On Friday June 5th Jen took Leslie and I to Mount Blue Sky, a 14,265 foot peak in Colorado. Jen had the day off, but everyone else had to work, so it was just the three of us. It ended up being the most memorable day of our entire trip, for several different reasons.
First, it offered some great views of the Rockies. It felt like we were looking out at the top of the world.
Second, we stopped at the Mount Goliath Natural Area
where we saw Bristlecone Pine trees, some of the oldest trees on earth.
Leslie and I have seen Bristlecone Pines before in Southern California near Death Valley, but I still find them fascinating.
After a pleasant short walk, we headed up toward the top of Mount Blue Sky where not even Bristlecone Pines could survive.
and, after negotiating some narrow roads that made me glad I wasn’t driving we finally reached the visitor’s center. You could even see hardy individuals hiking up to the top.
With high winds and temperatures dropping into the 40’s, I decided to stay in the car since I had dressed for the 90 degree temperatures we had been experiencing in Broomfield, not for winter. However, when Leslie gestured for me to come look at what turned out to be a young Mountain Goat, I threw caution to the wind and got out of the car. Big mistake. Hit with a cold blast of air and a sudden lack of oxygen, for a moment I actually thought I was having a heart attack. I finally managed to get to the visitor’s center and see the Mountain Goat but quickly retreated to the car.
Within a few moments, a much larger Mountain Goat came walking by on the sidewalk.
On our way back down the mountain, we ran into a small herd of Rocky Mountain Sheep on the road, reminding us how high we really were.
We finished the trip by dropping down a couple thousand feet and walking around Echo Lake, about one and a half miles round trip, reassuring me that didn’t actually have a heart attack.
The next time someone tells me we are going to 14,000 feet I will remember to bring a windbreaker and vest, no matter how hot it may be at a mere mile high.