ladder at washed-out area on Saddle Rock trail

10:23 a.m.: Around 7000′, I had a nice view of Boulder, comparable to what I had seen and photographed the day before on the 1st/2nd Flatiron trail.

View from Saddle Rock trail

A caterpillar shared the trail with me:

Caterpillar

10:43 a.m.: This scramble seemed comparable or worse than the area where the floods had washed out a section of the trail, and yet it was perfectly manageable without the need for a ladder:

Scramble on Saddle Rock trail

11:03 a.m.: After another 0.7 miles, I reached the end of the Saddle Rock trail, which intersected the E.M Greenman trail. I turned left on the Greenman trail.

View from junction of Saddle Rock and E.M. Greenman trails

An old sign reads “E.O. Greenman / Twin Springs.” There was some dampness in the area, though I don’t know that I saw springs. Who was Greenman, and was his name E.M. Greenman (as the maps say) or E.O. Greenman, as this old sign says?

Ancient sign ‘E.O. Greenmans Twin Springs’

Fireweed grew next to a talus slope:

Fireweed (Chamerion angustifolium)

11:17 a.m.: The trail at times presented a nice vista:

View from Greenman trail

View from Greenman trail

An old trail marker for the Greenman trail:

Ancient marker for Greenman trail

12:08 p.m.: After 1.1 miles on the Greenman trail, I reached my destination: the peak of Green Mountain at 8144′, around 2400′ higher than my starting point. There was an easy scramble at the peak that provided nice views, and I also found a brass disk that the University of Colorado Hiking Club had placed in May 1929 . It provided a graphical representation of the principal peaks visible from that spot, together with a list of their names and elevations:

Mountain identification disk at peak of Green Mountain

After enjoying a leisurely lunch at the peak, I continued down the other side for about 0.1 mile (I believe on the Green Mountain West Ridge trail), before turning right onto the Ranger trail.

I continued to follow the Ranger trail for 1.4 miles.

1:41 p.m.: There were interesting plants to see, such as blanketflower . . .

Blanketflower (Gaillardia aristata)

 2:27 p.m.: . . . and cactus:

Prickly pear cactus (Opuntia)

2:52 p.m. My hike then took me one mile through Gregory Canyon on the trail of that name:

View from Gregory Canyon

I enjoyed seeing more flowers there.

Wildflowers

Wildflowers

After Gregory Canyon, I followed sign posts back to the Baseline trail, and made it back to Chautauqua with plenty of time to spare before Batya’s course ended for the day. This hike covered about 8.5 miles, with about a 2400′ elevation gain. It was a fun day.

Next: My third and final hike (of this trip) in Boulder Mountain Park.

Batya had registered for a three-day Advanced Wilderness Life Support course being offered in Boulder, so after flying into Denver on Friday, September 5, and spending the Sabbath there, we drove on Sunday morning to Colorado Chautauqua. While Batya was enjoying the course, I had the opportunity to explore the adjacent Boulder Mountain Park.

Sunday: The course began at 11:30 a.m. on the first day, so my hike began relatively late, at noon, and I planned for a short hike to the famous Flatirons, five sandstone formations on the east slope of Green Mountain. Plate tectonics had lifted and tilted the Flatirons into their current orientation.

I hiked southwest a half mile on the McClintock trail and the Flatirons came into view. The photo shows the first three, which are counted from north to south (right to left in this photo). I had noted from Chautauqua that the Third flatiron was defaced by paint–articles identify by name the students who defaced it decades ago, and that they received some minor punishment. A number of others have painted it over the decades, though attempts have been made to cover up the paint. However, at least from a particular angle and lighting, I was able to discern the paint very well. It is a shame that people would do such a thing.

First, Second, and Third Flatirons

I continued on the McClintock Trail for another half mile, passing an intersection with the Mesa Trail. The late summer/early autumn weather still featured plenty of greenery and flowers:

Willow aster (Symphotrichum lanceolatum)

Maybe it was too late for roses, but the rose hips were lovely:

Rose hips

The McClintock trail came to an end at the Bluebell Baird trail. Ideally, I would have turned left to the Royal Arch trail, which crosses under a sandstone arch and then reaches the top of the Fourth and Fifth Flatirons. However, floods in September 2013 had caused much damage throughout parts of Colorado, including within Boulder Mountain Park. While work crews had reopened most of the trails, the Royal Arch trail remained closed. Therefore, I turned right onto the Bluebell/Baird trail, for access to the Second and Third flatirons.

A number of people were free-climbing the Second Flatiron. It appeared a relatively easy scramble, though the height and steep angle could make an unexpected fall into a deadly accident.

Free climbing the Second Flatiron

Turning away from the free climbers, I followed a hiking trail that provides access to climbers (with ropes) to pursue the much taller and more difficult Third Flatiron. This photo shows some of the texture of the hike, living and dead trees and rock:

Boulder Mountain Park

A seven-spotted ladybug (Coccinella septempunctata) rests on a lichen-covered rock:

Seven-spotted ladybug (Coccinella septempunctata)

I made it up to the east bench of the Third Flatiron, where I enjoyed a scenic view of the City of Boulder:

City of Boulder from the east bench of the Third Flatiron

A wider-angle view:

City of Boulder from the east bench of the Third Flatiron

As I ate my peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, a colony of ravenous chipmunks quickly surrounded me:

Chipmunk

Chipmunk

The east bench was as far as the hiking trail went. Above that was bare rock, inviting only to climbers. A number of them were ascending with ropes, but the sun was behind them and I did not get a good shot. Instead, this horizontal shot shows a bit of the Third Flatiron, together with the surrounding countryside:

Third Flatiron

I finished my lunch, other than a few crusts of bread and a baby carrot that accidentally fell to the ground and that were carried away by the furry-tailed vacuum cleaners. I then descended the climbing access route and continued another third of a mile to a hiking trail that runs for 0.7 miles up to the notch between the First and Second Flatirons.

Here, a dead tree and rock provide nice texture:

Boulder Mountain Park

A view of the City of Boulder from the top of the First/Second Flatiron trail:

City of Boulder from the First/Second Flatiron Trail

The peak of the Second Flatiron:

Peak of Second Flatiron

As I had hiked up the trail, a young man without any backpack passed me. When I reached the saddle between the First and Second Flatiron, he was seated and asked me if I had any water to spare. I tossed a water bottle to him, without thinking much of it other than he shouldn’t hike without water. The truth is that it was only around 80 degrees, and it was not a long hike, and others were hiking without supplies.

There were no blazes and no signs that I saw at the saddle, but I saw other hikers pass beyond the saddle and I followed them. I then realized that the trail continued about another 0.1 mile, toward the peak of the First Flatiron:

Peak of First Flatiron

As I headed back down the trail toward the saddle, I heard screaming, and upon reaching the saddle I saw that the young man was screaming, with a number of people surrounding him and looking concerned. He was in some sort of emotional distress, though I don’t know if it could have been caused by overheating or dehydration (which seems unlikely), due to overdose or underdose, or due to mental issues. It was nice that people were trying to help him, as in New York he would have been ignored by almost everyone.

I continued down the trail, finding another nice view of the City of Boulder:

City of Boulder from the First/Second Flatiron trail

The trail had crossed a talus slope, which made for a nice HDR image:

Talus slope

I ran into a ranger and police officer here, heading up the trail in response to calls from some of the people trying to help the young man at the top. I told the police officer what little I knew–I felt sorry for the officer, as he said that he had already had his workout for the day, and didn’t need this additional exercise of having to climb 1400′ to the top of this short trail.

I later searched online for any record of the rescue, but did not find anything.

Back on more level ground, I again enjoyed seeing the flora. This sumac (maybe smooth sumac, rhus glabra) was showing a nice red/green combination.

Sumac

I followed the Bluebird Baird trail to the Baseline trail, which led me across a meadow. Here is a shot looking toward the west:

Mountains west of Boulder

A last look across the meadow, back at Green Mountain and its Flatirons:

Green Mountain and Flatirons

This was probably only a 4.5-hike, but with a gain of 1500′ or more. I returned to Chautauqua just as Batya’s class was ending for the day, and we then drove to the Best Western Plus Boulder Inn where we would be staying, about 1-1/2 miles away.

Next: Monday I enjoy a second hike in Boulder Mountain Park.