James Peak via St. Mary’s Glacier Trailhead: 13,312 ft

Distance: 8.60 miles (out and back; spurs, exploring)  Elevation Gain: 3,203 ft (total) 2,922 ft (net)  Max Elevation: 13,312 ft  Min. Elevation: 10,390 ft “Every mountain top is within reach if you just keep climbing.” Barry Finlay, “Kilimanjaro and Beyond” While we visited St. Mary’s Glacier in early Spring, it was surrounded and covered in many feet of  snow and difficult to

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Timberline Falls Via Loch Vale Trail: RMNP

Distance: 10.02 miles (lollipop; spurs) Elevation Gain: 1,563 ft (net) 2,981 ft (total) Max Elevation: 10,798 ft  Min. Elevation: 9,235 ft The weather predictions estimated a window of about 4 hours for which we would have a clear break from the pelting rain and thunderstorms that have blessed the region for the past several days. We set our alarms

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Ouzel Falls and Lake: Wild Basin

Distance: 11.13 miles (out-and-back; spurs) Elevation Gain: 1,702 ft  Max Elevation: 10,033 ft  Min. Elevation: 8,517 ft For our Fourth of July celebration, we thought what better way to celebrate than by exploring a little bit more of the country on foot. Thus, early on Independence Day morning we awoke from our cool mountain slumber at Estes’s Park Discovery

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Dinosaur Ridge and Dakota Ridge

Distance: 2.54 miles (out-and-back; spurs) Elevation Gain: 442 ft  Max Elevation: 5,963 ft  Min. Elevation: 6,366 ft This past weekend was a very rainy and thunderstorm filled weekend when Thomas’ mother came to visit us.  Since she’s an elementary school teacher we thought this was an ideal time to check out Dinosaur Ridge and the Dakota Ridge Hike.  The ‘hike’ is

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