Colorado, July 2010

After spending two and a half weeks in "Colorful Colorado," I am now ready to begin posting photos from my trip.  Today I will post a few preview photos and will soon follow up with posts that chronicle my mountaineering adventures and exploratory hikes!

Abandoned one-room schoolhouse located just south of Leadville, Colorado with Mount Massive in the background.  Mount Massive of the Sawatch Range is the second highest peak in Colorado and the second highest peak in the Rocky Mountains with an elevation of 14,428 feet above sea level.  Mt. Massive is one of three "14ers" I climbed on this trip.

View to the west from a saddle located immediately below the summit of Mt. Massive.

This is me taking in the view of the Upper Arkansas River Valley from the summit of Mt. Massive.

One of MANY abandoned mines surrounding the city of Leadville.  Leadville is famous for being one of the great mining "boom towns" of the late 19th century, producing most notably large amounts of gold and silver, along with many other varieties of ores.  Leadville is also the highest incorporated city in the nation with an elevation of 10,152 feet above sea level - the "Two Mile High City" (just to compare, the city of Saint Louis sits at a mere 465 feet above sea level).

Leadville boasts many homes and buildings of varying bold colors - I will be devoting a post entirely to "Leadville Color."

Rocky Mountain Columbine - Colorado state flower and my favorite.  This rare flower only grows in the harsh conditions of high elevations, typically nearby flowing waters.  I found these columbine along the La Plata Peak Trail (elevation 14,368 feet), another one of the three 14ers I climbed on this trip.

Marmota flaviventris, also known as the Yellow-bellied Marmot - this guy is a relative to what we call "woodchucks" and "groundhogs" in the eastern U.S.  I made friends with him along the La Plata Peak Trail.

Sign on the Colorado Trail marking the fork in the trail that takes you to the highest peak of the Sawatch Range, the highest peak in Colorado, and the highest peak of the Rocky Mountains: Mount Elbert, elevation 14,440 feet above sea level.  Another one of the three 14ers I climbed on this trip.

My addition to the log that is kept on the summit of Mt. Elbert.

A ranch in the Upper Arkansas River Valley with majestic Mt. Elbert in the background.


Keep checking back to this blog regularly for more photos from my trip!  It may take me a while to find my favorite photos from the over 700 shots I took on the trip...