My Colorado Travelings

[TripLeader]

August 2021

Part 19 [Hiking Down from Massive]

























Getting back to the parking lot at the trailhead was quite the bittersweet moment. We were down safely. We were tired. But we weren't done yet. We had almost a mile of hiking left. The road had been shut down for construction--or at least to park heavy machinery along the road. It was a 16.6 mile day.

 

[TripLeader]

August 2021

Part 20 [Elbert]

The next morning was another big day. Another start by headlamp.



Elbert was the first point to catch the sun.






Emerald Lake.















Hikers climbing up via a different trail.



The final leg and summit.

 

[TripLeader]

August 2021

Part 21 [14,433 Feet Above Sea Level]










The Elk Range to the west--the Maroon Bells.



More Elks--Snowmass and Capitol.



La Plata to the south (just left of center, with the patch of snow).

 

[TripLeader]

August 2021

Part 22 [Hiking Down from Elbert]










Our campsite was in one of the smaller clearings.



Twin Lakes and the Elbert Forebay.



Back near the trailhead.



We made it back to camp after a 12 mile roundtrip.

 

[plainjaneFJC]

Why the blurred faces?

 

[TripLeader]

Why the blurred faces?

Nobody would hold still for their photo.

But seriously, I decided a while back to not put any more faces out on the internet.

Oops, looks like I missed one.

 

[plainjaneFJC]

Thought maybe you were special forces or cia, etc. lol

 

[TripLeader]

August 2021

Part 23 [Missouri Gulch]



















The long ridge of Missouri Mountain in the sunlight.



We took the fork toward Missouri Mountain.

 

[TripLeader]

August 2021

Part 23 [Continuing up Missouri]

A recent rockslide had re-routed a stream into the trail.

 

[TripLeader]

August 2021

Part 24 [Still Ascending Missouri Mountain]

 

[TripLeader]

August 2021

Part 25 [Summiting Missouri]

 

[Chris in TX]

View attachment 700793

This right here, this is how I hike. Fat, sleepy, and chillin' on a rock in the sun while people go past me

 

[TripLeader]

August 2021

Part 26 [Descension from 14,067]

 

[TripLeader]

August 2021

Part 27 [Re-Passage to Missouri Gulch]
















I really feel this photo shows the fatigue and awe from coming down a 14er.

 

[TripLeader]

August 2021

Part 28 [Epilogue--Reflections from a Bridge]

Five summers earlier, my friends and I had started our annual 14ers trip right here at Missouri Gulch. It had been a tremendously long slog. It was their first time hiking in the mountains. We had hiked Belford and Oxford during that maiden hike. We came to the bridge by the trailhead at the end of that 12 hour marathon.

Now we were at that same bridge again. Once again on the way out from a long day. One of my friends stopped at the bridge and pondered memories from our Colorado trips.


And that was it. We went and celebrated with a shower and dinner.

Thanks for reading.

Same time next year.