r/coloradohikers

Did North and South Arapaho Traverse as my first class 3 and class 4 hikes in Colorado. Prepared well and knew the route prior, nothing felt TOO technical or exposed with the exception of down climbing the slab. Anyone with a lot of class 4+ experience climb this route? If so, how does it compare to class 3 and 4 14ers in terms of exposure and technically? How does it compare to routes such as Navajo peak and other mountains in the Indian Peaks? Obviously have read a bunch of blogs and trip reports but would love a more direct comparison from those with more experience!

6.5 mile trail - out and back. Considered moderate. It was a long uphill with several false summits and the wind was pretty rough.The smoke was also bothersome for my eyes and lungs. About an hour from Denver so this made for a great morning hike. Huge parking lot.

Windy but clear up high. Snow is hard to find at 13,000 feet

First visit to State Forest State Park, and wow! I love that this was a moderate trail with flat sections for recovery so that I could bring my senior dog who hates going uphill. So many mountain bluebells, and a streak of Perry’s primroses. It’s always a good day when you see a Perry’s primrose.

The trail was fairly busy (though the Front Range on any weekend is way worse), but we still had a peaceful time.

I happened to read this passage from Matt Bell’s Appleseed during our lunch break. The character is in a dystopian agro-industrial future. It’s a good reminder that a busy trail is a trail with people who will protect it. These mountains were here long before our country was, and will be after we’re gone.

“John doesn’t forgive those who came before, but he tells himself he also doesn’t flee his own complicity: there’s no crime in being born into a harmful story, but surely there’s sin in not trying to escape. The story of how we got here, the story we refused to abandon; if that was all the human world could be, then he wants a different world. A world of mud and rot, a world of green life blooming everywhere without human intervention; a world of migrating megafauna, of birds of prey hunting bountiful meadows and bright-sparkling river steams; a renewed story of hooves and horns, of broad wings and bright scales, with a smaller, gentler humanity living as part of the whole, not better or more important. Humanity as equal to, not greater than.” - from Appleseed by Matt Bell

My first marmot fight

Beautiful day

Colorado is not doing okay. This is a record dry year. We had almost no snow last winter, leaving snowpack runoff at historic lows. Combined with high winds and hot, dry conditions, it’s contributing to one of the worst wildfire seasons Colorado has ever seen...😢

First time I've been up there in 9 years. It was pretty shocking how low the water was in the reservoir.

Beautiful day out! Got at the trailhead at 8am with about a dozen cars there already. Lots of wildflowers! One snake! Many butterflies! At the top lake there were a lot of gnats and a mosquitos, but much less annoying at the lower lakes. The bit from the lower lakes to the upper lake was more than I expected, but well worth it for the little creek cascading down and around the flowers.

Winds shifted today, and Baldy is officially on fire 🔥

Was able to get a hike to island lake and ice lake before the fires in Ouray on Saturday 

Couple of things, 1. Truly fantastic setting on the Upper Sand Lake in the Sangre de Cristos - amazing mountain range. 2. Hats off to the trail maintenance crews keeping this trail clear and hike-able - tons of fresh wind fall in this area so I appreciate the hard work you all do. 3. Shout out to the awesome family of three that helped me out with a lighter (doofus move by me leaving my flint AND lighter sitting on the dashboard at the trailhead). Good generous people really helped me out! Tons of wild flowers out there right now.

West of the Gold Hill fire. No smoke and clean air at 13k

(6/27) A very beautiful and strenuous hike. We intended to go to Mount Oxford too, but it was extremely windy and cold at the top so we opted out.

(Last picture is the summit of Belford)

In case anyone was planning to hike around Ouray, please know that there’s a wild fire actively burning north of the city. The videos were taken just past midnight on Sunday the 28th from highway 17, looking east toward the slopes above the Rotary Park (approximately). Highway 550 is closed to all traffic (north of the city), and the highway 17 detour might only be open to local traffic.

More info:
https://ouraycountyco.gov/AlertCenter.aspx?AID=Gold-Mountain-Fire-Information-44

Thank you fire fighters.

I was just sitting near the water when it suddenly appeared about 10 ft from me