Turn Of The Century

Ouch! My Bulldogs got whooped Saturday night. I was worried about the mistakes they had been making. I knew they wouldn’t be able to get away with it if Alabama was on top of their game. And of course, Alabama was ready and then some. I did like the Dawgs spirit in the 2nd half. At least that was positive. With a few more weekends of upsets, the Dawgs can get back in it with their schedule if they fix their mistakes. They still control their own destiny in the SEC. So I’m hoping for a rematch in the SEC championship game. But that is a long ways away.

The Rapids gave me solace after the Dawgs game. The replay of the Rapids game started right after the Dawgs game so I was able to watch it without knowing the score. The Rapids beat New York on the road 5-4. Wild game, there were 7 goals in the first half. Looks like the Rapids new coach has gotten thing sorted out. They are 3-0-1 in their last 4 games.

On Sunday, I hiked off my football frustrations. I climbed another 14er. This time it was Mt. Sherman, which has an elevation of 14,036 Ft. Mt. Sherman is located between Fairplay and Leadville. I got on the trail at about 8:00 A.M. The trail starting out is a 4-wheel drive road. If I had a high clearance vehicle, I could have driven to a trailhead further up the mountain. As it was, I estimate my hike to the top was only about 3.5 miles. The trail passes lots of old mines. I reached the top at about 10:00 A.M. I actually had it to myself for about 10 minutes. There were not that many people hiking this 14er compared to the other 14ers I’ve done. It is an easy hike for a 14er as well.

Mt. Sherman is straight ahead. Hilltop Mine is on the left.

The ridge that leads to the top of Mt. Sherman

Me on top of Mt. Sherman

Mt. Elbert is visible to the right of me and the yellow trees. Mt. Massive is on the right. It is in the shadows of the clouds.

View of Mt. Democrat, Mt. Cameron, Mt. Bross, Mt. Lincoln, Torreys Peak, Grays Peak, and possibly Quandary Peak

View towards Leadville and Mt. Massive

One of the buildings at Hilltop Mine

Some fall color along Fourmile Road, which is at least 11 miles long.

There is a Wow factor to the fall color in the South Park and Kenosha Pass area. I went through Kenosha Pass at about 1:00 P.M. on the way back, and there were cars parked everywhere. People were checking out the colors. It was pretty spectacular there. Too many people for me though.

By the way, this is my 100th post. Cheers,

-MM

Volume 3

Last Saturday was my 2-year anniversary of becoming a Colorado resident. I spent it by knocking off a 14er and watching football. In the morning I drove up to Guanella Pass and hiked up Mt. Bierstadt. The weather was perfect. There was snow on the ground, but it wasn’t that cold for the elevation. The day was sunny, and there was no wind. I was in short sleeves on the way down. Guanella Pass has an elevation of 11,669 feet, and Mt. Bierstadt is at an elevation of 14,060 feet. It is 3 miles up, and the first mile is easy. The hike felt longer, but it was ridiculously easier than Longs Peak. There were quite a few people going up. I got to the summit a little after 10:00 A.M. The top has a great view of Mt. Evans and surrounding area. Here are the pictures from the hike.

Mt. Bierstadt in the morning

Looking back towards Guenella Pass

The slopes of Mt. Bierstadt

Mt. Evans & Abyss Lake from Mt. Bierstadt

Me on Mt. Bierstadt with Mt. Evans behind me

Artsy shot to the southeast from the slopes of Mt. Bierstadt

The Sawtooth - the ridge that connects Mt. Bierstadt to Mt. Evans.

The evening was spent watching the Bulldogs and the Rapids. The Bulldogs got the job done, but they will need to play a lot better this coming Saturday when Alabama comes to Athens. The Rapids tied the Revolution. The Rapids would be in the playoffs if the season ended today. It doesn’t, but they are back in contention so I happy about that. I also watched a little bit of the Noles game. Sorry Pops, Wake Forest is a little better than the Noles previous opponents.

I see that the Dolphins won a game on Sunday. I’m thrilled that they didn’t wait till the end of the season like last year. Anyway, volume three of life in Colorado is off to a good start. I’m looking forward to what’s to come.

-MM

Fire

On Saturday morning, I went for hike on Green Mountain in Lakewood. The mountain is about 10 minutes from my place. I've been there before. There was a fire on the northeast side of Green Mountain during the first week of August. I hiked past the edge of the burn area at the top of the mountain. The Burn smell is still there, but the new growth has taken a hold already. It is actually green in the burn area. The mountain is usually only green in the spring.


The burn area on Green Mountain near the top.





After the hike it was college football time. I watched my Bulldogs beat South Carolina 14-7. After the game, I was watching ESPN and their so-called analysts were shocked that the game was close. The Georgia-South Carolina game is almost always close and low scoring. South Carolina won last year. I guess ESPN didn't get the memo. I knew it was going to be close, and I am quite happy with the win.

On Sunday, I went to the Colorado Rapids soccer game vs. the Chicago Fire. Former US National team star Brian McBride plays for the Fire now. It was cool getting to see him play. Former Mexican National team star Cuauhtemoc Blanco also plays for the Fire. There were quite a few Mexican fans to see him. Overall the crowd was disappointing. The Broncos and Rockies were in town and playing at the same time. I guess they took away some of the fans. It looked like there were quite a few no-shows. The good news is the Rapids won 2-0. They are a tiebreaker out of a playoff spot now. A couple of weeks ago they were dead last in the league.



Brian McBride (Fire) and Cory Gibbs (Rapids)

Rain

Ah, Labor Day Weekend and the start of College Football. I watched my Bulldogs Saturday morning. It went about as expected for a first game. Unfortunately, they lost one of their starting defensive linemen for the season due to a knee injury. After the game I went down to Pagosa Springs to try and find Flat Feet. Flat Feet is hiking a section of the Continental Divide Trail from Grand Lake, CO to Grants, NM. I hiked with him back in July when he was starting out. I found out where Flat Feet was staying in Pagosa Springs and met him there.

Sunday morning I took Flat Feet and another hiker to the trailhead at Wolf Creek Pass. I hiked with them out of Wolf Creek Pass. The trail out the pass was well maintained and wasn't too steep. However, the weather was not cooperating. It was raining off and on. It was an all day rain instead of the usual afternoon showers. It seems like every time I go to Wolf Creek Pass, it rains. Once we got about 3.5 to 4 miles in, the trail became less obvious. We hit a stretch for a mile to a mile and half where we were not sure where the trail was. However, we were sure that we were in the area of the trail. We eventually found the trail again. The rest of the day was spent walking around blow downs in the rain. We only did about 8-10 miles. We got a late start. It also didn't help that we had to wander around looking for the trail. I spent the rest of the day in my tent while it rained.


Flat Feet hiking along the Continental Divide Trail above the Wolf Creek Ski Area.



On Monday morning, I packed up a wet tent, left Flat Feet, and went back to my car. It was not raining when I packed up, although the trees were raining with the wind. The mountains were in the clouds still, and there was the occasional misty rain shower. I took a shortcut on the way back that followed some old roads to the Wolf Creek Ski Area. I then had to do a 1/2-mile walk up the highway to my car. It was worth it. My feet were soaked and ready to get out of the boots. It wasn't the greatest of hikes, but that’s how it goes sometimes...

-MM