Date: 1/12/2012
Who: Sammy and myself
Length: 2 miles
Time: 1 hour
Weather: 40 degrees
Palmer Park, located in the middle of Colorado Springs, is a great city park with plenty of trails and views of the front range. I had a few hours available this afternoon and took Sammy for a walk there. Oops, I stated the wrong date in the video–oh well.
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Date: 1/8/2012
Who: Sammy and myself
Length: 4 miles (2 out plus 2 back)
Time: 2 hours
Weather: 36 degrees, snowing
We got snow last night up in the mountains. I thought for today a road would be easier to follow than a trail. I picked this one off the map since it is a dead-end and therefore should have little traffic. We attempted a side trail up Gray Back Peak, but did not get far on that trail. We hiked from Old Stage Road to the gate of Emerald Valley Ranch, enjoyed the scenery, and identified some trails for future exploration.
This hike followed the BLUE line:
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Date: 1/7/2012
Who: Michelle, Sammy, and myself
Length: 5 miles (2.5 out plus 2.5 back)
Time: 3.75 hours
Weather: 30 degrees at start, 48 degrees at finish
We started near the US Hwy 24 bridge over Cañon Avenue in Manitou Springs. Then, walked along the old Cave of the Winds exit road into Williams Canyon. (We did visit the Cave of the Winds entrance to sign waivers, to respect private property.) The canyon is very narrow in some spots. It is a pretty hike in the Winter, but I imagine it is even prettier in the Summer when leaves are on the trees. One highlight today was the opportunity to try out our new Kahtoola micro spikes. Those things work great–no more fear of icy trails! At the fork in the trail, we took the left, connector trail over to Waldo Canyon. There’s a great view of Pikes Peak at the top.
Sammy’s fur got tangled with some kind of small, dried-up thistles or burrs. I don’t know what plant they came from. Michelle spent about 30 minutes getting them out of her fur.
After our hike, we stopped at Coquette’s Bistro and Bakery in Manitou for a savory crepe for lunch.
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