Posted by Jason Hussong on Thursday, September 22, 2011,
Stradling the border between Colorado and Utah, Dinosaur National Monument sits on the far western - or eastern, depending on your perspective - side of the state. It is for this reason that I had not traveled there - the drive from Denver was just too long. But this past week I finally made the park I coveted for so long,  getting a behind-the-scenes tour of the new visitor center and museum before Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar attends the grand opening on Tuesd... Continue reading ...
Posted by Jason Hussong on Monday, August 29, 2011,
I ran for the cover under the tall lodgepole pine trees. Rain was falling in large, fat droplets at Rocky Mountain National Park's Dream Lake and I wanted nothing to do with it; I wasn't prepared with a jacket or even a cap. But I knew, as someone who was taking cover with me joked, that the weather in the park would change in fifteen minutes if I didn't like it. And I hoped it changed soon, since I was nearing the end of my hike with a friend and ravenousl  y hungry. I sta... Continue reading ...
Posted by Jason Hussong on Monday, July 18, 2011,
My legs shook like trees in the wind as I stopped to take a picture of a stream that ran through the forest on the east side of Mount Elbert, the tallest peak in all of the Rocky Mountains. I paused to rest for a moment - wondering if a few more trips to the gym would have really helped the situation - and covered for my weakness by taking a quick  photo. I needed the break more than the memories, if I was going to skip across three stones in the water to continue back down to the t... Continue reading ...
Posted by Jason Hussong on Monday, May 9, 2011,
I ended the week feeling demoralized. I thought I had worked hard, but apparently it wasn't enough, because I struggled climbing a hill only 8,000 feet above sea level, Sure, to a low-lander that may sound like a veritable mountain, but in Colorado it only constitutes a hill. I now can tell that I'm not only going to need to spend my time in the gym better, but also purchase some more tools to help me along the way. 
The week began with a false start. I drove up the scenic Poudre Canyon t... Continue reading ...
Posted by Jason Hussong on Monday, April 25, 2011,
There are fifty-three mountain peaks in Colorado that climb over 14,000 feet into the sky from sea level. That number can be disputed to one side or the other based on certain measurements, but fifty-three, all of which have a 300 foot peak prominence, is a fairly accepted number. Climbing these mountains, some in record times and ways, is a hobby of many Coloradans. For me, they've always been a thing best admired from the bottom.
Well, that is until now.
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Posted by Jason Hussong on Thursday, December 2, 2010,
Sundays during the fall are normally days I reserve for one thing and one thing only: football. On this particular Sunday, though, I was making an exception. When I went to bed Saturday night, content after my hike at the Lair o' the Bear, I anticipated having some reservations about this the next morning, but my determination had not faded when the sun rose - or, more appropriately for when I tend to wake up, when the sun was at its zenith. I had a great hike at the Dawson Butte...
Posted by Jason Hussong on Tuesday, November 30, 2010,
Unlike most other Americans, I did not spend the Thanksgiving holiday holding hands around the table with family, nor did I spend it passed out on the couch with football flickering on the television. I was one of the minority who had to work on those days. Granted, it was a shorter work day, but I was there nonetheless. The one good thing about it, since I missed having a g  reat feast with friends, was that the company provided a huge turkey dinner for everyone. And of course, be...
Posted by Jason Hussong on Thursday, November 4, 2010,
The weather has been abnormally warm for Colorado at the end of October and the beginning of November. As such, I've been trying to catch up on as much hiking as possible since I was off to so many places this summer that I  missed my time out on the trails. To help me on my quest, I picked up a copy of Hiking Colorado by Falcon Guide so I could get some ideas; there are a lot of free hiking trails in Colorado, I just don't know them. I thumbed through the book and I pretty quickly...
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Posted by Jason Hussong on Tuesday, November 2, 2010,
After a long drive, it was still relatively early in the morning at the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. I was entertaining guests from London, England two-and-a-half years ago, and they wanted to see something scenic in Colorado. So, since I had taken them to Rocky Mountain National Park on a previous trip, this time I took them south from Denver toward Alamosa. I had never seen the Sand Dunes before, but it was high up on my list. So I, too, was excited to ge...
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Posted by Jason Hussong on Monday, October 25, 2010,
It was a beautiful, sunny day, and it seemed foolish not to go out and enjoy it. I've been wanting to get out on a hike again before the season ended, so I gladly seized the opportunity to do so before the snow falls. I had solicited for some suggestions on  Twitter, and a virtual friend came forward with an excellent idea. I took her suggestion and headed out on the bright afternoon to enjoy a few last moments on the trails before winter. But before I even made it to the trailhead, I fo...
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Posted by Jason Hussong on Monday, October 11, 2010,
I was craving a bit of outdoor recreation for quite some time; it had been months since my last hike up in the Rocky Mountains. Traveling to Rwanda and New York has kept me in between trips to finish my book, but finally time has started to open up a bit for me. Of course, it helps when I take a day off from work as well. I did so for the specific reason of heading back up to hike in Boulder's Chautauqua Park. Since I hiked to the Royal Arch on my last trip there, I wanted to go around t...
Posted by Jason Hussong on Thursday, July 1, 2010,
It was getting late in the season, despite some snow on the ground in pockets along trails, and I hadn't been out for a good, solid hike yet. I was so busy running around to New York and Rwanda that I've missed out, in a manner of speaking, on some opportunities to explore my own  backyard. But, after all the other traveling I've done, I could hardly afford another annual national or state park's pass to get me on the trails. So, since I really needed to get out, I sent a note out on Twitter... Continue reading ...
Posted by Jason Hussong on Wednesday, May 26, 2010,
 In the nearly ten years I've lived in Colorado I've tried to make it to the southwest portion of the state. But, that distance is actually quite a long trip. For people who live in smaller states ou  t east who possibly don't understand how long the drive is, it takes nearly seven hours to get down there from Denver - that's about the same as if you drove from Boston to Baltimore. Thankfully I was coming from the west on my road trip back to Denver.
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Posted by Jason Hussong on Sunday, March 28, 2010,
My adventures to and from Las Vegas for my birthday took me to a great many interesting and wonderful places. I've been considering how I should write about it all as I saw and did so many things that it's really quite impossible to put it down in one post unless I want it to be the length of a book. And, as a matter of fact, many volumes of books have been written about where I've gone, combined and singularly, that I think it really is only fair to each place, as well as to the reader, to t... Continue reading ...
Posted by Jason Hussong on Friday, March 5, 2010,
I read a newspaper article in the last year or so that talked about St. Vrain State Park and how someone saw a moose there. I knew that my chances were next to nil to spot one, but I was intrigued nonetheless to check the place out. After all, I had drived by it so many times on Interestate 25 that I figured I o  ught to stop in for a visit, even if for a brief period of time. Before going I printed out some online directions and information about the trails in the park. To put it bluntly,...
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Posted by Jason Hussong on Tuesday, November 17, 2009,
I had no idea the general public was ever allowed on the Air Force Academy grounds. I guess I just always assumed it was a closed and secured facility for the cadets and instructors alone. Of  course, naturally, I always wondered how folks were allowed on the grounds for the different hockey and football games, but actually didn't give it a whole ton of thought. Then the place opened up to me with an end-of-the-season hike with Kory Kilmer. The AFA is nestled into the hills just north of ...
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Posted by Jason Hussong on Sunday, November 1, 2009,
There are a handful of places that I seem to visit each year in Colorado, whether it be by choice or chance. It's almost as if I'm drawn to them as their beauty eclipses any other lovely spot in this great state. One of the places that I drop in on annually, if not more, is the Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs. 
The family of Charles Elliot Perkins, head of the Burlington Railroad, donated the land to the city of Colorado Springs upon his death in the early 1900s. Initially Perkin...
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Posted by Jason Hussong on Friday, September 11, 2009,
As the summer wanes I'm making every attempt to get out and see the beauty of Colorado. I want to take up snowshoeing this winter, but since that scenery is different, I want to take in as much as I can now. As such, Golden Gate Canyon State Park seemed like an ideal place to venture  for a day since it's close to Denver, yet far enough up in the hills to feel as though I've gotten away. I trekked several miles and ultimately found myself disappointed though; while there are a lot of beau...
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Posted by Jason Hussong on Wednesday, August 19, 2009,
I've done more than my fair share of stupid things in my life. And after going up Mount Evans, one of the notable 14ers of Colorado, in only a t-shirt, you can certainly add another to that ever growing list.
When I left home in the morning for a day of nice, leisurely hikes, the thought crossed my mind that I should be wearing jeans and that I should bring a coat along as well. After all, it only makes sense when you're going over 14,000 feet in elevation. But, for a reason that escapes ...
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Posted by Jason Hussong on Tuesday, August 18, 2009,
Idaho Springs is best known for such places as Tommyknocker Brewery and BeauJo's Pizza. A short drive north from town though, along I70 and Fall River Road, sits the St. Mary's Glacier; a beautiful trail and lake where time is well spent.  The trail up to the lake and glacier seems to be more suitable for an ATV due to the rocky n  ature of the path, but it is primarily, and easily, used by hikers. And it may seem difficult at first, going up at a steep grade from about 10,300 feet in elevation... Continue reading ...
Posted by Jason Hussong on Tuesday, August 18, 2009,
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Posted by Jason Hussong on Tuesday, August 18, 2009,
The Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Area is a refuge in the middle of Denver that offers opportunities for hiking, wildlife viewing and catch-and-release fishing. But, only a small part of it is available for exploring at the present time; most of the site is still being restored to  how it looked before the middle of the 20th century when the Plains Indians inhabited the land or it was used for pioneer farming.
In 1942 the U.S. Army started producing mustard gas, and later ner...
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Posted by Jason Hussong on Tuesday, August 18, 2009,
Since I moved to Colorado nine years ago, almost to the day, I've wanted to drive Trail Ridge Road, the highest continual road in the country at a maximum elevation of 12,183 feet. And finally, today, I did just that. It was a long day with a lot of driving, but the views on Trail Ridge Road and the hikes we went on in Rocky Mountain National Park made up for all of the time in the car, much of which was  raining anyway. We were sprinkled on a bit at the end of our first hike to Albert...
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Posted by Jason Hussong on Tuesday, August 18, 2009,
With the Cherry Creek running through it, Castlewood Canyon sits just south of Franktown, Colorado, a distant suburb of Denver. And while it's possible to hike from one end of the canyon to the other, the park is split into two separte areas, east and west, with their own entrances. I found the views along the trails quite nice, especially as I decended into the canyon. The well kept paths were over large rocks many times, which I found I quite enjoyed. I loved the feeling of walking of...
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Posted by Jason Hussong on Tuesday, August 18, 2009,
My only disappointment is that we only had a limited period of time to visit the dozens of interconnecting trails in the park. I really wish my friend and I had more time to see more of the park. But, in order to do that properly, I think it would've required a...
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Posted by Jason Hussong on Tuesday, August 18, 2009,
I've lived in Colorado for nine years and just today finally went to see the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument. I've been wanting to go for so long, but just never really took the time to do so until now. I picked up a friend early this morning and we made the two hour drive, which was only due to  the morning rush hour traffic, to the park, which sits just a few minutes drive south of the small town of Florissant, Colorado. Besides a handful of petrified tree stumps, there's n...
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Posted by Jason Hussong on Tuesday, August 18, 2009,
 I've lived in the Denver metropolitan area for nine years and had not set foot in Cherry Creek State Park until today.
 The park, which is popular with water sports enthusiasts, hikers and bikers, sits right in the middle of the greater metro area, and I've drive by it tons of times, but it's always been a bit elusive for me.
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Posted by Jason Hussong on Tuesday, August 18, 2009,
I'm going to make it a point to get back up to Eldorado Canyon State Park this summer to do  another couple of hikes. I was there just this past week with a friend and a visiting journalist from Germany to do a hike and I really enjoyed it. But one hike in there seemed to be just the tip of the iceberg. The road in the canyon went back so far that I know there were several other trails in there to go on. And really, we never even totally finished the trail we were on to a Continental Divide over... Continue reading ...
Posted by Jason Hussong on Tuesday, August 18, 2009,
This past week the Rocky Mountain News ran a special section on good spots to see Colorado's golden Aspen trees by driving, hiking and biking. I was interested in getting out to see the colors already, so this was all the extra incentive I needed. I had never driven on the Peak-to-Peak Highway (Colorado Highway 119) outside of Blackhawk, but had done it from Lyons to Estes Park before. So, seeing as this was uncharted territory for me, I figured I'd take the day to drive the part I hadn't ...
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Posted by Jason Hussong on Tuesday, August 18, 2009,
When I woke up Thursday morning I had an extreme itch to get out of town and see a bit of nature. I had been interested in seeing The Black Canyon of the Gunnison for a while so I decided to head southwest. The Black Canyon is about a four hour drive southwest of Denver and sits just in between the towns of Gunnison and Montrose, Colorado.
So, after a quick shower, I through some things in a bag and hit the road. And as I was driving along U.S. Highway 285 out of town, I realized that...
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