Mags
07-29-2005, 11:45
Or what I did in Colorado by Paul Magnanti. :)
Numero One:
A full moon hike of Longs Peak. This 14er is almost always crowded as it is in Rocky Mountain National Park. Do it starting at midnight during a full moon, though, and there is no one! Woo hoo!
Simply awesome. Hiking under the stars, above treeline, with a full moon? Cool! Made for some interesting navigation challenges near the end..but oh so worth it. Seeing the sunrise over the plainsw with alpenglow. Gotta love it. Packed in a thermos and some coffee cake for everyone. A little breakfast at 14300'. :) Had the summit to ourselves for well over an hour. That NEVER happens on Longs Peak in July! What a memorable night!
Made it back down...have been up for 30+ hours. Was a bit tired! :)
Pics: http://gallery.backcountry.net/co05?&page=29
Numero Due:
A hike I have been wanting to do for a while is the Maroon Bells loop. This class loop goes over 4 mountain passes, is 26 miles and almost 8k elev gain. Normally a 3 day backpacking loop, I wanted to do it as a dayhike. :)
There were essentially 5 groups of us. 2 groups doing the classic loop of 26 miles. 1 group doing "bonus mileage" of 4 passes, 30 miles and ~10k elev gain (decided have to see an alpine lake!), a climbing group and a relaxer group. We all started at different times and ended at different times as well.
The scenery was by far the best I have ever seen in Colorado! The wildflowers were unbelievable.
Naturally my camera died a mere 1/2 hr into the trip. :( Waaah! Luckily my friends sent me some pics.
Anyway, it was a most awesome day. Some of the backpackers were a bit astounded when a few of us said we were doing this loop in a day. Suspect they thought we were crazy. They are probably correct. :D
In any case, one of my favorite hikes I have ever done. Want to do it again! Was just simply awesome.
Pics at:
http://gallery.backcountry.net/maroonbells05
Off to Target today to get a new camera... I miss taking pictures! :)
Numero One:
A full moon hike of Longs Peak. This 14er is almost always crowded as it is in Rocky Mountain National Park. Do it starting at midnight during a full moon, though, and there is no one! Woo hoo!
Simply awesome. Hiking under the stars, above treeline, with a full moon? Cool! Made for some interesting navigation challenges near the end..but oh so worth it. Seeing the sunrise over the plainsw with alpenglow. Gotta love it. Packed in a thermos and some coffee cake for everyone. A little breakfast at 14300'. :) Had the summit to ourselves for well over an hour. That NEVER happens on Longs Peak in July! What a memorable night!
Made it back down...have been up for 30+ hours. Was a bit tired! :)
Pics: http://gallery.backcountry.net/co05?&page=29
Numero Due:
A hike I have been wanting to do for a while is the Maroon Bells loop. This class loop goes over 4 mountain passes, is 26 miles and almost 8k elev gain. Normally a 3 day backpacking loop, I wanted to do it as a dayhike. :)
There were essentially 5 groups of us. 2 groups doing the classic loop of 26 miles. 1 group doing "bonus mileage" of 4 passes, 30 miles and ~10k elev gain (decided have to see an alpine lake!), a climbing group and a relaxer group. We all started at different times and ended at different times as well.
The scenery was by far the best I have ever seen in Colorado! The wildflowers were unbelievable.
Naturally my camera died a mere 1/2 hr into the trip. :( Waaah! Luckily my friends sent me some pics.
Anyway, it was a most awesome day. Some of the backpackers were a bit astounded when a few of us said we were doing this loop in a day. Suspect they thought we were crazy. They are probably correct. :D
In any case, one of my favorite hikes I have ever done. Want to do it again! Was just simply awesome.
Pics at:
http://gallery.backcountry.net/maroonbells05
Off to Target today to get a new camera... I miss taking pictures! :)