On Sunday, Ken and I hiked up
Mount Audubon, our first thirteener in Colorado, standing at 13,233'. Ken managed to get me up at 6am, we started the hike at 8:30am, and we summitted just before 11am. We were impressed with our speedy pace, and took some time to enjoy the views.
Click here to view some spectacular shots of Mount Audubon and the surrounding areas we saw on our hike.
Coming down, we saw the storm clouds head in, and we were lucky to make it back to the car just before it started to rain.
While it was a great hike with some fun rock scrambling, we feel it was just a tease. We'
re eager to start "bagging" some fourteeners and plan to start after I get back from my trip home. I'm headed to Southern California tomorrow to get in some much needed time with the family. Expect to see some pictures next week!
This past Sunday (July 13, 2008), Ken and I went hiking in the Indian Peaks Wilderness. After seeing the long line-up of cars trying to enter the scenic area, we decided to park below the fee station (a good 2.5m from the main parking lot) and walk in.
We made it to Brainard Lake, and after gazing at the surrounding thirteeners and fourteeners, we continued our hike to Long Lake (where I go
t about 15 mosquito bites), and then to Lake Isabel. We were blown away by the beauty of Lake Isabel and Isabel Glacier, and we couldn't resist making snowballs o
ut of the dirt speckled snow along the way.
Once at Lake Isabel, the snow fields were so inviting, we promptly got down to make (wet) snow angels. Hiking in, I warned Ken about
those snow banks and not to get too close to the water
, for fear the the snow/ice would break under his weight and take him into into the icy water. Well, hiking back, we noticed a huge
chunk of the ice had separated from the rest of the embankment, and both Ken and I took a sigh of relief that didn't happen earlier. (Although, I think Ken certainly triggered this.)
We really had a fabulous time... a great hike, great views, and the chance to be in shorts and a t-shirt (and a tank top) in July! Yes, my shoulders are pretty burnt and I have over 15
mosquito bites, but that was a small price to pay. After the 13+ mile hike at an elevation of 10,000+, we were relieved to see the "Leaving Brainard Lake Recreation Area" sign as we left the park and headed to our car.
About an hour later, we made it to one of our fav Mexican joints, Rincon del Sol, and were re-energized after two bowls of chips and salsa and a few glasses of water. We both took half of our dinner home in doggie bags and those left-overs made great meals last night.
Click here to see our pictures from the trip, and stay tuned for next week's adventure.
Mount Audubon, our first thirteener in Colorado, standing at 13,233'. Ken managed to get me up at 6am, we started the hike at 8:30am, and we summitted just before 11am. We were impressed with our speedy pace, and took some time to enjoy the views. 
While it was a great hike with some fun rock scrambling, we feel it was just a tease. We'
re eager to start "bagging" some fourteeners and plan to start after I get back from my trip home. I'm headed to Southern California tomorrow to get in some much needed time with the family. Expect to see some pictures next week!
