Garden of the Gods

Sorry about the lack of blogging lately, I've just been so incredibly busy with lot of important things. Many of them. All important.

...no, really.

;)

A few tan lines and sunburns later, I decided it was once again time to hike the fabulous hills, mountains, and red rock formations that make up Colorado Springs. One of my new friends from work volunteered to come with me. Her name is Sarafia, and she's a pretty darn good time, I must admit. We decided to hike the trails in the Garden of the Gods. Since my last trip to the Garden left me with a bloody leg and a wounded pride, I was eager to have a better experience and further (and hopefully less painful) exploration. Well I've said it before and I'll say it again: The Garden of the Gods is INCREDIBLE. With its unique bright red rocks, its awe inspiring views, and, come spring, its blossoms, you can hardly ask for more from a hike.

...except for maybe some rocks to scramble around on. And the Garden does not disappoint there either! Scrambling, or rock climbing without official permission, training, or safety gear, is frowned upon in the park, but as long as you don't fall off and die I don't think anyone will make a big to-do about it. *snicker*
While traipsing and trailing it around the park, Sarafia and I would randomly leave the trail to climb something that looked interesting. (Translation: I would leave the trail and Sarafia would yell: "Where are you going?" to which I'd reply: "Look at this ROCK! We have to climb it!")

The rock above provided a lovely place for a shadow play, which Sarafia and I gladly put on for an audience that consisted of a slightly confused but patient family of four. I think they'll appreciate it more when they've had time to discuss it amongst themselves and recognize it for the true piece of art it was....or they'll just talk about the 'crazies' in the park.

We continued to climb up and around that rock formation until we could get no higher and go no farther forward lest we fall off the edge and down to our deaths. Since it was a dangerous and life threatening situation we found ourselves in on the edge of that cliff, of course it turned into a perfect Kodak moment opportunity!


And yes, that is exactly as DOWN as it looks. :)


Sarafia did not appreciate me making her hold that pose while I took the picture. Brave as she is, it's never fun to lean over a precipice like that and look down for long. :)

Sarafia and I on the edge!

I did actually find another way around that lead a little higher, so of course I went. I blame it on my new shoes. They're so sticky and handy for climbing! Sarafia proved herself wiser than I and stayed at the bottom while I climbed up to get this picture of the view below and behind me.

After we had our fill of scrambling for a bit, we got back to the trail and continued our hike. The views you come across around every corner in the Garden are all photo worthy, this was one of my favorites.

But it wasn't complete without our grinning faces in front of it.

On our way out of the Garden, we stumbled across a bathroom that Sarafia immediately made a break for. As she was heading in, a man heading out said "It smells like 20 bears peed all over in there." Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to warn Fia before she'd already disappeared inside. Pity. I thought I'd take a picture of her on the way out to see if I could capture on her face what I'd heard from the unfortunate fellow. If the women's was as bad as the men's, she didn't seem too offended by the alleged bear perfume.

While driving out of the park, we stopped to scramble around some more on some of the rocks at the high point of the park. The sun was setting ,and therefore the lighting was ripe for some heroic poses. If you know me, then you know what's coming next. :)

Yep. You know it.

I am rather proud of this picture. I love the blooming plant right in the center and the Garden's beautiful rock formations framing it in the background. That picture is my computer's background right now.

Aaaaaaaand of course I can't end on a serious artistic note no matter how hard I try.

Hence the seal-like posture I'm striking here as I stop to smell the flowers. :)

After the successfully sweaty and fun hike, Sarafia and I ended the evening with ice cream from Dairy Queen and a Disney movie from my extensive collection. A good time all around!

Coming soon: The hike with Abby through the old Manitou Railway Tunnels! During which we visit 'Starbucks', blatantly trespass on private property, and Abby falls off the side of a cliff. Stay tuned!

Section 16/Palmer Trail

So the weather outside has been absolutely beautiful this past week, so I've been trying to be outside as much as possible. I've wanted to hike this trail ever since I heard about it, and after doing the Waldo Canyon in 3.5 hours which was about 7 miles, I figured I'd have plenty of time to hike Section 16/Palmer trail before work on Tuesday since it's only 6 miles. I expected it to take just under 3 hours, and since I had to be at work by 2pm, I started out at about 9:30am. As you can see, the sun was out, the sky was blue, and there were barely any clouds in the sky. A perfect day for a hike.

The trailhead started like I've found most do: which a sign, a map, and some crude steps up to the trail.

Immediately I was surrounded by beautiful, green mountain views. Trees and flowers are all blooming up the mountainside.

The path is made up of red clay and pink Pike's Peak granite pieces, like usual. :) This one was a little more gravely though, and made for some slippery climbing conditions when the path got steep. And it DID get steep. OMG SO STEEP.

Lovely rock formations along the trail!

Random outcroppings (upcroppings? :) ) of rock in the middle of the trail made paying close attention important if you didn't want to end up with a twisted ankle.

The views in the first quarter mile of the trail were spectacular.

Colorado Springs from above!

More of the city became visible as I hiked higher.

This is a zoomed in picture, and those red rock formations in the center/lower left center of the picture are in the Garden of the Gods, viewed above from the southwest! These pictures just don't do the views justice, it was incredible to see!

The travel time between that picture and the next pictures below quite....extensive. And INtensive. That 3 hour time frame I'd given myself was quickly ticking by and I was quickly getting nowhere. I had read that the first third or half of the Section 16 trail was a 'moderate to steep climb', but the Waldo Canyon trail had been listed as 'moderate' and, though challenging, I handled that trail just fine. The website had said to set aside 4 hours for the Waldo Canyon, and I'd finished in 3.5, so I thought I'd have plenty of time to finish Section 16/Palmer trail in plenty of time before I had to get ready for work. An hour and a half into the trail, and I had already contemplated turning back at least 5 times. The trail was KILLING me, literally, I felt as I no matter how deeply I inhaled I couldn't get enough air. My legs were burning from the continuous steep climb, and I felt I could only climb about 20 steps at a time before I had to stop again. I was beginning to worry that I wouldn't make it out of the trail on time in I didn't turn around. But after hiking up that heinous hill for over an hour already, I was so tired and sick of not being able to BREATH that I figured I wouldn't be back to this trail anytime soon, so I had better just finish it that day in order to see all the amazing views I was supposed to see. So far all I had seen was more uphill trail in front of me. It seemed to go on and ON AND OOOOOOOOOOON, but finally, finally and blessedly, I reached the top.

The views were gorgeous, as promised. I met two other hikers on the top of the trail and asked them if they thought I could make it around the rest of the hoop in two hours or less. They thought I could, so I dug in and went for it, hoping and praying for NO MORE UPHILL PARTS OF THE TRAIL. I know, I know, I moved to the mountains, what did I expect? Mountains are all uphill until they're downhill. :)

From one side: mountainous gorgeousness. To the other: a fantastic view over Colorado Springs.

Zoomed in to snap a picture of this rocky peak. I want to stand on top of it! :)

There is a tiny lizard hiding beneath that piece of fallen pine bark. It ran further underneath just as I snapped the picture, but if you look closely, you can see it's tail in the lower left hand corner! I've seen a few of these little guys on the trails I've hiked, about the size of a field mouse, they're cute but wicked fast! This is the first time one held still long enough for me to get a good look at it, but not long enough for me to get a good picture. Maybe next trail!

The little waterfall in the middle of Palmer trail. Lovely, there's a video of it and the log bridge at the bottom of this blog. :)

Standing on the log bridge over the stream.

A close up of the mountain side.

I made good time down the second half of the trail. I was still nervously looking at my watch almost every ten minutes as it ticked past noon and closer to 12:30. I wanted to be back at my apartment before 1 so I'd have time to shower before work, but I wasn't sure I was going to make it, so on my way down the other side of the trail loop I began to plan and strategize different ways to get to work and not smell terrible and be full of mountain dirt and still be on time, when the trail suddenly split in front of me. Now, in my short experience of 'loop trails', the loop means that you end in the same place you began the trail in. Not so with the Section 16/Palmer 'loop'. Luckily, before I could get too horribly lost, I met a very nice couple who were heading back to the parking lot at the trailhead and they set me in the right direction. Turns out, you have to walk about a quarter mile down a narrow dirt road to get back to the maid road and the parking lot. Who designed this?!

Anyway, with the help of the friendly couple ( one of whom works at the Colorado Springs Fine Arts centre and was very excited to hear of my involvement in theatre) I made my way down the narrow road (dodging trucks every now and again) back to the parking lot and to my car. Thanking the couple again for their help, I quickly made my way back to my apartment and had time to sit, down a big glass of water, and even shower before dressing and leaving for work. My legs were pretty tired during my shift, but I was proud that I had finished the trail despite the challenging beginning.

The sights that I got to see were breathtaking, and I think, after having time to get over my anger at the steady incline of the trail, ;), I may even challenge Section 16 again.

Here's a couple videos from the trail! The first is of the waterfall and log bridge, and the second is just a video of the trail itself as I'm walking it. Those of you who get motion sickness may want to skip the second video....:) Enjoy!

Stay tuned!

Blog Makeover

Just cleaning up the blog and redecorating a little. :) The weather has been AWESOME lately, and I wish I could be out adventuring everyday, but alas I must pay the bills and therefore must work before play. Or as well as play. But I promise new amazing stories and pictures soon! Watch this space!

Also, I got a callback from the audition in Boulder last Wednesday! It's scheduled for June 12th, so (hopefully) this time I'll have more time to look around and take some pictures up there when I go back.

Have and safe and happy Memorial Day weekend!

Auditions, callbacks, and a sunburn

This past week has been full of indoor and outdoor adventures! And by indoor, I mostly mean 'in car'. I had an audition in Littleton on Monday night for a production of RENT. Littleton is a town just southwest of Denver, about an hour north of Colorado Springs. Its downtown area is quite nice, and that's where the Town Hall Theatre is. I spent an hour in the car to get there, about 30 minutes waiting to audition, and then about 5 minutes actually auditioning, followed by another hour in the car home.

I also had an audition scheduled in Boulder on Wednesday afternoon, and then ended up getting a callback to the RENT audition in Littleton that was scheduled for Wednesday night. I left my apartment at 2pm ready for a long day of auditioning. I had no idea just how long it would be!

The drive up to Boulder was long (turned out to be 2 hours because of traffic), but very nice. I drove through Denver and got to see the Mile High Stadium where the Denver Broncos play.

Boulder is very beautiful as well, and I would have some pictures of it if I hadn't gotten stuck in ridiculous traffic and ended up 40 minutes late for my audition (which turned out fine since they had a lot of cancellations later that afternoon) which left me harried and worried about making it back down to Littleton in time for the RENT callbacks.

I needn't have worried. I arrived in plenty of time for the callbacks, and then proceeded to wait. And wait. And wait and wait and wait. The callbacks ran from 6pm to 10:30pm, and I had already been running about all day, (not to mention coughing my brains out as my body tries to force out the end of this stupid cold) and was exhausted by the time we were released. Don't get me wrong, I was happy to be kept the whole time instead of released since that's usually a good sign in the long run, but I knew I had to be at work the next morning at 4:15am, and I still had the long drive back to the Springs.

It all worked out for the best, though, as today turned out to be a gorgeous day, and I didn't mind being up so early since it meant I would be done at 12;45pm and would have the day to relax. Since it was so sunny and warm, I decided to explore outside a bit. Sick to death of my car for the time being, I walked back behind my apartment complex and found a path that lead to the park that is just down the hill from my complex. It's called Bear Creek park and it functions widely as a dog park/trail head that winds around for quite a few acres in the foothills. Here are some views from the highest park of the trail in the park. Beautiful!

A house being built next to the park. A HUGE house.

Makes me want to have a dog just to let it run around freely in this beautiful park!

Like the name says, there is a creek that runs through the park. It is a crystal clear, icy cold stream that falls over itself in lovely little waterfalls. Dogs and people alike enjoy playing in its rushing waters. It also makes a very soothing sound as it trickles past boulders and over fallen trees. This I discovered when I lay down on a boulder next to it in the warm sun, and ended up falling asleep for about 20 minutes. Just a powernap, a well deserved one after working 8 hours on 2 hours of sleep, but I still paid for it with a lovely sunburn, as you can see.

Roasted flesh aside, I ended the day with a trip to the movies with Mark and Sarafia; two of my friends from work. We saw Ironman 2, and I must say RD Jr is a bad ass. He just is. Can't be denied. :) Territory Days in Old Colorado City this weekend! It's a huge festival full of food, crafts, live music and more. I have to work, but will definitely be visiting it when I'm not slaving away at the 'Bucks. Have a great memorial day, all!

More to come!

(Where's) Waldo Canyon

Well, in Pike National Forest if you'd really like to know, and to my great disappointment none of the mountains or trees were dressed in red and white striped shirts or blue pants. Alas. But everything else about that hike offered no more disappointments. To say this trail was challenging, fun, and beautiful is to do it a grave injustice. All the words I can think of for this experience would be understatements, and all the pictures I'll show you will not do the views justice, but until you come out here and hike the trail yourself, this will have to do. :)

The trail starts just off of highway 24, and begins with a few roughhewn steps up to the trail that leads to the Waldo Canyon loop.

From the top of the steps and up a bit on the trail to the canyon, the highway is already far below. I've only gained probably about 100 0r 150 feet in altitude in this picture, a fraction of the 2000 feet I gained by the time I reached the summit of this trail.

The trail to the Waldo Canyon loop is a little over a mile and a half long itself, and offers some pretty spectacular views along the way. It was a perfect day for hiking: warm, the breeze was very slight, and there were barely any clouds in the sky. Still, though I started the hike in shorts and a t-shirt, I had packed a long sleeve shirt in my backpack . While it was a sunny 75 degrees at the start of the trail, the weather changes pretty quickly 2000 feet higher, and can get cold before you know it. Also in my backpack were my water bottle, an apple, and of course, my blackberry because while it becomes useless as a phone once you enter the canyons, its camera still works just fine.

The trail winds around and up the canyon's edge, pretty darn CLOSE to the edge a lot of the time. One wrong step and you'd be off on a fast journey down the side of the mountain. Syl, Mom, I don't think you'd like it. :) The trail itself is made of red sandstone and pink Pike's Peak granite bits and most of the time isn't more than 2 feet wide.

About halfway through the mile and a half trail to the loop, I came across this amazing rock formation on the inside of the canyon wall. I could hear a waterfall coming from that direction, and after staring and squinting at it, I found it hidden in a crack right down the middle. I knew the picture wouldn't do it justice, but if you click on it and magnify it, it looks almost half as cool as it did in real life. :)

Right before you reach the Waldo canyon loop, the trail suddenly opens up and leads you across this grassy knoll. I'm not gonna lie, being in the open like that made me a little nervous. As beautiful as the trail was and as much as I was enjoying the sights, in the back of my mind always lurked the thought that I was alone, and there were predators up here that were bigger than me. I expected to see the big black shape of a bear moving through the trees, or hear the scream of a cougar any second. Silly, maybe, seeing as it's a very populated and well traveled trail (I probably passed 7 or 8 other hikers during my 3 and a half hour Odyssey through the canyon), but hey, better paranoid than taken by surprise, right?

I finally found the trail head and took the pass to the right. Turns out, according to the hikers I passed (which were ALL heading in the opposite direction), that was the hard way to start. And hard it WAS. Very uphill with a lot of scrambling over loose granite gravel. I was breathing pretty hard by the time the trail leveled out, but the view immediately took my mind off of the thinner air. On the hike up into the canyon and towards the loop, I wondered when I'd get high enough to see Pike's Peak over the lower mountain tops. As soon as I stood up from being bent over gasping for breath, I was greeted by this sight: Pike's Peak reigning over the skyline.

Turning the other way, I could see over the rest of the canyon and out east to the flatter, desert like Colorado landscape.

All along the trail bunches (not sure of the scientific term for groups of cactus plants...bunches will have to do) of cacti sprouted up on both sides of me. Another reason to watch your step. :)

Further up along the trail, the skyline becomes even more dramatic, opening up and allowing me to see for miles. That's probably Kansas over there where the sky meets the land. Who knows?

At about 2 hours into the hike, I began to really feel the work my legs were doing, though my feet and ankles were quite comfortable in my new Salomon hiking shoes! :) I stopped at one point to rest, and was astounded when I looked up. I stood and watched as a group of storm clouds swept across the blue sky and touched the tip of Pike's Peak. It's unreal to think about how close the sky is here.
Another half hour into the hike and my stomach rumbled to remind me how much work I was doing, and how long ago breakfast had been. I had been so excited about my new shoes, the beautiful weather, and this hike, that I hadn't stopped to eat lunch after leaving work at 2pm. I'd brought the leftovers from a pasta dinner I'd made myself the night before and eaten them around 10am when I had my 30 minute break, and had only water and coffee after. It was close to 5:30pm now, and that apple in my backpack was sounding really good. I planned to stop for a rest and a snack when I found a suitable place. Suitable doesn't even begin to describe it.

This outcropping of rock along the trail probably hung about 200 or 300 feet above the tops of those evergreen below. The view was spectacular, and of course I had to climb out on it. Sorry, mom. :)

As I suspected, the picture doesn't at all convey the awesome height and beauty of this place, but I got my foot in the shot...aren't my hiking shoes cool? ;)

After being on the trail for about 3 hours, I began to get worried. The website had described this hike as being about 4 hours long, and having a stream that had to be crossed 'several times', and I was still ascending. I certainly didn't expect to find a stream up where I was. Had I somehow gotten off the trail? I had been lead astray earlier in the hike by a side trail that had been made by hikers before me, but had figured it out pretty fast and had corrected my path. So where was this stream, and was I ever going to reach the summit?

Ye of little faith, I began my descent not long after I had that slight panic attack. It was just like something my sister Katie had said to me once while we were driving in an unfamiliar part of California: "Just when you think you've gone too far, you haven't gone far enough", and that statement usually holds true. The stream was small and the crossings were easy, just like the website had foretold.

Small, but still quite a lovely little mountain stream. I came across many different little waterfalls as it wound it's way down inside of the canyon. The trail was now in the woods, and the temperature noticeably cooler in the shade. The air was thick with the smell of fresh pine sap, and the trail as leading me downhill (at last!)...I couldn't be happier.

I continued to follow the stream, all the while the shortly forgotten fear of predators slowly seeping back into my mind. This was a water source, after all. Something frequented by predators and prey alike. I made sure to keep my eyes up and roaming as much as I could without risking a broken ankle by tripping over the large rocks on the trail. As I traveled deeper into the forest and my surroundings grew darker and colder, I began to wish I had brought a hiking partner with me...or at least a knife. Then, I stumbled upon another waterfall in the stream, and left the trail to get a closer look. I climbed out onto a rock that was covered in wet red clay and sand in order to get a picture. It came out rather sideways, but you get the point. :)

After finding the trail again and coming to another crossing of the stream, I bent down to wash the grit off of my hands in the gently trickling water. Sidenote: mountain streams are COLD.

As I was finishing, I suddenly heard a growl right by my head. I gasped out loud and whipped around to see a golden hued animal flash along the trail. My heart stopped dead in my chest for 2.9 seconds and I seriously believed I would have to fight a mountain lion in those eternal moments. Then, a golden lab bounded out from behind a tree. It was only barely out of its puppy stage, its ears floppy and still nervous of people who are not its master: hence the growl. Followed closely in its paw prints were two other labs, both black, and both much older and wiser. They seemed to take no notice of me as they trotted past, their owner on his mountain bike right behind them. I smiled and gave a nervous laugh and a high pitched hello, and felt my heart slide back down my throat and into my chest where it slowly calmed down.

As it had been a physically and now an emotionally draining journey, the sight of the Waldo loop trail sign may be one of the sweetest sights I've ever beheld, whether the look on my face says it was or not. :)

Though I had reached the sign, I still had another mile and a half to go to get back to my car, but I had done it! The Waldo canyon loop hike was another I could check off my list. All said and done, I'm proud of myself, and the views were so spectacular I'd do it again. And no matter what the other hikers said, I'd take the same route; it was nice to end the long hard hike with a trail through the woods and next to a winding mountain stream...and next time I'll look for dogs before jumping to terrifying conclusions. :)

Stay tuned!