Mount Sanitas and Sanitas Valley Loop Hike

This morning Noelle, Sierra and I packed our suitcases and headed south into Colorado for three days of hiking and adventure. After getting delayed by an accident on I-25 and lunch at Five Guys in Longmont, we headed over to Boulder and the first of our hikes, the 3.1 mile loop hike of Mount Sanitas. We parked at the trailhead on Sunshine Canyon Road and hit the trail, immediately starting our climb.

The trail quickly attained a ridge, and we followed this ridge for most of the beginning portion of our hike. There were lots of great views, both over the city of Boulder, and west to the higher mountains. We stopped frequently to enjoy the view and catch our breath. 

There were also views back towards the Flatirons and Green Mountain.

Slowly, but surely, we attained the summit of Mount Sanitas, gaining about 1,250 feet in the process. We relaxed at the summit for a bit.

Then, it was time to descend via the steep East Ridge and then down to the Sanitas Valley Trail. As we made our way down, the sun went behind the mountains and it got cool out. 

We arrived back at the car for the drive to our hotel in Westminster. 

Gilbert-Baker Wildlife Management Area

 I've got some use or lose leave that I need to take and so I had the day off today. I decided to get out for a bit of hike today and to take Rosie along with me. I wanted to explore a new area, but I didn't want to drive too far. I opted to head north to Harrison, NE and see if I could find the Devil's Den, a surprisingly deep and narrow canyon in the Gilbert-Baker Wildlife Management Area. 

It was an uneventful drive past Agate Fossil Beds and through seemingly endless grasslands to Harrison. Just north of town we finally entered the ponderosa pines. I parked at a parking area with a pit toilet and after using the facilities, Rosie and I hit the trail. Almost immediately we crossed a ravine with a stream flowing through it and large trees growing along the banks.

Then, we crossed a dry ravine and headed through a meadow,

before climbing a ridge to awesome views of the surrounding Pine Ridge 

and plains down below.

We descended off the ridge and then made our way down to a logging road below.

We followed the road for a while and then made a left turn into a pretty deep canyon. The canyon was choked with downed trees and vegetation and made for some pretty slow travel. Eventually, Rosie and I climbed out of the canyon and took a break just above.

The views from our break spot were pretty nice. 

Soon, we found another road, which we followed to a gate. We then followed the fence line, inside the public lands to a few ridges that offered wonderful views of the surrounding landscape.

We even followed one ridge out to a small natural arch.

Until this point, we hadn't had any luck finding Devil's Den. I pulled out my phone and was surprised to find that I had cell service and so I opened up All Trails and used it to navigate towards where I figured the canyon would be. This method worked, and soon we found ourselves just above the canyon. 

It was a steep climb to get into it though. After slowly making our way about halfway down, Rosie refused to go any further. I opted to head back to the car at this point. Because I had found the road on the way in, we followed that most of the way back through areas where forest thinning operations had taken place.

Soon, we were back to the car for the drive home. I fully expect to head back to this area soon, and climb down into the canyon.

Roosevelt National Forest: Molly Lake Hike

After cutting down our Christmas tree, Noelle, Sierra and I decided to take advantage of the beautiful December weather and go for a short hike. We drove towards Red Feather Lakes and turned off at the trailhead for the Granite Ridge Trail for the short hike to Molly Lake. 

After using the restroom at the trailhead, we hit the trail, really just a wide, gravel road.

The trail didn't have much in the way of ascents or descents. It just wound through the woods and open areas of this beautiful section of Northern Colorado.

There were intermittent views of the surrounding mountains,

and scattered rock formations that reminded us of those found in Vedauwoo to the north in Wyoming.

In what seemed like no time at all, we reached the turn off for Molly Lake.

It was a short walk down to the lake itself where we explored, rested a bit and took some photos.

Then, we retraced our route back to the car, enjoying the warm weather, easy walking and beautiful scenery.

The Grunwald's Christmas Tree Adventure 2021

After enjoying some Christmas lights and a delicious dinner at The Post in Fort Collins, we got a night of restful sleep and headed out for today's adventure. After a short stop at Twin Silo Park for some playing, we headed into the mountains along the Poudre River. We drove west to the town of Rustic, then headed north on County Road 69 to one of the two recommended tree harvesting areas in the Canyon Lakes District of the Roosevelt National Forest. We ended up parking along Swamp Creek Road and hiking into the forest on the closed road.  

There weren't any spruces in the area. It was all ponderosa pines. Still, after a little snooping around we found a few potential trees. We settled on this beauty.

I cut her down.

Then, I dragged it back to the car where Noelle and I used our tie-downs to affix it to the roof for the long drive home. 

I think we got a real gem of a tree this year!

Mariana Butte and Oxbow Natural Area in Loveland, Colorado

This morning, Noelle, Sierra, Rosie and I made the drive south into Loveland, Colorado to look at some Christmas lights and cut down our Christmas tree. Our first stop upon arriving in town, a short hike on the Hidden Hogback Trail and up Mariana Butte. We drove through town and parked at the trailhead for the Hidden Hogback Trail and the Oxbow Natural Area. The trail started by bypassing a section of the Mariana Butte golf course and then headed up a ridge.

The trail continued through sections of the golf course 

with a few overlooks of Loveland and the mountains to the west. When we reached the Mariana Butte loop, we decided to hike it clockwise. It started by descending close to a neighborhood, before ascending 

up to the summit of the butte. Along the way was a humorous sign, encouraging hikers to stay on the trail.

Once we reached the summit, we relaxed for a bit and took some photos.

Once we had our fill of the views and rested for a bit, we returned to the trailhead by completing the loop and heading back on the Hidden Hogback Trail.

After lunch, and a beer at nearby Berthoud Brewing,

we felt like another short hike before we headed to Chapungu Sculpture Park for Winter Wonderlights. We decided to hike the Oxbow Nature Trai. Upon parking at the trailhead, we immediately noticed some elk grazing in a field there.

We watched one of the elk make his way over towards the Big Thompson River.

Then, we noticed another elk in the river.

Listening, we could hear elk making their weird elk whines all around us. A short walk over towards the golf course and we saw what appeared to be close to 100 elk on one of the fairways. They were just everywhere!

After observing them for a bit, it was starting to get dark. It was time to head east to check out some Christmas lights!