Monday, July 8, 2013

What does it look like from the top of a fourteener?

I finally did a fourteener.  This past week I climbed to the top of Mount Massive from the North Halfmoon trail head.  This is the shorter but steeper route to the top.  The people in my group who have gone the other way said this side was much more interesting.  I'll have to agree since we had amazing views, tons of wild flowers, and many, many marmot sightings.
We left the house at around 4:30 am and began hiking at 6:40 am to beat any bad afternoon weather.  The sun was just starting to shine on the far mountains.
There were a couple of water crossings on the way up and down. 
We reached the top at 9:59 am.

Besides the views from the top 


(views of Leadville)


the marmot convention that was happening on the way down was by far the most interesting part of the hike. These guys reminded me of the ground hog in Caddyshack. They just didn't seem real.









Wildflowers were everywhere and you had lots of time to take pictures as you were gulping for air.
Columbine
 Chiming Bells

 Sky Pilot
 Columbine

 Indian Paint Brush
 Purple Fringe Flower
 Indian Paintbrush and Purple Fringe Flower

 King's Crown




 Forget Me Not
 Aster
Columbine



Hike: Mount Massive
Trails Used:  Trail from North Halfmoon Trailhead
Distance: 8.05 miles
Difficulty: Difficult
Overall average: 1.3 mph
Overall Time: 6 hrs, 5 min
Total Ascent: 3887 ft.







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