I didn't do that much hiking this weekend. Last weekend was a little rough on my knee. I didn't want to press my luck this weekend. With it being a holiday weekend, it was going to be extremely crowded in the mountains. I did get out Friday morning before it got too crowded. I drove up to Guanella Pass, which is at an elevation of 11,669 feet. I think it only took an hour and fifteen minutes to get there. Naturally being that close to Denver, it is a popular trailhead. It is the trailhead for Mt. Bierstadt, which is a 14er. Mt. Evans can also be climbed from here. I didn't do either. I went in the opposite direction to Square Top Lakes. It is a five and half mile round trip hike that is all above tree line. The elevation of the upper lake was only around 12,170 feet. So the elevation gain wasn't bad. The trail was also on the south facing slopes, which meant there would not be much in the way of snow. It was basically the type of hike my knee needed. The scenery wasn't too bad either. Here are the pics.
Flowers along the trail near Guanella Pass
Me at the upper lake of the Square Top Lakes
Me again at the upper lake
Small unnamed lake along the trail. L-R: Mt. Spalding, Mt. Evans, & Mt. Bierstadt.
More flowers along the trail
Looking north from Guanella Pass
2 comments:
Beautiful shots! You've reminded me to always take a little time for myself and take that hike here and there.
Hope the wild flowers are still blooming when we get out there. The ladies would like that. See you soon.
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