A Little Hiking, A Little Biking & Some Big Fish

Frisco, Colorado
Prospector National Forest

A bright, sunny day made for some great hiking.  We started out in a Nature Area along a small stream.  The flowers were out along with the sun.  Problem was, so were the mosquitos!  They were so bad they were covering Hurley.  We only got about 1 mile and decided to try a different trail.

 

 

Hurley leads the way and as soon as he hears water, he's in it!

Some hungry bug has enjoyed this flower.

 

Dillon Reservoir has a few campgrounds around it.  We chose Prospector this time.  Our loop was the furthest from the water, but nearer the bluffs for hiking.  We barley fit in the spot, but it would have to do.  It was a strange angle and it took several tries to get in the narrow spot.

Off Hurley and I went to hike the bluffs behind the campground.

Hurley at the top of the bluffs.  I called Steve and told him to come out of the trailer and look up at the top of the bluffs and wave to us.

 

Here's the view of the campground viewed from above.

 

That's our rig in the center.

 

We drove into the town of  Breckenridge and did a short hike called "The Steps".  Straight up and very steep.  Interesting little hike with a view of Breck, as the locals call it, below.

 

View of Breck below.

 

 

Afterwards we went back down into town and checked out the specials at the Breckenridge Distillery.

 

 

These kids were having fun with the giant Jenga blocks.

 

Their little food trailer was making some delicious snacks.

 

Avocado, shrimp, spicy aioli and cilantro on grilled bread to go with my Bloody Mary.  YUMM!

Later in the week we went back to Breck to ride their great bike trail which runs along the Blue River.  It goes from one end of town to the other connecting to many other trails.

  

The trail runs through the heart of the town where you can go to all the stores and eateries.  They really put a lot in this small town.  The community center has a nice skateboarding park with soccer/ball fields next to it.  Flowers and sculptures of every type along the way.

At the other end of town where things are quieter there is a community garden for everyone to enjoy.

There are bridges and the river runs through several parts of town with shops and businesses built around it.  There is a section you and Rover are allowed to sit in the river among the boulders to cool off.  A little amphitheater has many performers and street musicians to listen to while you have an ice cream or coffee. 

 

 

We were just saying how we were thirsty and wanted to take a little break at the end of the day.  That's when we spotted Cecilias.  2 for 1 martinis.  Sure. Sounds good!

 

That's Cecilia in the picture.

We had so much fun we thought it would be great to spend a few days in Breckenridge rather than going straight over to Nathrop.  We heard the fishing was finally picking up.  There was only one large RV park, which we don't care for so we weren't sure where we'd stay.  There was no camping in the steep national forest that we could get our large RV in.  Steve then spotted what looked like a couple of RVs in a huge dirt lot next to the river.  We checked it out on our bikes and it looks like what will eventually be more winter ski parking.  There are signs that state you can park overnight and leave trailers and RVs, BUT, you could not sleep in them or "camp".  Well, we figured as out of the way and quiet as this area was, we'd take our chances.  If they asked us to leave, we'd head out.  There were only a few cars and RVs parked around the huge lot.  We asked a guy picking up his trailer about the lot.  He said no one seems to care if you sleep in your rig if you're quiet and don't stay too long.  Our days were so busy, by time we got back to the trailer from hiking or riding, we ate something and then just went to bed.  Total Stealth mode!  We didn't put the slides out or use the lights once it got dark.  We disconnected the truck and parked near a couple of other RVs to blend in.  We did notice others doing the exact same thing so we figured we'd be good for the weekend. 

 

Since it was Friday, Steve was working.  Hmmm, what do I want to do?

F I S H  of course!!

I couldn't wait to get over to the river.  First cast with my gold spinner and....

Oh Ya!  I sent this picture in a text to Steve and my brother!

 

Gorgeous stretches with deep pools and little falls.  Easy to walk and fish.

SECOND CAST!  I'm on a roll!

 

 

I lost count of the fish I caught.  Most 2 - 4 lbs.  The rules are lures and catch and release only.

 

I was feeling just a tad guilty so I went back to the trailer to see if Steve was done for the day.  I knew he was dying to get out there too.

Steve had a death grip on this guy as he was flopping all around and refused to hold still for a picture.  The fishing for the next few days was great!  Best and biggest we've caught so far.  We didn't want to push our luck and overstay so we decided it was best to move on and get over to Nathrop.

Thanks Frisco and Breckenridge!!  What blast we had!!

 

Bagging our first 14er - CHECK!

Frisco, Colorado
Prospector Campground - NF


Finally.  Our day has come.  We've been in Colorado now since April and we've been slowly adjusting to the altitude.  We have done many short hikes and then lengthened them over the weeks adding altitude as we went.  10,000, 11,000, 12, and up to 13,000 feet elevation.  Whew!  Not easy.  While we still felt winded almost every time, it did get a little easier.

We have great weather forecasted and we should not have to turn back due to thunderstorms which can move in quickly.  Nothing but blue skies this early in the morning.

Sawtooth Peak is to the left and the summit of Mt. Bierstadt to the right.

 

There won't be many words to this.  Just some pictures.  Here are some stats though:

Mt. Beirstadt is a Class 2 hike.

The trailhead starts at 11,669 ft. of elevation.

The Summit is 14,065 ft. elevation.

The gain is 2855 ft. of elevation.

Total hike is 7 miles.

 

We're up at 5am with an hour drive to get to the trailhead.  We start our hike at 7am.

You hike down into the marsh and over boardwalks before the creek and the climb starts.

Traffic jam getting over the creek as there is no bridge, just a few rocks.  No one wants to get their hiking boots wet right off the bat.  Some people did fall in.  Not us.

You climb for a while through the willows.

Once you climb above the willows the trail never lets up.  It's all steep from here.

 

 We luck out that it is peak wildflower season on the slopes.  Words can't describe it.  Just gorgeous!

 

The sun rising over the ridge as we hike up.

This little guy was having no problems.

Marsh view down below.

Climbing up the grassy upper meadows.  We had to hike on the weekend as Steve works during the week.  Unfortunately, this leads to more people on the trail during the weekends.

Taking a breather.

Sawtooth in the distance.

Steve's turn to catch his breath.

As I'm huffing and puffing and only 1/2 way up, I find my self wondering if you can hike Sawtooth?

Of course it just keeps getting steeper.  So far, no problems with Altitude Sickness like I had trying to summit Mt. Humphreys in Arizona earlier this year (just over 13K).  Here's the post for that hike if you want a refresher.  We made sure to drink a lot, take ibuprofen along the way and use protein gels.

The weather would go back and forth from cold to hot, breezy to very windy depending on where on the slope we were.  Layers were important as well as sunglasses.  The sunlight is extra bright up here.

Once you climb above the upper meadows, the fun part starts.  The rocks and dirt are loose so you have to watch your footing and keep your boots laced tight.

Uh, where's the trail?  Just follow the ants.

Crossing the last saddle brings you to the spine.  The rocks turn to boulders.

See the hikers along the top?  They look like ants.

We're running on adrenaline now!  We want to make it to the top!

Once we clear the snowfields were almost there!

No trail anymore.  You just boulder your way up.

360 degrees of total amazing up here!

WE MADE IT!!

 

Someone made a sign they brought up with them and let us use it for a picture too.

You will never meet as many happy people as you do at the top of a summit hike!

Everyone that was stopped along the way not sure if they could make it, tired, hurt, some not feeling well with the elevation, all happy at the top!
 

 

We also found our highest geocache at the summit!

Veni, Vidi, Vici !!

I have not felt this excited since hiking to the top of Flat Iron earlier this year!

Here's the link to that hike!

  

A little lunch and some time just admiring these amazing views.  We'd like to attempt another 14er, but even if we don't that's ok.  This is such a truly wild feeling making it to the top of this one!

Two very happy hikers!

 

We could stay up here for such a long time, but as hikers know, going down doesn't mean it's easy.  Sometimes it's actually harder!  We knew we still had a long way to go, achy feet and all.

The views really help to distract from the sore while climbing back down.

 

And the blanket of flowers that go on forever.

 

Big, puffy, white clouds moving in, but no thunderstorms, yay!

We've had to turn around on many of our hikes because of storms before we made it to the top.

 

Another back-up at the creek.  This time, many just walked through it not caring if their boots got wet as it was only another mile to the parking area and mostly flat until the very end.

 

A couple more shots from the bottom looking up at the summit!

We finish at 3pm.  Not bad for our first 14er.

 

We had some soup, watched the sun go down then went to bed!

Just a slice of moon in the upper left corner.

 

What a great day it was!

 

"It's a round trip. Getting to the summit is optional, getting down is mandatory." -  Ed Viesturs