Category Archives: Hiking

Lake of the Clouds Trail

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Date: 3/31/2013
Who: Sammy and myself
Length: about 4 miles
Time: 2.5 hours
Weather: 35 degrees, sunny

I see the Sangre de Cristo mountain range almost every day, in the distance to the Southwest, during the walk from my car to the office building where I work. This Easter day, I decided to drive down there for a hike. It’s about a two-hour drive from Colorado Springs. I ended up spending much more time in the car, than on the trail. About 2 miles in, deep snow turned me back. My lesson learned was to not judge the trail conditions simply by what I see at the trailhead. Then, when I got back to the truck, the battery was dead and it would not start. Apparently, I had left one of the doors partly open! I had to wait about 2 more hours for another hiker to return, and then got a jump-start. What a frustrating day!

This hike followed the BLUE line (less than 1/2 way to the lakes):

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Cheyenne Canyon in Winter

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Date: 3/23/2013
Who: Michelle, Sammy and myself
Length: about 4 miles
Time: 2.5 hours
Weather: 20-25 degrees, snowy

We went for a early Spring hike, with Winter-like conditions, in Cheyenne Canyon. It was a good test of our Winter gear. Both of our water drinking tubes froze up about 1 hour in. I think the lesson learned there is to drink more often to prevent it from freezing up. Michelle’s legs and hands got cold toward the end. Otherwise, we were both comfortable and enjoyed the outing.

This hike followed the BLUE line, about 2/3 way to St. Mary’s Falls

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Austin Bluffs Open Space

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Date: 3/2/2013
Who: Sammy and myself
Length: about 5 miles
Time: 2.5 hours
Weather: 50-60 degrees, sunny

I have been struggling with a sprained right ankle and a weird pain in my left thigh. The right ankle is healing well, and I’m using a wrap/brace on it for extra support. The left leg is feeling better, with credit to a new chiropractor. Today I wanted to walk, but “take it easy”. I thought I would try Pulpit Rock Park again, because it was relatively easy. We did start in Pulpit Rock Park, but then proceeded into the adjacent Austin Bluffs Open Space and explored it all the way east to Academy Boulevard. The University Park and University Heights neighborhoods overlook the open space, with views west of Pikes Peak and the Front Range. They look like nice neighborhoods!

I tried out new trail shoes today–Saucony ProGrid Xodus 3.0. They were comfortable and provided good support. Samadhi enjoyed the trail, rolling around in the snow like usual.

This hike followed the RED line:

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