I just spent a week in Colorado, hiking in the Rockies with Lynne, in preparation for our upcoming trek in the Alps with two other friends. Coming from sea-level, the air was thin at 9000’ in Fraser Valley, a few hours northwest of Denver, and even thinner on our hikes above tree-line.

July 2 – Getting There

I flew to Denver, arriving in early afternoon. Lynne drove down to pick me up at the airport. It usually takes less than two hours to get to her family condo, but apparently a lot of people decided that Sunday was a good day to head out of town for the 4^th of July, so it took almost an hour longer. This gave us plenty of time to chat. I was entertained by her story of her drive to Colorado via Oregon with her father, Jim, son, Tim, and cat, Lily. Needless to say, Lily was not happy about the idea. She nearly got lost and caused an unpleasant aroma along the way.

July 3 – Fraser Valley

Lynne’s dad had a sore tooth, so she called around and found an emergency dentist open on the Monday before a holiday. Tim agreed to drive his grandfather down to Denver, while Lynne and I stayed behind. Initially planning a four-mile walk for my first day at altitude, we ended up taking a 9-mile round-trip hike to Winter Park after discovering a set of trails near the condo. We stopped for lunch and a beer on our way back. Her father and Tim arrived hours later. Her dad’s problems turned out to be much more extensive than anticipated and he suffered for three hours in a dental chair.

July 4 – Cascade Falls

We dropped Lynne’s father off at her brother Jed’s place near Grand Lake, just to the southeast of Rocky Mountain National Park. We then spent much of the day hiking to nearby Cascade Falls, a 9-miles round trip. It was beautiful. We ate lunch at the top of the falls – apple slices with smoked gouda, olives, deli slices and Mary’s Gone Crackers – yum!

It started to drizzle on our way down and we heard thunder behind us, so I put away my camera, we put on our pack covers, and covered the last couple miles pretty quickly. We reached the trailhead in mid-afternoon with just enough time to drive back to Fraser, take a quick shower, and head back to Jed and Mia’s place with Tim, for a barbeque. After our tasty, filling meal, we enjoyed sitting outside watching the sunset.

July 5 – Rest Day

We had been planning to head up to Rocky Mountain National Park, but her dad wasn’t feeling well, so we enjoyed a welcome rest day. We went out to lunch, stopped at a couple stores, and I started sorting pictures. I also fixed my signature meal – Chicken Marbella and mashed sweet potatoes. It was appreciated by all and I packed up some for lunch the next day.

July 6 – Berthoud Pass

Tim dropped us off early at Berthoud Pass ,11’300’, and we headed uphill, breathing heavily. We had Lynne’s father’s pulse oximeter with us and at the top of the 1000’ climb up to the ridge my oxygen level dropped to 75%! A couple breathes from a small oxygen tank, which Lynne bought at the supermarket, and it bounced up into the 90’s, at least temporarily. It was lower than that most of the day. I hope my body is busy making red blood cells so I can breathe more easily in Switzerland.

We hiked through the tundra along the rolling ridge for hours, admiring the views. Colorado had a mild winter so there was less snow than usual on the peaks. (We more than made up for their moisture loss in California, with record rainfall that broke our 5-year drought). Seeking an alternate route to the one we took a couple years ago, our 8-mile hike grew to 13 miles; in the end, we backtracked and went down the initial route. My feet developed a couple tender spots. I got one taped, before we felt raindrops. Since we were still above treeline, I skipped taping other, leading to a blister.

When we got down to the Zephyr chairlift, it was not running due to thunder warnings. Fortunately, a shuttle bus arrived just as we did and we got a free, dusty ride down to the bottom. Exhausted, we called Tim for a ride rather than take a bus back to the condo. After a shower and brief rest, we went out to eat with her father. We shared a pizza and Greek salad at an outdoor patio. Our veggie pizza with basil white sauce on a thin crust was very good.

July 7 – Mount Evans

Lynne drove us up to the top of Mount Evans on the highest paved road in the United States. At 14,265’ (4,348 meters), Evans is only the 12^th highest peak in Colorado. Her father waited in the car while Lynne and I climbed the last few hundred feet to the top, head pounding. The views were stunning. Given the gathering clouds, it was surprisingly sunny, warm, and calm at the top. On our way back to the car, it suddenly became cloudy, cold, and windy, and hail began to fall. On our drive back down the mountain, with windshield wipers swishing off sleet, we spotted both Bighorn Sheep and Mountain Goats. Nice. Back in Fraser, we all took naps to the sound of thunder, then woke up to sunshine. I looked for, but didn’t see a rainbow. Jim took us out for dinner. Thank you both for a great visit!

July 8 – Home

Lynne drove me down to the airport and I bid farewell to her and her father. They are spending the night in Denver, visiting old friends from when they lived here. My flight was on time and went smoothly. I entertained myself taking pictures of clouds and starting this blog entry. The cats greeted me when I walked in the door. I unpacked my bags, then repacked my backpack, ready for another hike.