Day 403: Solo Hiking

     It had been a while since I had deliberately tried something new. Like, over an entire year. So today I decided to give it a go. To dig myself out of a routine rut, and try something new. And as I looked outside -in search of possibilities- the choice was obvious. It was a beautifully mild autumn day, and the mountains of Boulder looked too good to pass up.

This aint no phone camera

     The hike was peaceful. At times eerily quiet, except for the crew of workers who were repairing the trail. I tried my best to enjoy the hike and not just look forward to getting to the top (which I guess is a metaphor for life too). Stepping and breathing cautiously.

     I was under the impression that I had summited Chautauqua before during the initial resolution. But today I discovered that wasn't totally true. In fact the trail we had taken just five years before, zigzags much further up the face of the mountain. So I chose to see just how far it went. The view was incredible. I even ran into a fellow solo-hiker named David at the peak who offered to take my picture. Thanks David!

 A solid way to spend a Monday afternoon. Enjoy some pictures from the endeavor.

Woah Momma.

Day 194: Hike Chautauqua

     I've been working at my job (Target) in Boulder for about a month and a half now, and I can't help but think that I haven't been getting enough of the Boulder Experience. That's why I decided to pack up a couple of friends (Kalin and Mouse) to come along as I hiked Boulder's iconic mountain, Chautauqua.

Chautauqua is that giant flatiron mountain you see when you are driving into Boulder. Its the same one I stare at through the window at work when I'm bored.

So we drove out there for a beautiful day of climbing and hiking. The trail wasn't very difficult but it did seem to end shortly, so we decided to find our own path. We passed a group of rock climbers who were in the middle of scaling the ridiculously steep wall of the flatiron.

We stopped for a couple of scenic photo-ops and then just kinda hung out there for a while. The view from that spot was incredible. I could see all of Boulder and even the little spec that was Denver. I could see lakes and valleys and the roads that connected them.

 Soon after that, we headed back down the mountain so Kalin could eat lunch with her Grandma. The weather was beautiful and so was the view, today was a good day.

Look how steep that wall is!