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).
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.
