Weekend in San Luis Valley

A cold front had arrived in Denver.  With it came a clear message..."Summer is over." With a chill-blocking outer layer added, we boarded the Englewood (Malley) Recreation Center bus.  Destination, Alamosa, in the San Luis Valley of southern Colorado.


Mountains of Rio Grande National Forest peek out of morning clouds as we head south on Rt. 17, to Medano-Zapata Ranch.

Boulder Lake

Since relocating to Colorado seven years ago, this hiker has experienced many trails, penned hundreds of pages of text describing those experiences and captured thousands of images in the back country.  Considering all those outings, this is one of my top three hikes...the others being The Loch (RMNP), and Eldorado Canyon...although a number of other trips remain favorites.

Today, on board were eleven members of the High Country Hikers group, one a newbie.  The normal morning rush hour traffic caused little delay before Ed was able to quicken the pace, moving us to the trailhead (TH) by mid-morning.

Herman Lake

The Herman Gulch TH is located just off exit 218 of I-70, west of Bakerville.  There is ample parking and pit toilets are provided before starting this popular scenic hike.


Dorothy, Penny, Nancy, and JoAnn prepare for the day.

Indian Peaks Wilderness (IPW)

To say "Stuff Happens" would describe why the original plan for an annual multi-day backpack trip did not happen.  This year, there were a number of reasons why the first plan, and numerous alternate plans had to be scrapped.

It was mid-August before a salvaged trip plan was developed.  Two members of the group from last year were unable to go, leaving my good friend Ed and me. 

Square Top Lakes

The turn off Main Street in Georgetown (8,500'),  took us to Guanella Pass Road, and the Pass of the same name.  After passing the parking lot for Mt. Bierstadt trailhead (11,669'), the South Park Trail trailhead lot is a few yards farther on the opposite side of the road.