loanshark
Active member
On the drive back to Denver after our day one hike to Geneva City, we decided we needed to drop down a bit in elevation in order to better acclimate ourselves to the altitude. Rob mentioned a hike he had done solo a month earlier. It was just outside of Boulder on the Front Range. It had the possibility of bagging a second peak if we felt up to it. Bear Peak and possibly South Boulder Peak would be our next targets. The stats were just under 8 miles and with both peaks a little over 3 thousand elevation gain. We started at the South Mesa Trailhead and the Towee, Homestead, Shadow Canyon, and Bear Peak west Ridge Trails. All the trails are very well marked.For the first couple of miles the trails are very gentil almost groomed. The sun was up and it shone on the Front Range bringing out some great colors.
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Shortly after starting up the Shadow Canyon Trail we saw an interesting rock formation called Devil's Thumb.
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The next section of trail gets steep. It gains almost 2 thousand feet in 1.25 miles. Steepness aside it was really a nice trail. Alot of large boulders, and old-growth ponderosa and lodgepole pines. We reached the saddle between the 2 peaks and headed left for South Boulder first. It was a short .35 miles with a nice scramble at the top.
The views were great.
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We got our first look at the Continental Divide with all the big boys lined up in a row. Long's was visible with an undercast. In front of Long's was our next target, Indian Peaks. Back to the saddle and up to Bear Peak. Nice walk over some tallus and another scramble, this one a bit more challenging. Bear Peak's summit is small.
Only enough room for 2 hikers.
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More great views and alot of pics and we were on our way down. When passing by Devil's Thumb I noticed some rock climbers nearing the top. It was pretty impressive. I zoomed in and got a nice photo. I have a 10 power zoom and they still look like ants. This was a very enjoyable little hike. The trail description lists it as strenuous, but we had no stuggles at all. The peak is at 8,500 ft. and no AMS. Day 3 was an off day. We went into downtown Denver for a "Taste of Colorado". The streets were blocked off. All kinds of venders had samples of South West foods. Anything from chilly, Buffalo and Rattlesnake to some special deserts. The highlight of the day was the free concert on the common. It featured Herman's Hermits. At first I thought it was a joke. But I enjoyed it.
Peter Noone doesn't look quite the same as he did in the 60's.
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But his voice still sounded good and we found him very entertaining. Unlike the Monkees the Herman's Hermits were a real band.
Here are the pictures from our day 2 hike. Day 4 hike to follow.
http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/580838269lswmia?vhost=outdoors
http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/580838364qngNed?vhost=outdoors
Shortly after starting up the Shadow Canyon Trail we saw an interesting rock formation called Devil's Thumb.
The next section of trail gets steep. It gains almost 2 thousand feet in 1.25 miles. Steepness aside it was really a nice trail. Alot of large boulders, and old-growth ponderosa and lodgepole pines. We reached the saddle between the 2 peaks and headed left for South Boulder first. It was a short .35 miles with a nice scramble at the top.
The views were great.
We got our first look at the Continental Divide with all the big boys lined up in a row. Long's was visible with an undercast. In front of Long's was our next target, Indian Peaks. Back to the saddle and up to Bear Peak. Nice walk over some tallus and another scramble, this one a bit more challenging. Bear Peak's summit is small.
Only enough room for 2 hikers.
More great views and alot of pics and we were on our way down. When passing by Devil's Thumb I noticed some rock climbers nearing the top. It was pretty impressive. I zoomed in and got a nice photo. I have a 10 power zoom and they still look like ants. This was a very enjoyable little hike. The trail description lists it as strenuous, but we had no stuggles at all. The peak is at 8,500 ft. and no AMS. Day 3 was an off day. We went into downtown Denver for a "Taste of Colorado". The streets were blocked off. All kinds of venders had samples of South West foods. Anything from chilly, Buffalo and Rattlesnake to some special deserts. The highlight of the day was the free concert on the common. It featured Herman's Hermits. At first I thought it was a joke. But I enjoyed it.
Peter Noone doesn't look quite the same as he did in the 60's.
But his voice still sounded good and we found him very entertaining. Unlike the Monkees the Herman's Hermits were a real band.
Here are the pictures from our day 2 hike. Day 4 hike to follow.
http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/580838269lswmia?vhost=outdoors
http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/580838364qngNed?vhost=outdoors
