Hartenstein Lake

A Fun Summer

As you can see, we love our public lands and feel privileged to spend time out here. Unfortunately, much of it is being sold off for as little as $1.50 per acre for oil and natural gas exploration. Not only have we lost public land but the decency in how we as owners and the land are being treated.

Colorado is dealing once again with wildfires, 4 of them and warm temps. We have smoke blowing in over the mountains but fortunately for us, most is going north. On our final day at Lake Dillon, the smoke starting getting much heavier so we headed back to Buena Vista for our last two weeks. The mornings are a cool 50F in the mornings and it cools off quickly once the sun goes down.

Hartenstein Lake Hike

We were up early to beat the predicted thunderstorms and the crowds. Who's idea was that?

 12 miles up Cottonwood Pass heading west from the stoplight at Main Street in Buena Vista is the Denny Creek Trailhead on the right. There were several cars at the parking lot when we arrived. It looked like several people had been car camping before ascending to Mt Yale (14,000+ feet) which shares the same trailhead, for an early start.

A steamy mist was rising from the trees as the sun started warming them.

Climbing straight uphill as soon as we hit the trail was a great way to acclimate to what lies ahead. We hiked through pines and aspens up switchbacks until reaching a more gentle path.

Coming upon the turn off for Mt. Yale (14er) at 1.3 miles, we hiked past and on to the forest, over several creek crossings until emerging out of the trees and into incredible views.

Turning here we had only a mile more to reach Hartenstein Lake. This last mile was packed full of views all around and sprinkled of wildflowers.

'We heard the chirps of several families of marmots.

A bit marshy in spots but so blue and so quiet, it’s beautiful. The lake sits at 11,480 ft. in elevation

The terrain on the way to Hartenstein Lake told stories of harsh winters with fallen trees and a windswept landscape.

Happy birthday Mike!

The Trailhead Co. is a favorite stop in town after a hike or bike ride for an iced tea before our last couple of miles.

A favorite food truck for us with picnic tables under the trees.

Cycling in Summit County

We were fortunate to have another visit to Summit County.

The Ten Mile Canyon Trail is one of the best maintained bike trials we have ridden in from Frisco to Copper Mountain. The views aren't bad either making the climb more pleasant.

Someone threw a block party in Frisco and no one came. Wait, we were there.

The next day, Mike invited me to take a short ride towards Breckenridge. This ended up being a 26.5 mile ride. I am not sure how he determined this was a short ride after riding 25 miles the previous day. 

Our time spent in the Arkansas River Valley has given us the opportunity to visit many places and hikes we had not seen even though we lived 90 miles away. There are still very few cases of COVID in Chaffee County and everyone (almost) wear masks and keep distant.

One More Hike

We had planned to take a short hike on the Lily Pond Trail but had a change of mind once we arrived at the South Mt Elbert Trailhead overlooking Twin Lakes and Mt Elbert (the second highest 14er in the lower 48 states below Mt Whitney).

Twin Lakes

Being forced to slow down this summer has given us a chance to listen and wonder while in this strange world. We are humbled and appreciate our mobile life even more now. We just changed up the plans and enjoy each day. Travel and birthdays change how we think.

There is so much noise distracting us from seeing what is happening. We hope that no more of our public lands will be lost to developers before our grandchildren get to experience these wonderful places.

Old Monarch Pass Loop Trail

The Colorado Trail

We both grew up in small towns which probably made staying in this small town with a downtown of about six blocks good for a while. Some days after hiking in the hills we would head over to the park along the creek and enjoy the cool air under the trees. 

A group of 8 boys rode up to the edge of the pond and jumped in. After a dip they dried off and headed off on their bikes to who knows where. It brought back memories of the freedom of having a bike and growing up a small town.

In 1960 3% of the US population lived in cities. Now 50% of the population live in cities. We thought that we needed to escape our small towns. Now we know how lucky we were. 

My picture was fuzzy but it was so fun to watch the kids across the pond.

We had a stretch of heat into the 90's in July. Driving up to the Continental Divide at 11,000 feet cooled us down with 62F degrees. Part of the Old Monarch Pass Loop is  also a section of the Colorado Trail. 

 The Colorado Trail is known as one of the premier long-distance trails in the country, lauded by hikers, backpackers, and mountain bikers from around the world. The 567 miles of the CT trail between Denver and Durango passes through some spectacular scenery in the Colorado Rockies.  Travelers encounter high mountain lakes and towering peaks of six wilderness areas and eight mountain ranges as they climb nearly 90,000 vertical feet. The average elevation of the Trail is 10,300 feet, topping out at 13,271 feet just below 13,334-foot Coney Summit in southwest Colorado.

We have been fortunate to hike several sections of the CT during our stay, each equally stunning.

A view from the top.

As we hiked a short section of the Colorado Trail, we passed a few thru hikers. This young man that was appreciating the delay of the monsoon rains. The next day the rains hit hard and we thought about the hikers we had passed.

 Being forced to slow down hasn't been so bad as we have been taking time to reflect and look forward. Spending more time learning that we are small in the outdoors pushing away the noise the world.

Nature gives us mystery and diversity. 

Overlooking Monarch Ski area where our kids learned to ski and I worked as a ski patrol nurse many years ago, making the sport much more affordable. Monarch is a great ski area with amazing natural snow and great runs that meet at the lodge. The kids could have their freedom with their friends but not remain hidden for long.

A morning walk along the Arkansas River often ends with our feet in the cool water while watching the rafters, kayakers and skim boarders floating by. Some people just jump in with lifejackets for a float and fishermen line the shore.

Trying out my new camera on flowers.

The summer is flying by as we prepare for a return to Summit County.

Escape to Lake Dillon

A Summit County Visit

We finished month two of our three month stay in Buena Vista and a getaway was needed. Mike found two nights in one of our favorite campground on Lake Dillon and another night open in another forest service campground for one more night. We always hated to leave when we were working and still feel the same.

We avoid Breckenridge at all costs now. Real estate developers have caused the town to be overcrowded and not a pleasant experience, no matter how beautiful it is.

We woke early to avoid the crowds for a bike ride from Frisco to Keystone along the lake. Once we hit Keystone we kept going up, Mike a few more miles than me, towards Montezuma. The last mile to the top gets pretty steep and would put us over 30 miles. 

Dillon Marina

Summit County maintains a 38 mile paved Recreational Pathway System with elevations ranging from 8,777 feet to 10,563 feet. It can get pretty busy with runners, families with strollers, tourists riding to take in the views. Over 200,000 trips are taken on the Recpath connecting many resorts and transit stops each year between May and October. If you get tired, you can catch the bus back.

We passed on the savory crepes and went straight for the sweet ones when we returned to Keystone. Nutella, coconut and banana for Mike and strawberry Nutella crepe for me before the last 10 miles back. 

The monsoon season arrived bringing rain showers in the afternoons.

Our Heaton Bay campsite overlooked the osprey and eagle nests that we check out on our visits. This time there happened to be a lot of strange noises coming from across the inlet. We could see several heron nests. Herons are thought to be nesting at higher altitudes due to warmer climates

Great pictures Mike!

Walking or sitting along the shore watching the people in kayaks and birds with a cool breeze makes everything better. 

Our campgrounds didn't have hookups. We have our little solar panels and inverter (a birthday present a few years ago) to keep our electronics charged.

For our third night, we moved a few miles across the lake to Peak One and it was as nice as Heaton Bay. We could carry our chairs a short distance to the shore and read or watch the kids riding their bikes around and around. When we are there, it doesn't feel like there is a pandemic.

It was a short and wonderful way to get our travel bug fix. We have three days booked in two weeks and no changing campsites. It is only 60 miles away!