Monthly ReviewsEarthly Wanderer

July 2019 Review

As I look back on the month of July, I’m pretty happy with what I was able to accomplish. I got out and hiked on eleven different occasions throughout the course of the month. Here’s a quick look at what I was up to:

July 1st: Mount Sniktau (13er)- 3.5 Miles
July 2nd: Centennial Cone Park- 12.5 Miles
July 4th: Pikes Peak (14er)- 14 Miles
July 8th: Deer Creek Canyon Park- 2.65 Miles
July 9th: Vasquez Peak (12er)- 12.4 Miles
July 14th: Loveland Pass Lake- 1 Mile
July 16th: Mount Evans Wilderness- 14.85 Miles
July 22nd: Bear Peak- 5.7 Miles
July 23rd: Mount Parnassus (13er) and Woods Mountain (12er)- 7.9 Miles
July 29th: Lily Mountain- 3.8 Miles
July 30th: Herman Lake- 6.8 Miles
Total Miles Hiked in July 2019: 85.1 Miles
Total Miles Hiked in 2019 so far: 309.54 Miles

Overall, I hiked to the summit of one 14er, two 13ers and two 12ers. In addition to that, I hiked to the summit of some smaller peaks on those mornings that I got off work and still had some energy. I originally planned on writing a post about Bear Peak near Boulder but scrapped that due to the fact that it was so foggy that entire morning.

For my hike on July 16th, I ended up getting most of the way to Abyss Lake before I somehow took a wrong turn. But I ended up finding an excellent spot to meditate! That in itself made it all worth it.

Aside from that, I figured I would share some more photos that I took throughout the month:

Above treeline while hiking to the summit of Pikes Peak.

I’m both glad and thankful that I was able to get out and explore throughout July 2019. Not only did I see a lot of cool places, I also feel like I experienced some self growth as well.

June 2019 Review

June really turned out to be a great month. I got a lot of hiking in and was able to explore some pretty neat mountains and several wilderness areas as well as some more open space trails and parks. Overall, here’s a quick glance at what I was able to accomplish:

June 4th– Walker Ranch Park- 7.6 Miles
June 7th– Deer Creek Canyon Park- 2.6 Miles
June 9th– Pine Valley Ranch Park and Buffalo Creek Trail System- 13.5 Miles
June 11th– Centennial Cone Park- 6 Miles
June 15th– Elk Meadow Park- 4 Miles
June 18th– Bison Peak in Lost Creek Wilderness- 13 Miles
June 25th– Stanley Mountain from Berthoud Pass- 7.9 Miles
Total Miles Hiked in June 2019: 54.6 Miles
Total Miles Hiked in 2019 so far: 224.44 Miles

On three separate occasions, I got caught in some thunderstorms while out hiking in the woods. Luckily, I was not above treeline and could easily find a safe place to seek shelter in the woods. Specifically, this happened to me on the 4th, 7th and the 18th of June.

In regards to June 7th, a large thunderstorm formed in the foothills directly west of Denver while I was only 1.3 miles up the trail. However, the conditions of the trail were absolutely horrendous that day so it all worked out for the best.

Pretty muddy trail conditions at Deer Creek Canyon Park in early June.

Originally, I planned on writing a post about the Buffalo Creek Trail System and Pine Valley Ranch Park but unfortunately my camera died after taking only two photos that morning. I did manage to get a peaceful shot of the lake though.

My last two hikes of June involved hiking to the summit of several 12,000 foot peaks. Both Bison Peak and Stanley Mountain had some pretty remarkable scenery. While hiking to Stanley Mountain, I also added a little extra mileage as I wanted to see how steep the trail down to nearby Vasquez Pass was. Hiking in both the Lost Creek Wilderness and on the Continental Divide Trail was so much fun and relaxing in that I had both summits to myself and hardly saw anybody too.

The 12,521 foot summit of Stanley Mountain.

A rock garden near the summit of 12,432 foot Bison Peak

Overall, it turned out to be a great month and I’m looking forward to what these next few months of summer have to offer!

May 2019 Review

Overall, May proved to be a somewhat lackluster month in terms of hiking. It started with a decent amount of spring snowfall and ended with some warmer weather as well as more opportunities to get out and explore. It seems like it passed so quickly that I barely had much of a chance to enjoy it. Nonetheless, here’s a quick recap of what I was up to:

May 15^th– Alderfer/ Three Sisters Park- 4.2 Miles

May 26^th– Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve- 2.25 Miles

May 29^th– Mount Galbraith Park- 4.3 Miles

May 31^st– Meyers Ranch Park- 4.1 Miles

Total Miles Hiked in May: 14.85 Miles

Total Miles Hiked in 2019: 169.84 Miles

I always enjoy hiking up in Evergreen and May 15th was no different. I got a nice picture of Elephant Butte right before sunset that evening.

It was also an awesome month in that I finally got spend time with mom after not having seen her in 3 years! Definitely looking forward to the next visit and more fun times ahead for sure!

At the entrance sign to Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve.

During the last week of May, I also got out to hike in both Mount Galbraith and Meyers Ranch Park once I got done with work. Definitely one of the many perks of getting done with work at one in the afternoon!

Looking back towards Golden and beyond from Mount Galbraith.

A storm approached while hiking in Meyers Ranch Park. No worries though.

With May 2019 in the books and summer officially just around the corner, I’m definitely excited about what’s in store for these next few months! As I write this, I’ve already hiked way more in the first half of June than I did during the entire month of May and then some.

April 2019 Review

Despite the ever changing weather conditions during the month of April, I still managed to get a lot of hiking in. It was definitely a challenge but I still feel like I was able to accomplish quite a bit. Here’s a quick overview of what I was up to:

April 6^th– Reynolds Park- 12.2 Miles

April 13^th-Staunton State Park- 15.5 Miles

April 14^th– Golden Gate Canyon State Park- 11.65 Miles

April 23^rd– White Ranch Open Space Park- 6.1 Miles

April 28^th– Lory State Park- 3.4 Miles

Total Miles Hiked in April: 48.85 Miles

Total Miles Hiked in 2019: 154.99 Miles

Coyote Trail at Golden Gate Canyon State Park. — A steep portion of the Coyote Trail at Golden Gate Canyon State Park, Colorado.

If their is something that I’ve learned, it’s that pictures simply cannot capture just how beautiful nature truly is. What you see through your eyes sometimes cannot simply be completely captured by a camera. I always continue to find myself in awe when I go back and visit places that I’ve been to only once during a different time of year.

Looking up at one of the many rock faces in Staunton State Park, Colorado.

Elk Falls Overlook Area in Staunton State Park, Colorado.

Hiking through a burn scar area near Reynolds Park.

Overall, April proved to be an enjoyable month for hiking as spring is finally upon us with summer soon to follow.

Plenty more adventures to come!

March 2019 Review

Looking back on the month that was, March proved to be pretty typical. The weather wasn’t too bad aside from a big blizzard we got towards the middle of the month. With that being said, I did end up doing a decent amount of hiking.

Here’s a quick summary and a couple photos as well:

Bruin Bluff and Creekside Trails: 1.6 miles on March 7^th

Evergreen Mountain, Homestead and Mountain Muhly Trails: 8.26 miles on March 10^th

Bergen Peak Trail: 9 miles on March 21^st

Elk Meadow View Trail: 4 miles on March 27^th

Total March Hiking Mileage: 22.86 miles

Year to Date Hiking Mileage: 106.14 miles

View from the summit of Bergen Peak looking towards Mount Evans.

Splendid view from the Evergreen Mountain Trail.

With March 2019 in the books, April looks to be a promising month!

February 2019 Review

February definitely had its share of ups and downs. With snow falling on a consistent basis throughout the month, it proved to be somewhat difficult to get some good quality hiking done. Nonetheless, I still found a way to make it happen and explore nature and even have a close encounter with a group of Bighorn Sheep. Here’s a quick recap of what I was up to in February 2019 along with some of my best photos:

Waterton Canyon to Bear Creek on Colorado Trail: 17.5 Miles on February 10th

Bear Creek Trail: 12.1 Miles on February 16^th

Waterton Canyon: 6 Miles on February 17^th

Matthews/ Winters Park: 5.1 Miles on February 26th

Total February Hiking Mileage: 40.7 Miles

Year to Date Hiking Mileage: 83.28 Miles

My favorite photo of the month was my close up with these Bighorn Sheep!

Looking out at the surrounding forest from the Bear Creek trail.

A side view of Red Rocks Amphitheatre as seen from Matthews/ Winters Park.

The view from the top of the Morrison Slide trail in Matthews/ Winters Park.

While February felt like it was the longest 28 days ever, the month of March and the beginning of spring will hopefully bring more opportunities to get outside more to do some good quality hiking! However, I don’t want to be too optimistic considering the fact that both March and April are usually the snowiest months of the year in the Denver area. Regardless of whatever the weather conditions are, I’m looking forward to warmer weather and more exciting adventures ahead!

January 2019 Review

Going into 2019, I was excited about the possibility of a new beginning of sorts. Specifically, I wanted to focus more on living instead of just plainly existing and not making the most of everyday like I have in recent years. With that in the back of my mind, I made sure to get out and explore as much as I possibly could. This literally meant hiking from early in the morning to within a half hour of sunset in several instances. Nonetheless, it proved to be a great month to start off a great year! Here’s a quick recap of what I was up to as well as some of my best photographs:

Cheyenne Mountain State Park– 17.5 Miles on January 5th

Lory State Park– 6.08 Miles on January 12th

Green Mountain Park– 3.2 Miles on January 24th

Hall Ranch Open Space and Button Rock Preserve– 15.8 Miles on January 27th