Colorado Wasted

It has been too long since I have done a hike. I couldn’t skip hiking on Thanksgiving. It is my tradition. The day was beautiful. It was in the upper 60’s. A little windy though. As for myself, I am out shape since I haven’t been hiking since July. So naturally, I did a hike where there are no trails which made it tougher. There are talks about putting a trail system around Fremont Peak near Royal Gorge. I went out looking for possible routes. The route I chose on Thursday had too many loose rocks. I decided against trying to complete what I had in mind. I went out again on Friday but chose a different route. This route was better. I also felt better after having loosened up my hiking muscles the day before. I climbed to the top of Nonans Peak. The peak has an elevation of 6900 feet. Not very tall for Colorado standards, but my hike started from the Arkansas River. So I had about a 1500 foot elevation gain which good enough to get the heart pumping again. The hike was grand. Lots of cliffs and great views. Here are some pictures from the hike.

View of Cliffs

Tree Antler

Arkansas River

Royal Gorge Bridge

Nonans Peak (on the left beyond the cliffs)

Arkansas River

Sangre de Cristo Mountains on the horizon

Fremont Peak on the right

Top of Nonans Peak with Cañon City below

Pikes Peak on the right

Royal Gorge