1) Green Mountain, Boulder County Open Space & Mountain Parks, Boulder, CO, January 7, 2024 - No sooner than we have closed out 2023 and it was time to get the first hike of 2024 in the books. Jonna was busy but Desiree, Gaelin and Alan got together on Sunday afternoon to hike the loop at the top of Green Mountain. We met up at the top of Flagstaff mountain and took Ranger trail to where the EM Greenman trail branches off to the east. We took that all the way to the top. It was cold and very icy in spots but we were able to get to the top without requiring microspikes for our boots. After a brief (and chilly!) stop at the top we headed down the West Ridge trail to where it meets with the top of Ranger. We then took Ranger all the way back to the trailhead. Ranger, being on the north side of Green Mountain, was much icier so I used the extra traction for the hike back down to the trailhead. The temperature was in the mid-20s but thankfully there wasn't any wind so the hiking allowed us to generate enough body heat to stay warm. However, low-lying clouds covered the Continental Divide to the west so we missed out on the grand panorama of snow covered mountains usually visible from the top. Nonetheless, it was a good hike to start off in the New Year. A 4 mile loop with 1,500 feet of elevation gain.
2) Sourdough Trail, Brainard Gateway Trailhead, Brainard Lake Recreation Area, Ward, CO, January 22, 2024 - Jonna and Alan decided to take advantage of last week's big snow storm to dust off our cross-country skies. We headed to Brainard Lake Recreation Area hoping that going up in elevation would mean better snow. Unfortunately, the trail was packed down into a groove. This wasn't a problem for a good skier like Jonna but was a big challenge for a bad skier like Alan. We ended up turning back early because Alan was finding the narrow groove problematic for controlling his speed. Nonetheless, even despite snow conditions, it was nice to be out in the silent and snow-covered trees. A 2.3 mile out-and-back with 200 feet of elevation gain.
3) Mud Lake, Boulder County Parks & Open Space, Nederland, CO, January 27, 2024 - This was just a quick (and short) hike to stretch our legs after a week of relative in-activity. We drove over to nearby Mud Lake and hiked the "long" loop (combining both the Tungsten Loop and the Kinnickinnick Loop). The snow had turned into packed ice so we had to wear micro-spikes on our boots but the weather was nice, the skies were blue and the trail wasn't too crowded. A 2.3 mile loop with 400 feet of elevation gain.
4) Mt. Sanitas, Boulder City Open Space & Mountain Parks, Boulder, CO, January 28, 2024 - Jonna was busy but Gaelin and Alan kept up the Sunday hiking tradition. We met up at the Mt. Sanitas trailhead and made the climb up Sanitas. We went up via Dakota Ridge and then started the climb up the east face. The trail was pretty tricky - very muddy at the bottom and very icy at the top. Nonetheless, the views from the top made the effort worthwhile. We then decended via the south ridge which was in pretty good shape thanks to the southern exposure to the winter sun. It was a nice hike and a great chance for Gaelin and Alan to geek out for a couple of hours straight. A 3.6 mile loop with 1,200 feet of elevation gain.
5) Caribou Ranch Open Space, Boulder County Open Space Parks, Nederland, CO, January 31, 2024 - Friends Kristin and Steve made the drive up into the mountains for a social visit and after catching up we headed over to Caribou Ranch Open Space to get in some exercise. The trail was mostly packed snow but micro-spikes and hiking poles made it an easy hike. We had blue sky to the east and clouds to the west with our trail right on the dividing line. When a breeze would pick up, the temperature seemed to drop about 10 degrees so we were thankful every time some sunshine peeked through. A relaxed hike we were happy to share with our long time friends. A 2.5 mile hike with 100 feet of elevation gain.
6) Sourdough Trail, Brainard Gateway Trailhead, Brainard Lake Recreation Area, Ward, CO, February 5, 2024 - We finally got some fresh snow so we invited Gaelin to join us for a snow shoe up at Brainard Lake Recreation Area. We parked in the Gateway Trailhead lot and then headed north on the Sourdough trail (#835). The trail dropped down into South St. Vrain Creek valley where the combination of recent snow, a northfacing trail and cold temperatures meant we had snow everwhere! It was a little winter wonderland. Because we got a late start we opted not to do one of the longer loops in the park but we did made a short out-and-back on the South St. Vrain Trail (#909) before climbing back up Sourdough to return to the parking lot. Gaelin will be moving away soon so we particularly treasured getting to spend an afternoon hearing all about his new job. We'll miss hiking with him on Sundays this Spring/Summer! A 3 mile out-and-back with 550 feet of elevation gain.
7) South Boulder Creek West Trail, Boulder Open Space & Mountain Parks, Boulder, CO, February 8, 2024 - Jonna and Alan drove down to Boulder where we met up our almost-family member Julia at her new place. She thought there was a way to hike directly from her front door into the Boulder Open Space & Mountain Parks area in South Boulder so we decided to go look for it. Fortunately, the fresh snow from a recent storm meant we could look for footprints and this allowed us to find a little path that eventually connected up with the South Boulder Creek West Trail. We hiked that west almost all the way to Mesa Trail but the setting sun (and rapidly dropping temperatures) turned us back before we connected into the Mesa trail system near South Mesa trailhead. We have plenty of time to catch up on Julia's new job and to enjoy the expansive views on the plains along the edge of the foothills. A 3.4 mile out-and-back with a mellow 200 feet of elevation gain.
8) SkyWalk Trail, Treetopia, Santa Elena, Costa Rica, February 12, 2024 - The day after we arrived in Costa Rica for a short mid-winter escape we drove to the Monteverde Cloud Forest area near the village of Santa Elena and where we visited Treetopia. There we did their 3km loop that contains 6 aerial walkways that go through the canopy of the cloud forest 165 feet above the ground. We had beautiful sunny weather, which in this case was a negative because every creature in a cloud forest hides when the sun is out. Nonetheless, the forest was amazing to see. Layer upon layer of tree tops each one covered with creeping vines, parasitic plants, mosses, lichens and probably many more layers of living matter. We could see all the way out to the Pacific Ocean to the west and all the way to the volcanoes in the east. We also hiked trails down at the bottom of the trees as well so we got to look up through a kaleidoscope of green leaves filtering spears of sunlight. Gorgeous! A short 1.7 mile loop with 400 feet of elevation gain.
9) Senderos Sueco, Reserva Natural Absoluta Cabo Blanco, Cabuya, Costa Rica, February 17, 2024 - There was no way we were going to come to the rainforest and not get out for a hike so on our second day at the beach Jonna and Alan got up early, lined up for breakfast at our lodge before they had opened and were on the road shortly thereafter. We made the short drive to Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve - the first protected area in Costa Rica - to hike the Sendaros Sueco trail out to Playa Cabo Blanco. This trail goes up and over a series of ridges through thick jungle and then ends at a pristine beach. We don’t often do hikes with the combination of wow factor and cool refreshing break at the destination. The rainforest was beautiful. It was hot and humid and muggy but so incredibly lush. There was green on top of more green. There was an amazing variety of trees, vines and bushes. On the way in we saw two deer and a family of coatis, along with a few birds and about a million butterflies. Once we got out to the beach Jonna went for a dip in the surf while I relaxed in a hammock under some shade trees. After we’d cooled off a bit it was time to head back. There was a long climb leaving the beach and the late morning sun was beating down on the rainforest canopy so it was getting hot hot hot! On the way back we saw another four families of coati and a troop of white-faced capuchin monkeys. We got back to the trailhead right at noon and were very fast in getting the air conditioning cranked up in the rental car! A gorgeous but challenging hike that was exactly what we’d hoped for when we saw we’d be staying so close to a rainforest reserve. A 5.5 mile out-and-back with 1,292 feet of elevation gain.
10) Cabuya Cemetery, Isla Cabuya, Cabuya, Costa Rica, February 17, 2024 - There is a small island just offshore from the village of Cabuya called Cabuya Island that has an exposed land-bridge at low tide. For a couple of hours you can walk across the seafloor to visit the island and see the tiny cemetery that is there. Low tide was at 2:30pm so we got to the small parking lot at 1:30. We paid the standard $2 to park and then made the trek over to the island. There was (as expected) no shade and the rocky sea bottom was made up of dark grey rocks so it made for *hot* walking. Add in the last pools of ocean water evaporating in the direct sun and it was also so humid you practically felt moisture seeping into your clothes from the air. The island had some trees for shade but these blocked the mild breeze so it was uncomfortably muggy. Still, the cemetery was neat to see and had a couple of covered picnic tables where we could rest. As we walked up a couple was just leaving and they said there were some whale bones on the west end of the island. Jonna and Heather were both wearing sandals for this walk and they weren’t the right shoe choice for the bare volcanic rocks that stretched off to the west. I was wearing hiking boots so I made the trip by myself. The rocks were sharp and in places covered with slimy moss where the receding water left tide-pools behind. I managed to get across without falling but it was tricky going, especially with me trying to move fast. Sure enough, on a little knoll on the very edge of the island - a spot that is probably just barely above the waterline at high tide - there was a pile of giant whale bones. All the bones small enough to carry away had been removed - either by wave action or greedy tourists - but the big chunks remained: the skull, the massive upper ribs and about half the spinal column. It was sobering but also magnificent. I took a few pictures and then speed walked my way back across the sharp, slippery seabed. I think I know what an ant would feel like if it had to walk across a frying pan. By the time I got back to the cemetery I was completely soaked and I felt like I’d spent 20 minutes in a sauna. Being in the shade dropped my core temperature about half a degree but that was enough to spur us to strike out across the land-bridge again to return to the car. At the halfway point I picked up the pace so I could get the car cranked and the A/C blasting for when Heather got to the car. We all luxuriated in the arctic air that filled the interior as we slowly drove back to the lodge. A 1.8 mile out-and-back that was basically flat with maybe 60 feet of elevation gain.
11) Divide Overlook, Chapman Drive/Tenderfoot Trails, City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks, Boulder, CO, March 2, 2024 - The odds were against hiking this weekend but things came together at the last moment to get us back out on the local trails. This weekend is "Mom's weekend" at CU and our cousin Chi who is a student had invited Jonna to be her stand-in mom for the weekend since my cousin Michelle couldn't make the trip out. However, the event they'd planned to attend together fell through so Chi invited Alan to join she and Jonna for a hike instead. Alan had spent the past weekend laid flat by a cold (multiple home COVID tests came back negative) but had just enough energy to try a hike. We chose the Chapman Drive hike - the trail isn't too challenging but it still provides some beautiful panoramic views of the Continental Divide. We picked Chi up from her dorm just after lunch and drove to the Chapman Drive trailhead. From there we made the climb up to Realization Point just below the top of Flagstaff Mountain. In a few spots on the north side of the mountain there were patches of ice but temperatures in the mid-60s meant it was melting fast so we encountered everything from dry trail to slushy-mushy goop to thick ice. The gorgeous weather meant we got a nice view of the big mountains from a few different spots. More importantly, we all got to enjoy spending some time (and soaking up some vitamin D!) together. A 5.1 mile loop with 950 feet of elevation gain.
12) Mt. Sanitas, Boulder City Open Space & Mountain Parks, Boulder, CO, March 4, 2024 - Like a bad penny, the write-ups for my annual Spring Training Hikes are back once again. I am starting a little later than normal since I've been dealing with a headcold for the past week but this morning I decided I was healthy enough to give the first (of the five) peaks outside Boulder a try. Since it was a spur of the moment decision I'd be doing the hike on my own so I laced up my boots and drove down to the People's Crossing trailhead just after lunch. It was cooler than I expected but I had an extra layer so that wasn't going to stop me (though it did play hell on my still healing bronchi!) As is my traditional route I went up and over Red Rocks ridge in People's Crossing park and came down at the Centennial trailhead in Sunshine Canyon. From there I took the Dakota Ridge trail to the bottom of the east face of Mt. Sanitas. Then it was the steep climb all the way to the peak. The view there was lovely with low-lying puffy white clouds casing shadows over Boulder. I watched as they clouds floated by for a few minutes but quickly resumed the hike via the long decent on the south ridge. Trail crews have been improving some parts of this trail over the past year and the places where they've worked are much safer to hike thanks to stone steps now in places that had eroded into slick, sandy gullies. The disadvantage to starting in the afternoon was that the sun dropped behind the ridge while I was hiking down so I was chilled when I got back down to the Centennial trailhead. Fortunately, the climb back over the ridge in People's Crossing helped me generate some more body heat. It was a good hike and one I always enjoy. It was also nice to get started once again on this tradition of the Spring Training hikes...now just four more to go for this year! A 4.5 mile loop with 1,600 feet of elevation gain
13) Aspen Alley trail, West Magnolia trail system, Nederland, CO, March 6, 2024 - We had a beautiful sunny day, though a tad windy, in between snow storms so our friends Kristin and Steve drove up from Boulder and we all went for a little walk on the trails in the West Mag trailsystem. We got to enjoy the perfect blue sky and white snow-covered mountains to the northwest and also got to tromp through some fresh snow. The further west we hiked the more the wind was hitting us in the face so we made is a short hike and turned around rather than pushing on into a chilly headwind. It was a nice day out that gave us a chance to stretch our legs before another storm rolls through tomorrow. A mellow 2 mile loop with an equally mellow 200 feet of elevation gain.
14) Flagstaff Mountain, Boulder City Open Space & Mountain Parks, Boulder, CO, March 10, 2024 - Thanks to great weather, a couple of days after the latest snow storm rolled through, I was able to check off Spring Training Hike #2 today. Jonna and Todd joined me for a morning hike up Flagstaff Mountain, starting from Eben G. Fine park in Boulder. My usual route is to climb up via Viewpoint trail to Panorama Point and then picking up the Flagstaff trail all the way up to the summit. Once up top, the Rangeview and Ute trails provide a loop before reversing the route up to descend. The trail up to Panorama Point was frozen due to sub-32 night time temperatures but a warm sun quickly pushed the air temperature up into the 60s which meant the snow-covered trail higher up the mountain was slushy as the snow and ice melted. Rangeview trail offered a beautiful panorama off to the west and Panorama Point gave an equally lovely view out over Boulder on our way back down. The trail at the bottom of the mountain that was frozen on the way up was turning into a sticky, muddy mess as we returned to the trailhead so we got back to the car with appropriately dirty boots! I think we all had a fun time swapping stories and all enjoyed the hike. A 6.5 mile up and back down trail with 1,800 feet of elevation gain.
15) Green Mountain, Boulder City Open Space & Mountain Parks, Boulder, CO, March 22, 2024 - My usual goal for the third of my five Annual Spring Training Hikes, Green Mountain, is to do it on St. Patrick's Day - thus my calling it the Hikin' 'O The Green. However, this year we had a massive spring snow storm just before that date which required we spent a week digging out our driveway and road. The result was that I did the Hikin' 'O The Green, or should I say the Hikin' 'O The White this year, almost a week late. The mountain was still covered in compressed snow and ice, from the trailhead all the way up to the summit. This meant I put on my micro-spikes in the Gregory Canyon parking lot and used them to scrap my way up the the Amphitheater, Old Saddle Rock and E.M. Greenman trails for the climb to the top. The snow was hard packed in the morning which made it uneven but with the spikes the traction was good so it was one foot in front of the other. The sun was on the south side of the mountain so I was hiking in shadow which kept the temperature cool but it also meant I was out of any breeze. Once I got to the summit I discovered there was a mild, intermittent wind which was downright cold when wearing sweaty clothes! I didn't stick around at the top long before starting down the West Ridge trail to the top of Ranger trail, then took that for my descent. By now the sun was high enough to crest the mountain which started to soften the snow. This mean post-holing and sliding as the knee-deep snow and ice turned into goo with the consistency of shaving cream. Going down was much trickier than climbing up had been. Fortunately, when I got to the top of Gregory Canyon, which is east facing, the trail was mainly mud which made that final downhill smooth. It was a challenging hike and I was happy to complete it successfully! A 5.2 mile loop with 2,500 feet of elevation gain.
16) Mud Lake, Boulder County Parks & Open Space, Nederland, CO, March 31, 2024 - Jonna and I decided we needed to stretch our legs after a few days cooped up at home so we made an after lunch trip over to neighboring Mud Lake to hike the "long" loop there (which combines the Tungsten and Kinnickinnick Loops). This isn't really a long hike but all the snow from recent storms meant the trail was covered by about 18 inches. In most places it was packed into a narrow hard trail but stepping just an inch off that mean post-holing into knee deep wet snow. The weather was vacillating between over-cast and bright sunshine which mean the snow was slowly melting and thus was slick in places. Nonetheless, we enjoyed seeing the clean white snow shining in the sun and contrasted against a blue sky (at times). Just the leg stretch we needed! A 2.2 mile loop with 400 feet of elevation gain.
17) South St. Vrain Trail (FS# 909), Roosevelt National Forest, Ward, CO, April 3, 2024 - Our friends Kristin and Steve drove up from Boulder to enjoy the remnants of our big snow storm three weeks ago. We'd originally planned to bring them out for some snowshoeing but the warm weather we've been having during the day combined sub-freezing temperatures at night had packed down the trails up in the mountains so instead we ended up going for a short but slippery hike. We chose South St. Vrain trail and it was a nice choice. There was still enough snow to give a wintry wonderland feel to the hike while still being packed enough snow that we could hike without the snowshoes. As the sun warmed the snow-pack it started to soften up so we had a few post-hole moments and the slushy snow got our boots wet but it was still a beautiful day to be out enjoying the forested valley along South St. Vrain Creek. A 2.4 mile out-and-back with 500 feet of elevation gain.
18) West Ridge, Madrone, Starflower and Stream Trails, Redwood Bowl trailhead, Roberts Regional Recreation Area, Oakland, CA, April 25, 2024 - Jonna found a super cheap flight to San Francisco so we took advantage to make a quick trip to the Bay Area to visit with Jonna’s brother Jamie and his family. Most of our trips to Oakland include a hike in the beautiful Oakland hills and this trip was no exception. For the first day of our visit Jamie (and his new 4 month old puppy Daisy) took us up to Roberts Regional Recreation Area for a hike. We started at the Redwood Bowl trailhead next to Chabot Science Center and then made a short hop on West Ridge Trail to the top of Madrone Trail. We took that down off the Skyline Ridge almost all the way down into Redwood Creek valley but turned off onto Starflower Trail just before we reached the bottom. This southern side of the creek valley is the classic coastal Redwood landscape with gorgeous towering Redwood trees and cascading streams. We always love hiking in this area and today was perfect weather to be out among these giants. We used Starflower to drop the final leg down to the creek, then turned west onto Stream Trail which we took to the head of Redwood Creek and then started to climb back up out of the valley. This side of the valley is a completely different landscape with more shrubs, big eucalyptus trees and thick grass in open areas without tree cover. Once we made it back to the top of the ridge we re-connected with the West Ridge trail and headed back east on it. This section of trail had a wide variety of spring wildflowers already in bloom so even though this section didn’t have the marque Redwoods it still made for a lovely hike. We eventually got back to the trailhead and seeing how tired pup Daisy was we felt it was a worthy hike for all of us! A 3.8 mile loop with 700 feet of elevation gain.
19) Skyline and Round Top Loop Trails, Old Tunnel Road Staging Area, Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve, East Bay Parks, Oakland, CA, April 28, 2024 - Jamie and Alan had Sunday free so naturally we decided to head back into the Oakland hills for a hike. I had never been to the Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve so we headed there so I could hike a new area. To make it even more different from our usual hike we drove through the Caldecott Tunnel so we could start the hike from the east side via the Old Tunnel Road Staging Area. This put us down at the bottom of the ridge that is the remains of a 10 million year old Volcano. The Skyline Trail climbs up the lush Round Top Creek valley filled with oak and eucalyptus trees while crossing a half dozen little streams as it rises up to the Sibley Main Staging Area parking lot. From there we picked up the short Overlook Trail which we used to connect to the Round Top Loop Trail. We did the loop clockwise to get back to Sibley Main and then returned back down Skyline to where we had parked. It wasn’t a strenuous hike - I didn’t have hiking gear with me so it was just right for my jeans & T-shirt and I think it was also perfect for 5 month old Daisy who got in some leash training and plenty of interactions with strange dogs. Best of all we had beautiful hiking weather with some scenic views out over San Francisco Bay along the loop trail so definitely a nice way to spent our "free" morning! A 4.8 mile "P" loop with 800 feet of elevation gain.
20) Wildcat Gorge and Lake Anza, Tilden Regional Park, East Bay Parks, Berkeley, CA, April 30, 2024 - After being in the Bay area for nearly a week we finally had a day when all of us could get together for a hike. Jamie and Kelly (and pup Daisy!) drove Jonna and I up to Tilden Regional Park to do an easy hike there. We were going to hike near Jewel Lake but it turns out dogs aren’t allowed in that trail so we found a different trail we could hike from the same parking lot. The Wildcat Gorge trail is relatively flat so an easy walk but is quite beautiful as it is built alongside Wildcat Creek which winds through oak, bay, redwoods and eucalyptus trees. We took the trail up to Lake Anza and then made the loop around the lake on the Lake Anza Trail. Along the way we saw turtles and lizards and trout and heron and a hummingbird. There were also quite a few different varieties of wild flowers in bloom which meant bees and dragonflies and butterflies. All in all a nice day out and then we capped it off with an equally nice lunch in nearby Lafayette so two thumbs up for this outing! A 3.7 mile out-and-back with a mellow 350 feet of elevation gain.
21) Owl Trail, Muir Beach Overlook trailhead, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, May 1, 2024 - For our last day in California (for this trip) we decided to squeeze in another final hike. Jamie and pup Daisy brought Jonna and I up to the Marin Headlands to hike along the spectacular Northern California coast. We chose to head to Muir Beach where we parked at the Marin Beach Overlook trailhead and hiked the short but stunning Owl Trail all the way down to Slide Ranch. Then, on our way back up, we took some side trails down to the tidepools on the edge of the Pacific. The trails were little used (we only saw one other person) and a bit over-grown. The side effect of this was that the tall grass was filled with ticks. We were stopping regularly to knock the creepy crawlies off and spent the two hours after the hike still finding them. On the plus side were the lovely wildflowers, the glorious sunshine and the amazing views of the rocky coastline. After hiking all the trails in this area we drove down to Muir Beach and spent some acclimatizing Daisy with waves and salt water. It was so cute we were all laughing and saying "Awwwww..." We finished off with lunch on the edge of San Francisco Bay. A pretty fine way to close out this trip to visit Jamie and his family. A 2.8 mile out-and-back with 600 feet of elevation gain.
If you enjoyed these you may also enjoy checking out some photos from our 2023 hikes.
