Showing Tag: "mountain" (Show all posts)

From Estes Park to Denver

Posted by Jason Hussong on Friday, February 18, 2011,
I didn't want to leave Estes Park after my ghost tour at the Stanley. Instead, I wanted to spend a couple of nights in the hotel, preferably in the infamous Room 217, enjoying a spa treatment, some fine dining, and even a psychic reading around days spent snowshoeing in nearby Rocky Mountain National Park. But, sadly, none of that was meant to be. The three of us were on a schedule, since we had dinner reservations at one of the best restaurants in Denver.

We drove t...

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Pikes Peak & America the Beautiful

Posted by Jason Hussong on Wednesday, August 18, 2010,
O beautiful for spacious skies,

It was a beautiful day as I drove up Pikes Peak with my friends Brian and Keith. The two are brothers that I've known since my college days at the University of Minnesota. They were out visiting for the weekend and wanted to go to Colorado Springs to travel to the top of one of the most famous peaks in the world. They didn't know the history of discovery behind the mountain, but were familiar with the song by Katharine Lee Bates that made it famous.

For amber...

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Mount Evans in a T-Shirt

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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St. Mary's Glacier

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 nature 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...

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Driving the Trail Ridge

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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Rocky Mountain National Park Snowshoeing

Posted by Jason Hussong on Tuesday, August 18, 2009,
I finally went snowshoeing, something that I had been wanting to do for the last several years I've lived in Colorado.

It was a difficult trek, taking us to about 10,000 feet about sea level, to Mills Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park. But, once there, the view did not disappoint.

Mike, our guide, was Mr. Colorado in 1977 and seemed to have not lost a step since he held his title. He was in excellent shape and trudged ahead of us, leading the way, with such enthusiasm that we were unable to ...
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Aspen Hunting

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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